KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — South Korea’s most expensive film to date, Hope, will hit Malaysian cinemas tomorrow, bringing its ambitious blend of science fiction, action and thriller elements to local audiences.

Reportedly made on a budget approaching 100 billion won (RM302 million), the film is considered the most expensive Korean feature ever produced.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Na Hong-jin, Hope follows a village police chief and his rookie deputy as they struggle to protect their community from a mysterious extraterrestrial creature. 

Their ordeal begins after wildfires cut off communications, while a local hunting party deep in the mountains finds itself becoming the hunted.

Na is best known for the critically acclaimed 2008 crime thriller The Chaser and 2016 horror film The Wailing, but he has described Hope as a significant departure from his earlier work.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Na said he wanted the new film to place greater emphasis on its visual and audio experience.

“Hope is completely different from my previous works,” he said.

“While my past films focused on building up narrative, this time I wanted to make a film that maximises the visuals and audio.”

The film boasts an international cast, including South Korean actors Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung and Jung Ho-yeon, alongside Hollywood stars Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell and Cameron Britton.

On its opening weekend, Hope recorded 1.5 million admissions in South Korea, grossing US$11.3 million (approximately RM46 million) at the box office.

The film is also among the widest releases for a Korean-language film in the United States since Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning Parasite in 2019.

Franchise potential 

According to Na, the original screenplay for Hope was considerably longer and was set entirely over the course of a single day.

However, after completing the script, he felt the story was moving too quickly and decided to “essentially chop the script in half”.

The first half eventually became Hope.

That decision could also leave the door open for the story to expand beyond the first film.

Rather than resolving every mystery, Hope establishes its characters, extraterrestrial threat and wider situation while leaving room for a possible continuation.

Final thoughts

Hope held its Malaysia gala screening at GSC Aurum TRX on September 4.

Its production design and the director’s narrative have been among the elements drawing nationwide praise, reflecting Na’s stated intention to make the cinematic experience as visually and aurally immersive as possible. 

Hope will be available from tomorrow nationwide in ScreenX, 4DX and IMAX.