Over the years, cinema has given us unforgettable alien invasion stories. Hits like Independence Day (1996) and the Alien (1979) franchise became etched in our memories for being ahead of their time, building their foundation on gore, high-octane action, and thrill. With the global surge of Korean content and stellar entries like The Silent Sea (2021) and Parasyte: The Grey (2024) in the same genre, it’s only natural to expect a lot. That’s why I was convinced Hope would be a standout watch, especially after its world premiere competing for the Palme d'Or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

Hope opens in a remote village near the Korean Demilitarised Zone, inhabited mostly by elderly residents. Police Chief Ko Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min) is called by his cousin, Ko Sung-ki (Zo In-sung), to investigate a brutal cow slaughter. The two go different ways, and Bum-seok ends up tracking a mysterious monster wreaking havoc on the town adjacent to Hope Harbour, while Sung-ki and his crew head into the woods in search of a suspected tiger but stumble upon a spaceship.