[GV] Bong Joon-ho Praises Na Hong-jin’s New Film “Hope” as a “Breathtaking Spectacle of Unleashed Madness”

A master filmmaker’s praise, opening a new horizon for Korean science fiction

“I kept my eyes on the screen, even amid a runaway rush of excitement.”

Global maestro “Bong Joon-ho” offered the rousing tribute after he met “Na Hong-jin”’s latest work “Hope”. According to Plus M Entertainment on the 16th, “Bong Joon-ho” took the stage at the audience conversation event (GV) for “Hope” held the day before at Megabox COEX, exchanging cinematic discussions as deep as the abyss with “Na Hong-jin”.

Unveiled on the 15th, “Hope” is a “science fiction film” depicting a brutal battle that erupts when an unidentified alien lifeform appears near the Demilitarized Zone in the fictional town of Hopo-hang. It weaves a heavy, high-intensity action framework around the primal conflict between an unknown presence and humankind.

On that day, “Bong Joon-ho”, who saw the film for the first time, said, “I couldn’t hold back the pleasant shock and thrill of what I had witnessed.” He added, “It’s a wondrous cinematic adventure that you simply don’t see in Korean cinema.” He continued, “I pay my sincere respects to fellow filmmakers who gave me this extraordinary sight of cinema where swagger and madness explode across the screen.”

A blissful surge of artisanal action and overwhelming camera work

In particular, “Hwang Jung-min”, who plays Beom-seok, the head of the Hopo-hang출장소 (field office), left a deep impression even on the mind of the maestro with the early sequences in which he takes on a mysterious presence in a bloody fight amid the wrecked town. “Bong Joon-ho” described it, saying, “It’s a roller-coaster of pure exhilaration, with breathless pacing that seems to be pulled up from deep within the core and cut off as it continues, a gripping musical score that squeezes the rhythm of the heartbeat, and the flawless lockstep with the camera work of cinematographer “Hong Kyung-pyo”, which glides low over the ground like it’s licking the earth.”

He also praised the explosive ensemble, including “Hwang Jung-min”, “Jo In-sung”, and “Jung Ho-yeon”, who embodied extreme disaster conditions through every muscle and even the smallest expressions. “I just couldn’t help but envy the subjects who complete the narrative with nothing but their eyes while fully handling uncontrollable action,” he said. “And “Na Hong-jin”, who matched his pacing with such an excellent cast, is truly a blessed director.”

In response, “Na Hong-jin” said, “The biggest challenge was organically fusing the creature’s otherness and raw action within a single frame.” He added that he worked relentlessly toward implementing practical classic action and computer graphic (CG) creatures with precision in the same screen, rather than relying entirely on visual effects (VFX).

A relay of support from Korean film maestros, signaling a box-office buzz

Meanwhile, the “Hope” GV is not stopping, as soon after “Lee Chang-dong” director, “Bong Joon-ho” also joined the ranks of cinematographers representing Korean cinema, stepping in one after another to throw support behind the film and writing a sold-out-in-full house myth. On the 16th, director “Jang Jae-hyun” of “Paimyo”, which opened a new horizon for the occult genre, is expected to take the baton and continue another dimension of dense conversation with audiences. With a relay of maestro-level praise for the work continuing, attention is focused on what kind of seismic shift “Hope”’s fierce cinematic impact will spark across the theater scene.