Minister Choi Hwi-young: "Watch the ending of Hope for yourself"

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young has personally weighed in on the starkly polarized audience reactions surrounding director Na Hong-jin's first new film in 10 years, "Hope." On the 26th, Minister Choi shared his review of the film via social media, leaving a message regarding the controversial ending: "Watch it for yourself and decide."

Minister Choi defined the work as an "unprecedented, overwhelmingly scaled Korean-style SF blockbuster." He noted that the 156-minute runtime maintained gripping tension throughout, providing a satisfying experience that was enough to beat the summer heat.

A Shapeshifting Narrative Like Bian Lian

The Minister also described the film's narrative progression. He explained, "It races forward, adding speed upon speed, swerving left and right, sprinting frantically toward an unknown destination." He noted that various elements—spectacular action, thrills, horror, suspense, monsters, adventure, sci-fi, and even the absurdity of black humor—constantly shift and reappear like "Bian Lian" (face-changing opera). He added, "It didn't allow for a moment of distraction," noting that before he knew it, the end credits were rolling.

He was decisive regarding the controversial ending. Minister Choi wrote, "The final ending that people are divided on? Just watch it yourself and judge." He went on to thank director Na Hong-jin and the cast for "delivering such a fun and wonderful movie," while also congratulating them on surpassing 3 million viewers just 11 days after its release.

Surpassing 3 Million Viewers Amid Extreme Rating Distribution

On the 25th, the 11th day of its release, "Hope" surpassed a cumulative audience of 3 million. An SF action thriller dealing with surreal events occurring in the fictional demilitarized zone of Hopo Port, the film's audience ratings are extremely polarized despite its box office success. As of that day, the CGV Egg Index, based on actual viewer reviews, stood at 83%. The Naver audience rating is 7.3 out of 10.

The distribution of scores shows a clear pattern. While the largest group of viewers (56%) gave it 9 to 10 points, those who gave it 1 to 2 points also accounted for a significant 21%. On the Naver rating section, a single-line review from a netizen who gave it 1 point—stating, "It wasn't Na Hong-jin who directed this, it must have been Hong Myung-bo"—has sparked intense debate, receiving over 20,000 likes and nearly 6,000 dislikes.

Critic Lee Dong-jin: "It's Not Due to Personal Ties with the Director"

Film critic Lee Dong-jin, who gave "Hope" 4 out of 5 stars, responded to the controversy via his blog on the 20th. He described the film as "a massive crescendo that boldly races through a bizarre mess."

Addressing claims from some quarters that his high rating was due to personal friendship with director Na or financial motives, Lee Dong-jin drew a clear line, stating, "I have no personal friendship with director Na." He clarified, "My praise for 'Hope' is independent of who the director is. I don't like his movies because I like director Na; I like him as a creator because he continues to make movies that I find good." He emphasized, "'Hope' being excellent is my opinion. And 'Hope' being a terrible movie is your opinion. Just because more people lean toward a specific opinion does not make that opinion a fact."

Na Hong-jin's Return After 10 Years and Production Scale

This work is the new film from director Na Hong-jin, the filmmaker behind "The Chaser," "The Yellow Sea," and "The Wailing," marking his return after 10 years. It garnered significant attention even before its release, as it is known to have involved the largest production budget in Korean film history. The film deals with surreal events set in the fictional location of Hopo Port. Minister Choi described the film's tension as something that "tightened my heart."