The wild, most divisive film at this year's Cannes

Cannes featured premieres from Nicolas Winding Refn, Andrey Zvyagintsev, and Clio Barnard, along with other new films. Na Hong-Jin’s Hope drew the most varied response, ranging from one-star reviews to five-star praise. The film follows a policeman hunting an unseen creature rampaging through a small Korean town. The first hour delivers a tightly controlled thrill while withholding the monster’s appearance. In the final two hours, the story shifts into different territory without revealing surprises. The action is relentless and genre-mixing, evoking elements from Mad Max: Fury Road, The Host, Predator, and Avatar. Some criticism targets the CGI when the creature is shown, but the pacing and action largely compensate. The film also includes cameos by Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, plus Taylor Russell and Cameron Britton.

"It follows a policeman (Hwang Jung-min) who hunts down an unseen creature rampaging through a small Korean town. The first hour is a thrill ride, with the film holding back exactly what this monster looks like - and for the film's final two hours (yes, it's a long one), Hope veers into different territory altogether. To say any more would be to spoil its surprises."

"Let's just say, the film's many thrills evoke Mad Max: Fury Road, The Host, Predator and even Avatar, with Hong-Jin thrillingly mashing up genres with abandon throughout. Perhaps the biggest criticism thrown Hope 's way is the CGI - when the film shows its hand, the graphics are not up to the standard of your typical Hollywood blockbuster film. But the pulsating action, which rarely relents, makes up for any disappointment."

"Many critics have also argued Hope was an unlikely choice to play in competition at the festival - meaning it's in the running to win the Palme d'Or - but its fans described its placement among the line-up as refreshing. 'Hope' needs to be seen to be believed (Plus M Entertainment) Another notable detail about Hope is its cameos from Hollywood stars, and married couple, Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, as well as Taylor Russell and Cameron Britton."

"which have to be seen to be believed. Hope is undeniably the sort of film people will need to see, on as big a screen as possible,"

Read at The Independent