Even the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Joins the Extreme Divide Over "Hope"... "See It for Yourself and Decide"

[Financial News] Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young said after watching the film "Hope" that viewers should "see the ending, which divides opinion, and judge it for yourself."
On the 26th, Choi wrote on his social networking service account, "I watched Hope, a Korean SF blockbuster with an overwhelming scale unlike anything before," adding, "I was very satisfied simply because it swept away the summer heat for me over its 156-minute runtime."
Choi said the film began in an atmosphere that hinted at something suspicious, then steadily built tension and tightened his chest. "It suddenly accelerates, adding speed on top of speed, racing wildly toward somewhere as it turns left and stretches right," he wrote. "Along the way, a wide range of genres and elements appear and disappear like a face-changing mask: spectacular action, thrills, horror, suspense, monsters, adventure, SF, and even the absurdity of black humor. It never lets you relax for a moment, and then, before you know it, the film ends and the credits roll." He added, "The ending that divides opinion? See it yourself and decide."
He also thanked director Na Hong-jin and the cast, saying, "Thank you for delivering such an entertaining and stylish film," and "I also applaud and cheer the fact that it surpassed 3 million viewers in just 11 days after release."
"Hope" is Na Hong-jin's first new film in 10 years since "The Wailing." It is an SF action thriller about surreal events unfolding in the fictional demilitarized zone called Hope Harbor. The film surpassed 3 million viewers on the 25th, 11 days after its release, but audience reactions were sharply divided. As of that day, its CGV Egg Index, based on actual viewer ratings, stood at 83 percent, while Naver's viewer score was only 7.3 out of 10. Among actual viewers, 56 percent gave it 9 or 10 points, but 21 percent gave it 1 or 2 points, the second-largest share.
The backlash even extended to criticism of film reviewers. Dong-jin Lee, a film critic who gave the movie four stars out of five, calling it "a giant crescendo of the entire film, boldly racing through a bizarre chaos," posted on his blog on the 20th that he had "no personal relationship with director Na." His response came after criticism that he had given the film a high score because he was close to the director or had rated it highly because of Na's reputation.
Still, the critic said, "My praise for Hope has nothing to do with who the director is." He added, "I do not like Na Hong-jin's films because I like Na Hong-jin. I like him as a creator because, in my view, he has kept making good films."
He went on to say, "Despite its flaws, Hope has very strong strengths that more than make up for them. It is a charming, original, and entertaining film." He added, "That Hope is excellent is my opinion. And that it is a terrible film is your opinion."
He continued, "Just because more people lean toward a certain opinion does not make that opinion true at all. More people's opinions are not always better opinions." He added, "Opinions can differ enough," and "different views can coexist peacefully."

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