What 'Hope's Monsters Really Look Like - And Why It's Important
When it comes to Na Hong-jin’s Hope, there’s purpose in everything. And I mean everything. From the way that the aliens look to their language, there is symbolism about the current state of our world, geopolitical issues in South Korea, and, surprisingly enough, even Hollywood. So when we’re talking about the aliens from Hope, what they look like, and why it’s important, we need to understand how layered this conversation is.
To start, I’m going to talk about the intentionality behind the “monsters” or aliens’ design visually. Then, I’m going to dive a little bit into their linguistics and why they hired Hollywood actors to play these aliens. Lastly, I’m going to talk about the perspective shift at the end of the movie without giving spoilers away because even that ending speaks to the intention behind Na’s work. And again, layers.
What Do the "Monsters" From 'Hope' Really Look Like?
There are a couple of distinct alien designs in Hope. First up, you have the more humanoid-looking aliens that are part of the ruling class. They’re lanky, durable, imposing, built for speed, but also elegant. There’s Ai’dovor and Ma’veyyo. The former is a nanny of the missing prince, and the latter is the empress’ protector. Then there’s Empress J’aur. She is tall and lanky like the other two aliens I mentioned before, but she has spikes that protrude from her back that she can move just as easily as she moves her arms. Rounding them off is Prince Kali, who’s a child but looks to be of the same species.
Va’migere is a kitchen attendant and the main alien tearing apart the town. They, alongside the other similar-looking aliens hiding in the woods, are also lanky, durable, and built for speed. But they differ from the ruling class by having long, unruly hair and spending more time on all fours instead of being regal and imposing like J’aur, Ai’dovor, and Ma’veyyo. They also seem to be the ones who feel the most emotion.
Then there’s the last creature, Krusini, who seems to be Kali’s pet and is comparable to a dog or cat. While you only see a glimpse of this creature, it helps you, as a viewer, understand that even though they’re aliens, they’re a fully formed society. But unlike us, they don’t have a single form. Case in point: Ma’veyyo transforming into a terrifying version of himself when the situation required it.
Why the Visual Design of the Monsters From 'Hope' Is Important
The design of the monsters, or aliens, in Hope is about creating a society. A lot of times when we see aliens in films, they’re a monolith with no big differences between them. But what Hope does is act as a mirror to our world to show that their society is just as complex as ours. Maybe even more so if I’m being honest. (There seems to be a giant intergalactic war at play.)
If you combine the fact that this movie emphasizes how much of an intelligent society they are, with the elegance of these aliens, it makes the humans look meager in comparison. That creates a thematic tension where even though they don’t understand each other, the humans perceive them as mysterious threats. And the aliens perceive them as merely a nuisance on the way to their actual mission: saving Prince Kali.
This makes the disconnect between the humans and aliens even bigger, leading to miscommunications and a whole lot of bodies along the way. Within that space, there’s still room to make a case, but even though the aliens and humans are similar in having a society, people they care for, and things that tear them apart, they choose not to work together. And that’s a very human thing in itself for the viewer watching.
Also, the shapeshifting. We need to talk about that. Ma’veyyo, for example, when he’s on the hunt and going to take you down, changes into something monstrous. It’s a visual cue as to how they don’t hide their monster. Humans only have one form, so you don’t know when they’re about to attack, making it harder to trust and differentiate when you should be wary. That emphasizes the “us” and “them” of it all.
Why Are the Voices of the Aliens in 'Hope' So Important?
When it comes to the voice acting for the aliens in Hope, they specifically cast Western English-speaking Hollywood actors. Na, the director, did it to underscore a geopolitical metaphor: the ultimate foreign intruders. We’re not just talking about this small insular Korean community, but also about a distinction between Hollywood and South Korea, and the latter is trying to intrude on the former.
Na also worked with linguistic scholars at Seoul University to create an alien dialect based on Mongolian. He cast Western actors because they needed phonetics and mouth shapes that differed from Korean and matched the precise pronunciation requirements of the created alien language. Overall, what seems like a small detail actually creates an even bigger barrier between the aliens and the humans that also feeds the “us” versus “them” theme in Hope.
What's So Important About 'Hope's Ending?
Without giving too much away for those who still want to watch Hope, the end of the movie shifts the perspective to the aliens. In that moment, we understand the entirety of the movie through their eyes, instead of the humans’. So every action that takes place, every human life that has been lost, has an added layer to it. This isn’t just mindless destruction. There’s purpose, pain, and, like the title says, a lot of hope in everything the aliens have done.
The perspective shift at the end also acts as a critique of Western movies framing the unknown as chaotic, destructive, and worthy of being destroyed before being understood or known. That’s exactly what happened with these aliens. The humans saw them as otherworldly and decided to shoot first and ask questions later. It didn’t help them at all. Thinking like that never does.
