What The Aliens Said At The End Of 'Hope' Isn't Sweet - It's Insulting

Na Hong-jin’s intense action thriller Hope (2026) is more than a movie about an alien invasion and the humans who battle them. It’s about misconceptions and miscommunication wrapped up in a bigger cosmic mystery that none of the humans in the movie understand. But when the audience finally gets some translations of what the aliens are saying, it isn’t sweet; it’s insulting. 

With so much to cover about this two-hour-and-40-minute movie, I’m going to keep it tight when it comes to what the aliens said and who they are. I’m also going to dive into why what they said was insulting after everything we’ve been through. Then, I’m going to add a little bit of context about what the director has planned for the future of Hope.

What Did the Aliens Say in 'Hope'?

Hope spends the majority of its runtime showing you the events of the alien invasion from the human perspective. But there does come a point where Hope makes it clear that these monsters terrorizing the humans are actually intelligent beings. That’s when they go from monsters to aliens. 

From then on, the aliens are shown to have distinct emotions, personalities, and even recognizable faces. Just as the movie is about to come to an end, a ship breaks through the clouds and crashes into Earth. It’s during that horrifying moment that the aliens share a conversation, which is translated for us audiences. 

Though I’ve included the conversation below, the gist of it is that they are part of an intergalactic battle bigger than what’s happening here on Earth. They have a limited amount of time to revive the prince, who was killed at the beginning of the movie and who started this whole mess. The prince is a sort of Messiah who will change the fate of everyone.

J’aur: Ma’veyyo

Ma’veyyo: Majesty.

J’aur: Do you see what I see?

Ma’veyyo: The Emperor’s ship is falling.

J’aur: What is upon us? 

J’aur: We must reach him immediately! Are you able to run?

Ma’veyyo: There is no time, Your Majesty. Only three molli remain. 

J’aur: The Emperor’s ship has fallen!

Ma’veyyo: It is a tragedy, but it is done. 

Ma’veyyo: Falter not, Your Majesty. In the name of Gh’ertu, I shall find the prince. I shall change his destiny. This heart will revive His Highness. Should his destiny change, so too shall all of ours. 

J’aur: In a recent dream, the Emperor came to me. 

Ma’veyyo: Majesty.

J’aur: He spoke to me. He said faith is evidence of what we do not see. What I am seeing now is not evidence. What I long for has not been realized yet. Ma’veyyo…

Ma’veyyo: Majesty.

J’aur: Bring forth true fate.

What the Aliens Said Was Insulting Because…

On the surface, what the aliens said at the end of Hope is a big philosophical and astounding conversation that gives perspective on how grand this universe is. I won’t lie; it’s really interesting, and I want to know more about why the prince is so important and who took down the emperor’s ship. 

The conversation also shows how much disregard the aliens have for the lives that they destroyed on Earth. If they were able to have intelligent conversations about politics, fate, and the galaxy, then they should have been able to find a way to communicate with the humans at some point in the movie. 

Instead, what happened is that the aliens thought of the humans as being a lowly species that they killed anyone they crossed while on their search for the prince. And I’m not talking about the humans that were shooting at them. There were multiple times within Hope where innocent people became collateral damage in this hunt to find the prince. 

Keeping all of this in mind, the humans weren’t innocent in this, either. A human shot the prince, causing an insurmountable amount of pain to the aliens, for all we know. Humans frequently act with viciousness when there’s something that they don’t understand, or that is unknown, as evidenced by the multiple shootouts. They themselves treated the aliens as mindless, “lowly” creatures, too.

Then, there’s the fate of it all. What this conversation tells the viewer is that all the lost lives were not even on the aliens’ minds because their battle is “bigger” and “more important.” The fate of the prince is more important. Everything else is just collateral damage that they do not incline to examine in the same vein as the humans who shoot first, think later.

This way of thinking, or more honestly, this disregard for anyone but themselves, is going to make whatever comes next even harder. Because how do two different races team up when they have no regard for each other or desire to communicate? Also, how do they get past all the lives lost along the way?

Is 'Hope' Going to Have a Sequel?

According to reports, director Na Hong-jin already has a script written for a sequel to Hope that will eventually lead to a trilogy. But an interview with a director from ScreenRant has fans of Hope a little concerned. Initially, it seemed like everything was set to go with the sequel, especially considering how much of a cliffhanger Hope ended with. However, now it seems like the director is backtracking a bit. 

Na Hong-jin told ScreenRant: “I think I would need one or two more movies to tell the full story, but in the process of making this movie, the thought did occur to me that maybe the story told within the movie Hope might be enough. As for the circumstances that would have to be met in order to make those sequels, I think the number one circumstance that needs to be met is me having more time to really think about it.”

Two things to note from this quote. First, he says that the thought did occur to him that the story told in Hope might be enough. That tells me as a viewer that he’s satisfied with the story, and if he had a chance to expand it, great. But if not, the story stands strong on its own. Then, there’s the second bit of this quote that is concerning: him saying that if the circumstances are met, they’ll make more sequels. That, more than anything, speaks to the behind-the-scenes logistics and requirements that will really decide the fate of Hope getting a sequel.

In my opinion, Hope needs more worldbuilding. Because by the end of the movie, it felt like I had barely come to grasp what was happening in this intergalactic battle.