The surprise inclusion of “Hope” in the Palme d’Or competition has become the defining event of the Cannes Festival’s first week. Directed by South Korean auteur Na Hong-jin, the film is a two-hour-forty-minute rollercoaster of alien invasion, police chases and splatter comedy, featuring Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander as extraterrestrial beings. At its midnight premiere, the auditorium erupted in a six-minute standing ovation, yet reactions on the Croisette remain sharply divided. Viewed from the festival’s main stage, the decision by artistic director Thierry Frémaux to programme a genre blockbuster – a “pure entertainment” gamble, as many see it – alongside arthouse fare has been read as a deliberate provocation, especially with compatriot Park Chan-wook presiding over the jury.

Na Hong-jin, known for the relentless thrillers “The Chaser” and “The Wailing”, spent a decade building the mythology of “Hope”. The narrative unfolds in a mountain town invaded by creatures from the planet Gh’ertu, blending dystopian sci-fi with black humour and frantic action. European critics have described it as a “massive video game”, a descriptor that carries both awe and condescension. Analysts in London note that the film’s breakneck pacing and 160-minute runtime test the patience of a festival audience accustomed to stately dramas, while Korean observers appreciate the anarchic energy and cultural specificity of the humour – a tension that underscores the perennial Cannes debate between prestige and popular cinema.

Fassbender and Vikander, a real-life couple often characterised as outsiders in Hollywood, bring a meta-textual charge to their roles as literal aliens. Their presence, along with a deep international cast, gives the film a global sheen even as it remains deeply rooted in Korean genre traditions. Meanwhile, the festival’s parallel offerings have offered contrast: László Nemes’ “Moulin”, a French Resistance drama, premiered on the same day, leaning into the historical gravitas that “Hope” so gleefully subverts. Other red-carpet appearances – Bella Hadid, Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore – underscored the festival’s dual identity as both an industry circus and an artistic battleground.

Looking forward, “Hope” may prove a watershed for genre cinema in top-tier competition. Na Hong-jin’s decade-long labour and mega-budget represent a bet that auteurist action can hold its own against more traditional festival fare. Whether it walks away with the Palme d’Or or merely stirs debate, the film has already succeeded in shifting the conversation: from what Cannes should reward to what kind of storytelling the global film community is willing to embrace. The coming days will determine if this alien invasion marks a lasting incursion or a temporary spectacle.