Guillermo del Toro lit up social media with a simple but insistent post about No Other Choice, ranking it among his three favorite films from Park Chan-wook and urging fans to track it down right away.
The endorsement came just as Academy members kicked off voting for the 98th Oscar nominations, a timing that multiple entertainment sites flagged as perfectly pitched to influence branch voters in categories like Best International Feature.
His Frankenstein recently earned five Golden Globe nods and shortlist spots in six Oscar races, lending extra weight to the recommendation from a director known for championing bold genre work.
Coverage exploded across outlets like IMDb and Screen Rant, where headlines highlighted the plea as a potential awards catalyst for a film already boasting a 98 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, 13 points above del Toro’s own recent gothic epic.
Park Chan-wook, whose Decision to Leave won him best director at Cannes in 2022, has long been a festival darling, but No Other Choice stands out for blending savage laughs with sharp economic critique in a way that echoes Parasite’s global breakthrough.
Online chatter quickly amplified the call, with Reddit threads debating its place in Park’s filmography alongside classics like Oldboy and Lady Vengeance.
Murderous Job Hunt Hooks Critics Worldwide
No Other Choice follows Yoo Man-su, a devoted paper company manager played by Lee Byung-hun, whose 25 years of service end abruptly with a layoff that threatens his family home and stability.
Desperate to reclaim his spot, he turns to increasingly dark schemes against rival applicants, pulling in his wife Mi-ri, portrayed by Son Ye-jin, for a twisted partnership that mixes pitch-black humor with raw desperation.
Supporting turns from Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, and Cha Seung-won round out a stacked Korean cast, delivering set pieces that balance visceral thrills and pointed satire on corporate cruelty and job market brutality.
Guillermo del Toro (Credit: CNN)
The film debuted at the 2025 Venice Film Festival to an eight-and-a-half-minute standing ovation, one of the festival’s longest, and quickly notched a perfect 100 percent Rotten Tomatoes score from initial reviews before settling at 98 percent with over 60 critiques.
Outlets praised its controlled chaos, with Variety calling it a dazzling murder comedy and the BBC dubbing it deliriously entertaining, often comparing the class tensions to Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar sweep with Parasite. Adapted from Donald E.
Westlake’s The Ax, the story probes AI-driven job loss and unemployment anxiety, landing as timely amid global economic pressures, which helped it top Korean pre-sales and signal North American potential.
Audiences and critics alike noted the precision in its tonal shifts, from family barbecue warmth to cold-blooded scheming, with festival reports emphasizing how Park’s elegant style makes the violence both hilarious and humane.
Executive producers Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, and Alfonso Cuaron added early prestige, fueling Venice hype and positioning it as a frontrunner before its wide release in September 2025.
Oscar Path Clears Amid Voting Rush
Del Toro’s shoutout arrives at a pivotal moment, with Oscar nomination ballots open to Academy members and shortlists already announced in categories like International Feature, where Korean cinema has faced lean years since Parasite’s 2020 dominance.
No Other Choice has earned longlist nods at the BAFTAs for Best Film Not in the English Language and pending spots at the Dorians and Satellites for adapted screenplay, building a case for Park’s first competitive Oscar run after prior festival triumphs.
Industry trackers now float it as a strong international feature contender, especially with its certified fresh status and del Toro’s vocal support potentially swaying voters who respect his taste in twisted narratives.
For Park, who returned to commercial cinema after three years, the momentum mirrors his Venice entry two decades ago with Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, but with a broader streaming and theatrical reach this time.
Korean cinema watchers see it as a rebound after recent festival misses, with its box office hold at number one domestically and rave reviews from global critics giving it legs into awards season.
The film’s themes of economic survival resonate more deeply now, as headlines tie its plot to real-world layoffs and fears of automation, making del Toro’s plea feel less like hype and more like a nudge toward recognition for a thriller that punches above its typical genre fare.
As voting wraps, expect more directors to echo the call, turning No Other Choice from an overlooked gem to a must-see awards player. With its perfect blend of stars, satire, and style, Park Chan-wook’s latest proves why heavyweights like del Toro keep the spotlight on it.
The Marvels hit theaters in November 2023 as a team-up between Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau, but it crashed hard at the box office.
With a production budget around $270 million plus marketing costs pushing totals near $375 million, the film earned just over $206 million globally, marking it the MCU’s worst performer by far.
Analysts point to superhero fatigue after a packed Phase 4 and 5 slate, weak promotion hampered by SAG-AFTRA strikes, and mixed buzz around the all-female leads as key factors.
Fans and critics split on the fast-paced action and humor, landing a 63% Rotten Tomatoes score from reviewers and a stronger 79% audience approval.
The movie faced online backlash tied to culture war debates over its stars, though data shows broader market exhaustion played a bigger role. Despite the financial hit, a post-credits tease introduced Kelsey Grammer’s Beast, tying into the Multiverse Saga’s bigger picture, leading to Avengers: Doomsday.
This bomb capped Phase 5’s struggles, where the full slate grossed under $3.7 billion, trailing even the original Phase 1 from 2008-2012 despite massive budgets and established heroes.
Disney’s Kevin Feige later admitted that overproduction strained quality control, with films rushed due to post-COVID delays. The fallout prompted Marvel to scale back to fewer releases yearly, refocusing on quality hits like Deadpool & Wolverine.
DaCosta’s Defiant Gratitude Shines Through
Two years later, director Nia DaCosta reflects without bitterness during a Deadline interview tied to her horror project, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. She highlights the team’s full commitment, noting everyone pushed to craft something special despite chaos from tight schedules and studio demands.
DaCosta values the lasting friendships most, recounting a summer 2025 visit to the Avengers: Doomsday set where she reconnected with producers, met the Russo brothers, and saw castmates from her film.
Her stance contrasts with earlier frustrations she voiced in 2025, when she noted script issues from Candyman onward wrecked production flow, and that reshoots shifted away from her original pitch.
Nia DaCosta (Credit: BBC)
Yet now, she accepts things as they are, focusing on personal growth shaped by her time within Marvel’s high-pressure environment. This mindset echoes other directors’ post-MCU tales, like those rescheduling scripts mid-shoot due to pandemic backlogs and executive overrides.
DaCosta’s bounce-back proves swift: after helming Little Woods and Candyman, The Marvels was her superhero detour, but 28 Years Later positions her in Danny Boyle’s zombie revival, signaling trust from top talent.
Her Doomsday visit fuels speculation on cameos for Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, or Teyonah Parris, potentially redeeming the trio in Marvel’s next big ensemble.
MCU’s Reset and DaCosta’s Next Chapter
Marvel’s response to The Marvels centered on course correction under president Bob Iger, who blamed lax oversight during COVID shoots for flops like this one.
Phase 6 kicked off stronger with Captain America: Brave New World at $413 million and Thunderbolts at $381 million, though still below past peaks, as the studio prioritizes fewer, event-level films.
Doomsday, directed by the Russos and set for 2026, looms as a multiverse anchor, possibly weaving in Marvel elements to salvage fan investment.
DaCosta emerges unscathed, her positive spin reframing failure as a stepping stone. Industry watchers praise her poise, comparing it to Chloe Zhao’s pivot from Eternals critiques to prestige gigs. For MCU faithful, her words offer hope: even bombs build bridges to future wins.
The franchise, now under Donald Trump’s 2025-inaugurated era of cultural shifts, eyes reboots blending nostalgia with fresh voices like hers.
Online discourse rages on Reddit and Twitter, with some blaming “woke” casting while others cite VFX crunch and formula fatigue.
Box office trackers like The Numbers confirm The Marvels’ dismal run, but streaming views on Disney+ suggest a cult audience endures. DaCosta’s reaction humanizes the grind, reminding us that Hollywood thrives on resilience amid billion-dollar bets.
