The Host: A Mini Review

Posted by Claire Helene
April 9, 2007

Thursday night my brother and I went to see The Host (Gwoemul). I knew when I first read press about this movie that I would have to see this with family. My mother taught her children at an early age to love monster movies, Godzilla most of all. My brother probably inherited most of this love for monsters more than my sister or me, so besides proximity, he was the perfect choice as movie partner.

The Host is a Korean monster movie surrounding a family of misfits: a grandfather, two sons, a daughter and a granddaughter. The granddaughter seems to be the only put together one of the lot. Her father is narcoleptic loser who works a food stand by the Hahn River with the grandfather. The other son is a college grad with no job and the daughter is a world class archer who only ever manages bronze. There is a monster that comes out of the river and kills a bunch of people and captures the granddaughter. The misfits fight against many odds to try and rescue her.

People, see this movie. I laughed, I cried, I got really scared. The monster itself was awesome. It’s amphibian and had a prehensile tail, which means it could swing beneath bridges as well as run really fast. The acting is great. The family is hilarious and stop at nothing (truly) to get the daughter back. Running underneath this all is a commentary on American military arrogance that is spot on. What more could you ask for in a monster movie?

Cross-posted.

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Information: April 9th, 2007; Comments

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Kevin Wolf 2 years ago 1 point
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I think some of the reviews, such as the one in The New Yorker, may have talked this one up too much for me. I wasn't as bowled over as I'd expected to be.

Which is not to say it isn't good and well worth seeing. I'm hoping repeat viewing will let it sink in and take its place in my mind with classics such as Them!

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Claire 2 years ago 1 point
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I didn't read too many reviews, so I wasn't too keyed up, and my brother knew nothing about it. I hate when reviews ruin the movie for me.

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sean 2 years ago 1 point
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The Host is certainly worth its time. Bong Joon Ho also made 2005's polcier Memories of Murder. Aside from the creature which is tactile and believable, each character has his or her own quandry: immaturity, unemployment, failure, etc. Bong also has a good sense of humor: the media's rush to sentimentalize the Han memorial service (all those flashbulbs popping) is as clever as the kids who contaminate the crime scene in Memories.

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Claire 2 years ago 1 point
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Sean, I read about his 2005 film and it looks really interesting. I'll have to check it out.

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