The Host
2007 ‘Gwoemul’ Directed by Joon-ho Bong
Synopsis
Monsters are real.
From the director of "Memories of Murder," "The Host" combines a blockbuster plot and political commentary, along with implications of America's military presence in Korea. By the end of its run in 2006, it became the highest grossing South Korean film of all time. The movie focuses on an old man named Park Hee-bong, who must rescue his daughter from a monster that rose out of the Han River.
Popular reviews
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I'm starting to love South Korean humor. As in Oldboy, The Host is surprisingly full of brief lines of dialogue or scene-ending shots that have a very unique and subtle absurdity or outright hilarity to them (a civil servant searching for a car-owner parked illegally vocally overcuts a scene of familial grief in full swing, for example). Joon-ho Bong must be commended for being able to make them fit in a film that's otherwise tragic and more than a little depressing.
Even more commendable than the humor is the plot's subversion of typical 'monster' movie tropes. Having the victims hunt the monster, and in turn, the bulk of the army's forces hunt the victims is a clever and refreshing twist…
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This is one of the best horror-monster movies I've seen, and it definitely lives up to its high IMDB rating. I think I liked it so much because the story was so well written. It was so full of "how in the hell are they going to get out of this one" moments that many times throughout the film you couldn't help but think that there is no way in hell the family members involved could kill that monster and get the young girl back. It verges on crazy the number of setbacks they encounter and for the most part they overcome them in a realistic way. Not always, but these can be forgiven given the sheer volume of them.…
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Bong Joon-Ho is a master. I need to check out the rest of his filmography, but from what I've seen so far (this and Memories of Murder), the man can do no wrong. Every scene is so well made, you can just tell how much talent is behind the film. Also, Kang-Ho Song.. completely underrated. SO good.
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Part of...
Horroctober 2012You are dimwits, right to the end. I'll see you in hell.
-Suicidal JumperMy first time revisiting this film since it was first released in North America. While I did enjoy it that first time, I've since seen other films from Bong Joon-ho, Memories of Murder and Mother, and had a new found appreciation for the director before this second watch. The Host easily holds up on repeat viewings.
It easily combines comedy, drama and terror to create a highly entertaining film. The comedy, while sometimes a bit broad, never underscores the tragedy of the various characters in the film. This is mainly because of the great five leads portraying the family at the center…
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"The Host" is a good, old-fashioned monster movie elevated by interesting, care-inducing characters and some good, old-fashioned family melodrama. Well-shot and deceptively light-toned, the film is a strong and somewhat allegorical piece of entertainment.
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An incompetent government, a monster and a family. These are the ingredients of The Host that result in a funny, intriguing and touching story.
Recent reviews
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What. The. Almighty. Fuck?
I should have known better. I was expecting a neat little monster movie. I was expecting something scary.
I was not expecting this.
I should have known better. This is Bong Joon-ho. He delights in the unconventional. The weird. The fantastic. He likes to take different genres and tones and fold them in together, mixing up the tastiest, zaniest cake.
A black comedy, a family melodrama, an adventure tale, a political, cultural, social satire. Oh yeah, and a CGI monster.
The fact that I am currently a shiny red cherry color after getting sunburnt Saturday walking along the Han river right where this was filmed was the icing on the cake of this delightful slapstick tragedy.
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Would have gone 4 stars, but it drug for a while when they are in the hospital.
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Film 41/100 of the Jeapardous June Challenge
A thrilling monster movie with political bite.
The Host is a darkly funny monster movie filled with some awesome characters and awesome action. It's a ton of fun to watch, with its campy atmosphere, disgusting monster and surprisingly spectacular set pieces. But the real appeal of this movie comes from its somewhat satirical political messages regarding American intervention and pollution. I wasn't completely blown away the Host, but I had a great time, and definitely recommend it.
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Wow, was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. I don't think my rating will be universal to most people but I've always been a huge monster film fan and this is probably my all time favourite. It's a great story of a korean family struggling to stay together after a giant monster attacks. The CGI holds up pretty well, I had no complaints, the film is fun, dark, humorous and even moving sometimes.
Don't expect a masterpiece and you might find yourself having a great time like I did.
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An odd one, that's for sure. I could never get a handle on what the tone of the film was supposed to be, which makes this film both confusing but also quite entertaining. There's some touching character moments and an interesting commentary on the Americans and their involvement in Korea, but overall I didn't love it too much.
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One off the best monster movies i've seen!
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There is just so much going on in "The Host", it's amazing. It's both creature feature and family drama, horror film and satirical commentary on SARS, industrial pollution, manipulation through the media and government and an ensemble cast rescue mission.
Song Kang-Ho plays Gang-Doo, whose daughter seemingly gets killed by a monster. When he, his father and his younger brother and sister find out she's still alive they try to rescue her at all costs.
Despite all the various layers and aspects of the story "The Host" works very well. Our main characters are an interesting and quite odd bunch of people and the way they stumble and run through this adventure is both entertaining and fun, but also sometimes… -
I'm starting to love South Korean humor. As in Oldboy, The Host is surprisingly full of brief lines of dialogue or scene-ending shots that have a very unique and subtle absurdity or outright hilarity to them (a civil servant searching for a car-owner parked illegally vocally overcuts a scene of familial grief in full swing, for example). Joon-ho Bong must be commended for being able to make them fit in a film that's otherwise tragic and more than a little depressing.
Even more commendable than the humor is the plot's subversion of typical 'monster' movie tropes. Having the victims hunt the monster, and in turn, the bulk of the army's forces hunt the victims is a clever and refreshing twist…
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The Host stinks as a horror film; its more of a satire. This movie did not live up to all the hype I had been expecting from the critics. I dont see any comparisons with Jaws. This movie has no horror in it whatsoever, no scares, no tension, only laughs. This movie is more of a satire film of monster movies. It did make me laugh, but as a whole the movie did not work in my opinion as they tried to mix to many things into one: they made this a political movie, tried to make it scary, and funny. The mixture did not work in my taste although I have to admit I laughed but the acting was…