This movie is a masterpiece by the talented director Bong Joon-ho. The genre for this movie is a horror but this does not mean that it obeys every convention of a 'normal' horror movie.
Bong uses The Host to address the political relationship between America and South Korea. This movie is often seen as a very anti-America film BUT this is not what Bong intended. Bong does not paint the South Korean people featured within the film well either.
Bong addresses the issue of heroism in America; he addresses the Korean people's attachment to cellphones and technology; he addresses political relationships; family relationships; etc etc etc
This movie may NOT seem like a horror movie. It is but then it also is not. It is not a gruesome movie, it does not have much gore, and the moments of tension and anxiousness that the Host will inflict on the viewer is broken will moments of black humor. These inserts of humor is not to get 'cheap laughs' but to distance the viewer from what is being shown on screen. The humor that Bong uses makes the viewer remember that it is just a story, it is a movie and not real, then the viewer can watch and make a judgement on the relationships being shown on screen without leaving the theater jumpy and scared.
The monster within the Host was accidentally created by the American base dumping a toxic chemical into the Han River. This is very significant as a situation like this happened in reality. The American base's morgue dumped hundreds of liters of embalming fluid into the Han river in 2000. The Han river did become toxic because of this. (although some people claim that this is only a myth).
During the Host Bong addresses some of the political issues between South Korea and America that are present in reality.
This movie was so popular in South Korea that 20% of the total population of South Korea, even today, watched The Host at the cinema (this does not include people watching it more than one or home viewings). I highly recommend watching this movie as it is not only an enjoyable storyline but it gives insight into reality.
I live in New Zealand and in my University Cinema Studies course The Host was featured and analyzed. This movie is influential enough to have been recognized in such a small country as New Zealand. I high recommend watching this movie.
Also if you are put off by the genre Horror don't be, this is not a conventional horror movie, to the casual viewer it will seem more to be more like a Thriller than Horror. And if you are put off by my review please don't be. This movie is a great watch on the surface and very enjoyable to the casual viewer.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is my first time ever watching such a movie, Honest truth I really wouldn't be into thee kinds of movies on my own. It's not the kind of a story I'd look upon my own. This movie aired here on Norwegian tv with subs so I decided to give it a go. This review will be written from my own point of view on the movie.First to start it off. I can't say I was to impressed about the music shown in the movie. I didn't expect much upon it, Still it wasn't too much to brag about the music. I felt that some of the music was just there and might not really be to fitting upon the scenes it was added into.
The story progressed kinda as expected from having read the review. I felt that most of the movie went to revolve about the main girl. I liked the movie for its storyline and acting. The actors did a really good job upon acting out the different characters. The story basically revolves around Park Hyun Seo. A young girl who by a mistake gets taken away by a mutated monster from the sea upon her father making a mistake grabbing the wrong persons hand while trying to flee. By the time he notices it is already to late to go and get her back as the monster already is right behind her about to take her. Her father starts grieving as he believes he has lost his only daughter. Later that night upon being admitted to the hospital he recieves a call from his daughter saying she is stuck hiding in the sewers and that she is alive. An ask for help turns into a family mission as her entire family heads out to find Park Hyun Seo. And it doesn't make things easier that the korean society aswell as police officers are out to catch their family because of a possibly deadly virus they may have gotten. The story takes on unexpected twists and it will show you just how strong a family bond really is, Aswell as the bond between a father and a daughter.
The genres of the movie were, Comedy, Drama and Horror.
I can understand why they put in the comedy and drama genres, But in overall the story didn't justify as a horror movie. It didn't scare you nor make you especially uptight.
It was a really good movie, I gave it a steady 7. I would recommend people to see it. The story will have you watching all the way, Allthough the movie might start off as somehow boring, It won't turn out that way..
Will Park Hyun Seo be saved?
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A monster movie that devours its competition
The titular monster of 'The Host' starts off as a fish before mutating into an oversized amalgam of animalistic traits. Claws that have smaller claws attached, a serpentine body, a multilayered maw full of teeth and a prehensile tail. When it first attacks, it lumbers head-on like an enraged bull, but it is also capable of deception, striking from the shadows and swinging from overhead beams like a demented acrobat. Despite how its CGI is dated, the monster is not only grotesque and frightening but captivating and amusing. Much of this can also be said of 'The Host' as a movie. By definition it is a horror movie but under Bong Joon-ho's direction it morphs into dark comedy, family drama, tragedy and most notably, a barbed political allegory. Unlike the CGI, this allegory remains frighteningly relevant, even to- no, especially in this day and age.Director Bong's satirical attack is two-pronged. The film is known widely to be a critique of America's continuous presence in South Korea. The opening scene of an American doctor forcing his South Korean colleague to pour formaldehyde in the Han river was closely inspired by an uproar-causing real-life incident, and this notion of insidious poisoning leaves little to the imagination. As does the toxic chemical agent 'Agent Yellow', which evokes a fairly recent example of American Imperialism in Asia that ultimately caused more harm than good.
What is scarily applicable to the entire world, however, is the film's depiction in portraying government incompetence; both at preventing disasters and handling them. An unfortunate number of viewers have derided this film for showing its monster 'too soon', but this seems to be the point. The government knows that chemicals are mutating the fish in the Han river, they know of rumours that their irresponsibility in letting the Americans take charge is creating a literal monster- but they do absolutely nothing. The people, without the government's warning, behave likewise- they see the beast hanging like a fruitbat from a bridge, they throw snacks at it, and they only take action when it starts devouring them. Too little, too late. Rather than making amends and assisting the victims of the disaster, the government focuses on preventing their own fall by spinning a web of lies and red tape, and using the 'infected' as quasi-scapegoats on which to deflect public blame. This tragic process has been seen time and time again in human history- most recently, with a certain pandemic that starts with 'c' and rhymes with 'coronavirus'. It is Bong's ability to spin such a relevant allegory while creating a scary and fun movie that makes him such a fantastic director- hence why this film is just so brilliant.
Brilliant, but not perfect necessarily; the film's middle act drags slightly without a monster to chase it, though its more human emphasis helps build the political allegory.
The main characters in this film were highly likeable, both in their humorous family dynamics and their steely determination to take things into their own hands. They were buoyed by the film's venerable cast. Song Kang-ho was particularly memorable as the narcoleptic Gang-du, whose dimwittedness was matched only by his unyielding devotion to his daughter and his blubbering, sincere desire for his despair to fall on sympathetic ears. Ko Asung, then a child actor, delivered an endearing performance that packed both heart-stopping fear and resourceful bravery.
The monster scenes, especially the wild chase at the start, are some of the best that I've seen and were often unexpectedly hilarious. I also enjoyed seeing how the Park family took on the monster with largely scavenged weapons; signs, old Winchesters, bows and molotov cocktails.
The theme song of 'The Host' perfectly captures the film's prevailing mood; not terror, but amusement with a melancholy tint to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6icONTC43dI
9.5/10
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On one hand, we are presented with a family drama plot that focuses on rescuing Hyun Seo, daughter of the protagonist. On the other hand, we are witnessing the inept behavior and planning from the government, which is too heavily influenced by the American presence. The at times ridiculous and uncaring attitude of certain groups of people did frustrate me to the core, but it was an important part of the storytelling that made the movie more impactful.
The performance was stellar. Song Kang Ho and Byun Hee Bong left such a strong impression on me. Not one performance felt off or below the standard set by the main cast.
I also appreciated the still camera shots that allowed me to truly grasp the situation and focus on the actors' performance and delivery. The directing wasn't distracting. It was a great balance of impressive and aesthetically pleasing shots (the visual aspect) and great storytelling.
Overall, even though the movie was made almost 15 years ago, it aged really well. It did not feel dated, the effects and CGI were good. To some extent, it is a statement piece, so reading about the inspiration and political background of it, makes it a better watch.
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En el caso de The Host, quizás es la que menos me gustó pero aún así la recomiendo muchísimo. La trama se centra en hacer una crítica social a Corea, como es normal en las películas del director, en este caso centrado en la contaminación de las aguas del río Han y el resultado que este tiene, la creación de un monstruo que aterroriza a la población de Seúl cuando despierta.
Los personajes me parecieron entrañables y es que Bong Joon-Ho suele crear personajes en sus películas que tienen la mezcla exacta de humor, ridiculez y coraje, algo que hace que la trama se pase muy rápido y entretenida.
El director suele hacer películas donde la trama no es muy complicada, a pesar de la denuncia social que realiza, lo que hace que sea fácil de ver y que el espectador no se líe con cuestiones que puedan entorpecer el entendimiento de la película. Por lo que en The Host, la historia es sencilla y fácil de seguir. Sin embargo, también te mantiene alerta en todo momento ya que también cuenta con la cantidad exacta de suspense.
Si quieres comenzar con el cine coreano, recomiendo mucho las películas de este director, Bong Joon-Ho y The Host, junto con Parásitos, es una de las más famosas.
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