Review: The Host (South Korea, 2006)

The Host (괴물) bills itself as a monster movie, when in fact it’s so much more, with terrific elements of black comedy and a political undertone that is evident throughout, director Bong Joon-ho has put together a superb film.

The film is based around a mutated creature living in Han River that kidnaps a young schoolgirl; Hyun-seo (played by Ko Ah-seong), it is then up to her family to try and rescue her. Each family member has their own little quirk or personal obstacles to over come, for example the aunt Nam-joo (played by Bae Doona) has a tendency to hesitate under pressure.

As the film progresses it becomes harder for the family to attempt to save Hyun-seo because of government intervention and an overwhelming American presence around Han River. After a fear over a outbreak of a deadly virus, that started with the creature and passed on to Park Gang-du (played by Song Kang-ho); Hyun-seo’s father, the family become wanted fugitives and the pressure mounts on them as the continue to find the monsters nest to save Hyun-seo.

What was I found good about this particular picture was the monster itself, unlike typical monster movies I’ve seen before, we actually get to see a good view of this particular monster form early on. The monster itself is quite bizarre; it does have a look of a mutation (or what I would imagine a mutation to look like). The film also has some quite funny moments and I like the political aspect included about the American involvement too.

I highly recommend this film to anyone, I’m not a massive fan of monster movies, but I found this film a delight to watch.

Director: Bong Joon-ho
Year: 2006