Monster Movie of the Week: The Host (2006)

THE HOST (2006)

Director: Bong Joon-ho
Genre: A label defying mix of monster-on-the-loose, family drama and comedy.

THE MOVIE:

The Host is a South Korean film about the ne’er-do-well Park family whose youngest member is abducted by a mutant sewer monster and their struggles to get her back. Not only do they have to contend with the monster itself but with government and international interference, incompetence and misinformation. During the course of the movie the family become bio-fugitives in order to track down their missing member from whom they receive a garbled cell phone call.

Elderly Hee-bong runs a snack shop on the banks of the Han River with his son Gang-du, a thirty-something slacker doofus with dyed blonde hair. Gang-du’s brother, Nam-il, is an embittered and chronically unemployed alcoholic. Only the family’s women seem to fare a little better: There’s Gang-du’s daughter, young Hyun-seo, who seems more mature and resourceful than any of her male relatives and Nam-Joo, a skilled archer who’s hesitation causes her to come home with a bronze medal. This dysfunctional family is at the core of The Host. It is the rare monster movie that takes the time to cultivate human character and relationships and good performances from its actors, who create multidimensional characters who are endearing despite their flaws. The movie is not about the unnamed monster but about how the monster affects this family.

The movie’s opening scene has an American doctor ordering his Korean lab assistant to dump dozens of bottles of formaldehyde down the drain and into the Han River, presumably causing to the mutation that creates the creature. Throughout the film, the Americans are depicted as either sinister autocrats, foolishly heroic, or the brains behind an elaborate disinformation campaign to cover up the creature’s origins. One leaves “The Host” wondering if they even knew what they were covering up or if governments just reflexively cover up anything that might potentially look bad. The South Korean government and media are painted as ineffective U.S. lapdogs that help spread the lie about a “virus.” This is part of the movie’s libertarian charm, which ironically looks back at SARS and birdflu and the inadequate government responses to those problems through the lens of a monster movie.

The Host is an all around class act. It is well written, nicely acted, thoughtfully directed and beautifully shot. It is one of the rare monster movies that can appeal to viewers outside of the fan base.



THE MONSTER/EFFECTS:

The monster effects are surprisingly good for a movie that only cost the equivalent of $10 million dollars to make. The filmmakers outsourced some work out to Peter Jackson’s Weta Digital and a U.S. company and the result is Hollywood-quality special effects.

The monster vaguely recalls the Kothoga monster from The Relic (1997) in size and body shape but also resembles a giant primitive amphibian that still maintains some fish-like characteristics. The monster moves a little awkwardly on land but gracefully swings, climbs, and flips using its large forelimbs and prehensile tail (featured on the poster) under bridges and on pipes.


MONSTERS FEATURED:

Just the one.

MOST MEMORABLE SEQUENCE:

The creature’s first appearance as it rampages through the touristy riverside. Some shots recall classic Japanese kaiju movies.

DVD AVAILABILITY:

Widely available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

SEQUELS:

There have been rumors of sequel to The Host.

THE TRAILER



SEE ALSO:

The Relic (1997), The Fly (1986), Signs (2003)