The Host

A idiotic doctor pours gallons and gallons of formaldehyde down the drain letting it run into the Han River. Six years later a monstrous creature arises from the water and goes on a feeding frenzy. Thus the plot of Bong Joon-Ho's The Host explodes in what is a very exciting monster flick that hearkens back to the old days of Godzilla and company. It's funny. I'm not a big fan of the horror genre. I mean there are scary movies I enjoy immensely i.e. Alien, Audition, zombie movies.... But for the most part I tend to stay away. However, if you have a good old monster eats the world movie, I'm there. I like the old Godzilla flicks, and movies like The Relic and most recently Cloverfield.

The Host starts out very well. The first 20 minutes may be one of the most exciting openings I've seen in awhile. The creature looks good on film. There are only a few moments during the whole film where the CGI is awkward looking. For the most part, the effects are believable, and the monster is presented in all of his ugliness (and it is ugly....yeesh). The film centers around a family of misfits. There's the grandfather who is a hard-working patient man and his son who is a bungling idiot. There may even be some sort of mental issue at work in the son. There is a brother, who is the angry surly archetype, and their sister, an olympic archer, who is very quiet and slow. All of them revolve around the daughter of the idiot. The whole family dotes on her endlessly, especially the father. In fact, that is his one redeeming quality. He seems to be really ignorant, but there is no question he loves his daughter. So when the monster inadvertently kidnaps the little girl, the family becomes devastated. Until they find out she is still alive deep in the sewers and set out to rescue her.

The movie is very different then the normal films you see of the genre. Joon-Ho melds thrill-seeking scenes with scenes of comedy. The comedy works great to set the film apart. There is even some slapstick, much like the early days of Chaplin or Buster Keaton. It feels like a fun movie you are watching, and hence you begin to have fun with. But not everything is comedy oriented. There are some scary images, and grotesque sequences of the monster feeding and the little girl trying to stay undetected. Joon-Ho is not afraid to take risks with his characters. For example, you know the sister is going to have her moment to shoot the creature with her bow. But when you think it is going to happen, Joon-Ho is not afraid to let his character fail. This keeps the movie fresh, and you are not really sure what is going to happen next. The director also uses some interesting shots and cuts during the film. Maybe this is more of a credit to the editor, but the movie flows nicely and there is a very unique feel to how everything is presented.

There is some social commentary regarding chemical warfare and environmental issues towards the end of the movie. I'm not sure how I feel about the obvious references. But I do like the ending, and how the remaining members of the family band together to fight for one of their own. What's better then bringing family together then monster hunting?

** Side note: I watched this with the English dub which was sub-par. but it made it even more enjoyable. Usually bad dubs are distracting. But this one really fit the mood.

Grade: B