Movie Review: The Host (2006)

The Host is a Korean monster movie directed by Bong Joon-ho that I’ve actually heard a ton about, even back before Bong Joon-ho won his Oscars for Parasite. Like Parasite, it definitely has a lot to say in terms of social commentary about the government and about effects on the environment.

This monster is born out of toxic chemicals being carelessly dumped into the Han River. The monster itself is kind of interesting, and it looks okay.

Having just recently seen the first Resident Evil movie, I can say that the CGI here is a lot better than in that. It’s dated, but in 2006, I think this probably would have looked pretty good.

But there aren’t too many big monster setpieces. The movie’s more about the characters, and that’s really where the movie shines. We follow a three-generation family as they’re at the center of the first monster attack when the youngest — who’s apparently killed — is actually taken to a sewer.

The rest of the movie involves her father, uncle, aunt, and grandfather trying to find her, and facing more challenges from the government than from the monster.

I wasn’t really ready for the tone of this movie. It’s certainly satirical in a lot of ways, with a handful of scenes really standing out as outright comedy scenes. It wasn’t really what I was expecting, even if I was expecting the social commentary.

But at the end of the day, the characters and performances carried this movie. What might have been a relatively simple monster movie is elevated.

Rating: 8/10