The Host (2006) Review

 "How much sleep can a body take?"

-Park Hee-Bong


When a strange creature goes on a rampage in South Korea, it kidnaps a school girl, Hyun-seo (Go Ah-sung).  Her father, Gang-du (Song Kang-ho), forms a rescue party of his siblings and father to rescue her while avoiding an incompetent and uncaring government.


What Works:

The opening attack sequence is nothing short of awesome.  It's the most elaborate set-piece of the movie and does a great job of showcasing how dangerous this monster is.  We get a lot of death and chaos and it also does a good job of setting up our protagonist, Gang-du.

Speaking of Gang-du, Song Kang-ho does an incredible job as our hero.  The character is very flawed and has some issues, but the emotion Song brings to the character is fantastic.  His performance is my favorite part of the film.

I also really liked the character of Gang-du's father, Hee-bong (Byun Hee-bong).  The two have great chemistry and have some great scenes together.  His last stand against the monster is another highlight of the film.

Finally, I found it interesting that while the monster is the main antagonist of the film, it isn't really the main villain.  The movie is very critical of the U.S. government, which is responsible for the monster, and the South Korean government, which is shown to incompetent and apathetic.  These critiques come from past political events in South Korea and this historical context makes The Host even more interesting.


What Sucks:

Off the bat, I have to say the CGI has not aged well. It's a 2006 movie, so I didn't expect much, but yikes.  The monster looks bad and since it's such a major component of the film, I can't overlook it.

There are a couple of scenes that I felt should be very emotional on paper, but seemed comedic in execution.  However, the comedy falls completely flat.  The family falling on the floor at the vigil for Hyun-seo and later Hee-bong's monologue about Gang-du just didn't work for me.  Maybe it was just something lost in translation, but I wish these scenes had been played more seriously.

Finally, the character of Nam-joo (Bae Doo-na) was just worthless for 99% of the movie.  You could pretty much cut her out of the film completely and it changes nothing because she doesn't help the group at all.  This would be fine if she were a more interesting character, but there isn't much to her.  She's a real missed opportunity.


Verdict:

The Host is a fun monster movie with some great performances, an excellent opening attack sequence, and some interesting political critiques.  The CGI isn't good, there are a few scenes that don't work, and there is one useless character, but the film as a whole has got it going on.

 7/10: Good   

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