Shudder Saturday: The Host (2006)

The Host is a monster movie, first and foremost, but it's also yet another film from Bong Joon-ho (who co-wrote the film with Baek Chul-hyun) that allows the director to comment on a number of different societal issues.

Things start with a couple of American military people dumping chemical that will pollute the Han River. This leads to a change in that environment, as the fish die off and something else starts growing and living there. Some years later, that creature comes out of the water, attacking a crowd of people before heading off again with a couple of captured "snacks", one of them being young Hyun-seo (played by Go Ah-sung). She is the daughter of Park Gang-du, who sets out to rescue her, with help from his sister, his brother, and his own father. But that rescue plan is hampered by the fact that many people are being quarantined by the military, due to the fact that the creature is also the host of a deadly virus.

On the one hand, and in glorious fashion, The Host delivers the monster movie goods that you want to see. It isn't constant, with the set-pieces wisely spaced out throughout the 2-hour runtime, but you get enough to keep you entertained if you're just wanting to see a giant, dangerous, creature cause some mayhem. On the other hand. The Host delivers an interesting, and arguably scarier, look at how vulnerable people can be when society gets to any point that leads to military intervention. The finale not only delivers what is expected from this type of thing, it also shows the start of what could easily be described as a revolution.

Kang-ho is absolutely superb in the lead role, moving from pathetic and unmotivated sleepyhead to strong and determined fighter, but this is a film with no weak link in the chain. Ah-sung is also excellent as the brave young girl, Bae Doona and Park Hae-il are both good as Kang-ho's siblings, and Byun Hee-bong is the patriarch of the family unit. Lee Dong-ho also does well, playing a homeless boy who ends up caught in the lair of the creature alongside Ah-sung.

Although the performances help a lot, this is a film you will either love or hate thanks to the script and direction. The tonal changes may jar initially, especially in a scene that shows people seemingly desperate to display their grief more "impressively" than others alongside them, but it soon settles down, with many sequences mixing things up in a much smoother way. You get the thrills, the moments of emotion, and a lot of black comedy throughout.

This isn't a film to offer to anyone who is wanting to dip their toes into creature feature waters. If they want to dive into the whole sub-genre then it is probably worth starting back in the 1950s and working forward from there. If they want to have some kaiju fun then there are so many others to choose from. But when they have enjoyed a number of more typical entries, that is when you can drop this one on them. They may not fall in love with it initially but give it time, this is a film that has become a firm favourite for a lot of people who love creature features.

9/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can buy it here.