The Host

Title: The Host
Rating: 4.5/5
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Sci Fi, Horror, Thriller
Director: Joon-Ho Bong
Language: Korean

We’ve witnessed heroes and anti-heroes, but this film brings us something completely different – realism. The family this film follows aren’t the brightest, strongest or quickest, they are all clearly fallible, and it is this that makes this film so strong. Their humanity allows you to identify and connect with them, to go from laughing at their plight to empathising with the young father struggling to do what must be done - to feel the tension and overwhelming sadness when they fail the rest of the family, and their strength to make sure to redeem themselves. It’s the director’s uncanny ability to make a (clearly fictional) monster movie seem plausible, to twist expectations and seamlessly transition between genres, going from heartfelt tragedy to outrageous comedy in an instant.

If you’re looking for a straight up Action/Thriller, this film will come as a surprise, for whilst action does occur, it’s got so much else on offer that the pace in this regard becomes less continuous. Following the Park family in the search for the daughter of the central character, captured by the beast and left in a sewer they are hounded by the authorities trying to contain the situation, as well as the beast itself. The effects on the beast are truly remarkable, not necessarily in their realism (likely constrained by their budget) by comparison to modern Hollywood productions, but rather in its design. A sort of serpent-like reptilian tadpole, adept in the sea and capable of using its strong tail to latch onto things above him, he seems least capable on land, frequently slipping and stumbling on his slimy webbed feet, and it is this imperfect movement that yields a genuine sense of animalistic tendencies, an animal acting, be it afraid or angry, in a manner that seems fitting.

But despite this level of detail, at least as much attention has been paid to the characters themselves, fully fleshed out and developed with character flaws presented from the moment they are introduced, in a concise yet interesting manner. From the Aunt, a professional archer who all too often hesitates, the alcoholic uncle and overtly confident grandfather to perhaps the most deeply flawed of them all; the young father, capable of dozing off at inopportune times and prone to clumsiness, tripping over his own feet and repenting for his honest mistakes, attempting to correct them in any way possible. The characters often assist in driving the plot, which is written so as to never feel redundant, or slow paced, with even the background information tying up loose ends as to what happened with minor characters, the director, Joon-ho Bong, has thought about each scene in such immense detail it’s hard not to feel impressed.

In fact, he doesn’t even stop with the characters, including a sub-text in many scenes, an easily ignored but intriguing social commentary, plausible reflection of situations prevalent in today’s society. Not least of which is the dangers of environmental dumping of toxic waste, producing the monster itself and giving obvious warning as to the risk of mutations, but also of the prevalent ‘virus’ integral to the story. With more than a few subtle nods towards the SARS virus that recently emerged at the time this was released, still relevant today with the recent pandemics of ‘Bird Flu,’ and ‘Swine Flu.’ Then there’s the use of ‘Agent Yellow’ (a clear reference to the chemical ‘agent orange’ used in Vietnam and surrounding countries) by the US, despite strong protests, and even the noticeable ‘black blood’ exhibited by the beast during the final scenes, perhaps utilising that final battle as a metaphor for the war in Iraq.

The fact he’s managed to cram so much into two hours is incredible. Never slow in pace, with superb acting, believable characters you can become emotionally attached with, a well designed monster up there with the best of them with plenty of face time with the camera, strokes of comedy genius and a scene so emotional it succeeds where most films – including many that dedicate their entire running time in building up to – fail. There has been a distinct lack of notable monster films in recent years, mostly falling into bad b-movie budgets, yet the Koreans have come and succeeded where we Westerners have been failing for years. Probably the best monster movie I’ve had the pleasure of watching released in this past decade.