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The Host
2006
The Park family seem to lead a quite ordinary and peaceful life; well, maybe a little poorer than the average Seoul citizens. Park Hee-bong (played by Byun Hee-bong) is a man in his late 60s running a small snack bar on the banks of the Seoul's Han River and, living with his two sons, daughter and granddaughter. Hee-bong's .. Read more
| Starring | Song Kang-ho, Bae Du-na, Bae Du-Na, Ko Ah-sung |
|---|---|
| Director | Bong Joon-ho |
| Genres | Horror, World Cinema |
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The Host
The Park family seem to lead a quite ordinary and peaceful life; well, maybe a little poorer than the average Seoul citizens. Park Hee-bong (played by Byun Hee-bong) is a man in his late 60s running a small snack bar on the banks of the Seoul's Han River and, living with his two sons, daughter and granddaughter.
Hee-bong's elder son Gang-du ( Song Gang-ho) is an immature and incompetent man in his 40s, whose wife left home long ago. Nam-il (by Park Hae-il) is the youngest son, an unemployed grumbler, and daughter Nam-joo (by Bae Du-na) is an archery medallist and member of the national team.
What the three generations of the Park clan doesn't know, is that a bloodthirsty mutant of indeterminate origin is about to rise up unannounced from the Han River. When the creature abducts the granddaughter and the dysfunctional remnants of the group decide to come together to save her, so begins a terrifying lesson of a new concept of family...
Echoing the jet-black B-movie horror comedy of Tremors, Bong Joon-ho (best known in Europe for his excellent serial killer thriller Memories Of Murder) gives the time-honoured creature feature an intoxicating spin with buckets of blood, brilliant comedic touches and a healthy slice of biting social satire!
| Starring | Song Kang-ho, Bae Du-na, Bae Du-Na, Ko Ah-sung, Park Hae-il, Byeon Hie-bong |
|---|---|
| Director | Bong Joon-ho |
| Studio | OPTIMUM HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 59 mins Blu-ray: 2 hrs HD DVD: 2 hrs |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Horror, World Cinema |
| Language | Korean |
| Subtitles | English |
| Released | DVD: 05 Mar 2007 Blu-ray: 19 Nov 2007 HD DVD: 26 Nov 2007 Production year: 2006 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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No monster movie (except maybe King Kong ) has had as many off-spring as Jaws . Not only did Bruce (as Spielberg & co christened their mechanical nightmare) beget three sequels, there were... read more »
- LOVEFiLM
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Most helpful member's review
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57 out of 62 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
The Host
A small riverside village in South Korea is attacked by a monster. Among the dead is 13 year old Park Hyun-seo (Ko). Her distraught Father (Song), Grandfather (Byeon) Uncle (Park) and Aunt (Bae) are taken into custody by the American millitary, seeking to cover up the monster and contain the threat of a possible contagion. However when Hyun-seo phones her father, very much alive, the family break out to try and save her.
The Host broke all South Korean box office records when it opened early this year and it isn't hard to see why. Bong Joo-ho's follow up to Memories of Murder may seem at first glance a 180 degree shift but it actually sticks quite close to the serio-comic tone laid out in that film.
The Host is many things; monster movie, chase thriller, political commentary and slapstick comedy all rear their head and all are executed with panache.
Aiding Bong immesurably is an excellent cast. Bong recasts his Memories star Song Kang-ho, a fine and versatile dramatic actor, as the layabout father at the centre of the story. Seeming half stoned much of the time he pushes the boat out pretty far into broad comedy, but it works because Song is also able to give the character heart. If there's a criticism to be made here it's that the rest of the family have too little to do, particularly in the fractious last third of the film but they are certainly played by a capable set of performers. Bae Doo-na will be the most familliar face to Westerners, having starred in Sympathy For Mr Vengeance (with Song) and she's great here too, given the thin material. Byeon Hie-bong is a delight as the patriarch of the family who still treats his children as if they were children. Mention should also be made of the exceellent performance that Bong elicits from young Ko Ah-sung, whose strength will lead you to question whther she needs saving at all.
Working with an American digital effects house Bong has got, on a relative shoestring, some excellent effects. His budget forces him to be choosy about when he wishes to show his (pretty damn scary) monster and means that the film, unlike so many American production, isn't a mere exercise in effects.
That's, at the end of the day, what's so good about The Host; it may be a big silly monster movie at first glance but at its heart beats a strong human story. -
Most recent members' review
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14 out of 15 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Rubbish!
!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!
This monster movie had such great potential, and when I saw a teaser I was really interested. Unfortunately, the film lacks something. Like a monster maybe. Other than the first scene with the monster, there's nothing here really worth calling it a monster movie for. It's barely ever shown, and instead the movie focuses more on the struggle of a bunch of irritating and zany characters to find a girl who was taken by the beastie. There were occasions when the plot strayed from the basic premise so much, it became ridiculous. The horror elements to the film were unwelcome and felt misplaced. And the moments of attempted humour were particularly unamusing. Other than that, the movie was brilliant. Sure. Seriously though, I look forward to the americans doing it there way. Much better. -
News and features
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Cloverfield
- 28 Jan 2008
The party crasher from Hell, the monster at the heart of Cloverfield doesn't have a name. He might be the son of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, or second cousin to Godzilla. We do know he's big, angry, and like countless other immigrants, he made his way into Manhattan by way of the port. He sends the disembodied head of Lady Liberty uptown as a kind of calling card. By then, we're grateful for the intrusion. Matt Reeves' movie begins with more than 20 minutes of plausibly banal home video... Read more
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Host, The - HD DVD Version
Selling his wares to passers by along Seoul's Han River, life is peaceful for a small-time snack bar owner and his dim-witted son. However, the tranquillity of their day-to-day lives is shattered when a mutant creature emerges from the depths of the Han and embarks on a blood-thirsty rampage. While ...
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- Host, The - BLU-RAY Version
- Blu-Ray: £7.93
Free Delivery - RRP £24.49 (you save: 68%)
Selling his wares to passers by along Seoul's Han River, life is peaceful for a small-time snack bar owner and his dim-witted son. However, the tranquillity of their day-to-day lives is shattered ... -
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The Host
The Park family seem to lead a quite ordinary and peaceful life; well, maybe a little poorer than the average Seoul citizens. Park Hee-bong (played by Byun Hee-bong) is a man in his late 60s running a small snack bar on the banks of the Seoul's Han River and, living with his two sons, daughter and ...
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