The Host [괴물] (Goi-mool)by: mj07 on: March 7, 2007 10:15pm
Synopsis The year 2000 an American coroner orders his underling to dump unwanted bottles of formaldehyde down the drain, assuming that the Han River, where it will ultimately end up, is big enough and wide enough to handle the poison The year 2006 a business man commits suicide off a bridge into the river. Just before he leaps, he spies something dark and mysterious in the water below. When his coworkers don't see it, he tells them "Morons to the very end. Have a nice life." Really, really soon Park Hee-bong runs a snack stand by the river and keeps an eye on his mentally disabled son Gang-du. Gang-du can usually be found either sleeping, stealing bites of their customers' food, or hoarding small change to buy his daughter Hyun-seo a decent cell phone. Hyun-seo is a typical junior high student, embarrassed by her father and by her drunken, unemployed college graduate uncle Nam-il. Rounding out the family is aunt Nam-joo, an otherwise excellent professional archer who always chokes at the last second. Simply put, they're really not doing very well, but it could be worse. The Park family is having a typical afternoon until a huge fish-like creature leaps out of the Han River and goes on a rampage. It chomps on a few people, swallows some whole, and snags Hyun-seo before diving back into its polluted home. What was that about things could be worse? The US military announce it has discovered that this creature is host to an unknown virus. The Korean government responds by quarantining everyone who came into contact with the beast, restricting access to the river, and sending in disinfectant trucks to spray the area night and day. Stuck in the hospital and told they are going to run tests on him, no one is more surprised than Gang-du when in the middle of the night he receives a call from his daughter. Rather than outright devouring the girl, the goi-mool (for lack of another name) has trapped her in a deep sewer where she has managed to evade it by climbing into a pipe. Unfortunately, the police and hospital staff conclude that Gang-du is delusional, possibly already suffering symptoms of the mysterious virus that the monster carries, and won't even check his cell phone records. It's up to the Park family to rescue their youngest. That is, if they can break out of quarantine and manage to figure out exactly where the mutant has her stashed!
Review Anyone familiar with director Bong Joon-ho's previous work will know better than to expect any sudden, miraculous transformation from an incompetent, bickering family to a cohesive, heroic unit. Troubles often bring out the best in people, but not always, and sometimes 'the best' is not quite enough. The family has a weak foundation and under pressure, it shows. Nam-il and Nam-joo fall asleep when their father is trying to give a heartwarming speech about how they need to support and understand Gang-du. It's funny and sad at the same time because while they are tired from worry and mourning and hunting for their niece, they've also no doubt heard the same words from their father dozens of times throughout their lives. It made no difference then, and a sudden, unpredicted crisis changes nothing. Though they can barely work together, they do at least share a love and devotion for Hyun-seo that motivates them to keep going. "The Host" is a great movie on every level. Not only does it have outstanding performances by veteran actors and newbies alike, phenomenal special effects and first-rate direction, it also manages to operate simultaneously as an action-adventure film, family drama, social commentary, comedy and horror story. Predictably, most of the scares revolve around Hyun-seo's experiences with the creature, trying to evade becoming its next meal and protecting a young homeless boy who has been trapped along with her. However, equal horror surrounds the rest of the Park family in the shape of other human beings. What humans are capable of doing to one another is more terrible than a giant mutant fish that can walk on land and swing by its tail from the beams of a bridge. There's no warm-and-fuzzy message here. Grandpa Hee-bong admits that it is his own fault Gang-du was malnourished as a child and ended up the way he is, a continual burden to the family. The casual attitude of the American coroner brought about the conditions that created the monster, but everyone made the situation worse, from the individual citizens who reacted to it by throwing more trash into the river, to the Korean government and the WHO who sprayed chemicals into the air. Sometimes people are too short-sighted and selfish and they cause problems for others. Sometimes even tragedy. And because time runs in a straight line we cannot backtrack to fix our mistakes. The best we can to, sometimes, is to clean up our mess and move forward. And not dump dangerous pollutants into our waterways! Twelve thumbs up from me and the goi-mool
edited by Aziraphale Comments |
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I loved the bits of humor in the movie, loved how the director added those. I honestly think it made it a little bit more realistic, especially the ending. I liked how the director made the brother screw up. Not everything can go right lol.
by: booger face
Jun 24, 2008 2:25am
At first, I thought it would be a Godzilla type of movie, but after watching it through..
It's so much more complicated than it seems at first glance with the political, environmental, and social issues it explores.
Overall, I'd say, it's more of a dark family movie. Heh.
It makes you think about your own family.
by: kze
Jun 22, 2008 10:45pm
This movie was just okay for me. I was expecting a lot more because of all the hype. That one scene in the end when the brother and sister both try to kill the monster and fail because of stupid reasons SUCKED. I was like kill it already, this was too drawn out.
by: helenahjoo
May 03, 2008 7:46pm
does she die at the end?
I've seen it.. and its pretty good. but I don't get it if she died or not.
There are just pictures of her and that one lady who can shoot arrows or w/e.
But yea.. its been bothering me.. LoL even though its been almost a year. LoL
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nvm. I found the answer. Good movie though. LoL
by: litoswtme
Jan 30, 2008 10:33am
it looks very cool, so im going to watch it^^
by: Rainy_Cloud_92
Jan 27, 2008 4:34am
i saw it in korea with mi familia. it was awesome.
by: uram119
Nov 27, 2007 7:19pm
funniest part:
korean guy: youre from pakistan?
korean guy: where's that!?
i didnt quote it exactly but it was so random it was funny.
by: xkrndreamer
Oct 29, 2007 1:33am
I loved it. it's a GREAT family movie. honestly, i didn't really expect much, but after.. WOWZERS!!! O_O haha. GO WATCH IT!! i give it a 10/10 for suure.
by: mintkiss37
Oct 19, 2007 6:37pm
it was ok. i didnt really like it as much.
but the ending was sad.
and it had many funny parts.
by: smylies
Oct 06, 2007 11:55am
I loved this movie! And finally a Korean movie released here in the u.s. I felt the ending was sad as well but, Gang-du gained an adopted son at the end and learned the true meaning of fatherhood from the death of his daughter.
by: catwoman
Sep 30, 2007 1:32pm
I love this movie. I bought it because I needed another movie to finish up the "4 for $30" my movie store was having and after watching this, I'm so glad I chose it. Parts of the movie are funny, some are sad, but it leaves you satified after watching.
by: bleachfan22
Sep 23, 2007 2:35pm
The Host was a great movie. It was written really well with funny lines. I recommend watching it with a group of friends.
Go Beautiful Eugene Noona.
by: xkrndreamer
Sep 15, 2007 1:53pm
the movie is really sad...but i think it's cool that finally a korean movie can be played at an american movie theater :)
by: theycallmeevie
Sep 05, 2007 10:34am
Entertaining movie. Very unbelievable, but it was fun... as long as you don't try to take it too seriously.
by: zigenx77
Sep 01, 2007 4:04pm
Yeah i didnt liked the ending to... :((
by: Tusoka
Aug 21, 2007 2:10pm
i've seen the movie.. it was kinda suspense and a bit heart-racing to watch. one thing i don't like about the movie though is the ending.. all throughout the film, they've been trying to rescue hyun-seo, to the point that the grandpa even died, yet in the end, hyun-seo still dies.. the director should have at least let the girl live to compensate the death of the grandpa...
by: clandestine84
Aug 14, 2007 5:36pm
The Host dee mak ley lar .
by: meromo1983
Jun 07, 2007 9:32pm
i think that is going a bit too far... he was portrayed as being a little slow, which is a far cry from being "mentally challenged"
by: nbx2
Apr 05, 2007 1:55pm
hey i can't read the whole review cuz it gets cut off on the right side...
anyway...i saw this movie and its pretty good...the ending's a bit ...uh...hahaha...my friends thought it was scary but i didn't find it scary at all
by: koreanangel149
Mar 27, 2007 10:39pm
by: G R A C Eface1426
Mar 20, 2007 11:41pm
I saw it last night at the multiplex. the creature was pretty cool and the appearance of the creature at every scene was similar to 'Jaws'. the appeal of this movie is the looney protagonist family. their irrelevance really kept the movie going, and had some big laughs in the theater. The movie mocks the korean and u.s governments successfully. This movie made me really miss 'the Quiet Family' which had an even more zany korean family. I do recommend this movie, but don't expect too much. It's really great if you want to have a good time; you'll laugh and be scared at the same time.
by: broz0rs
Mar 17, 2007 11:27am
i personally enjoyed it. it had its good points. it was funny at some parts, emotional at others, and kept you on the end of your seat. but i guess it's a matter of opinion.
by: som4tang
Mar 17, 2007 6:00am
wow the review has got to be a joke... it wasn't entertaining at every level.... infact the only first 10 min was worth watching, the rest was really really boring. only little kids raved about this in Korea......typical chodings -_-
I give it 3/10 over hyped...wayyyyyyyyyy too much
by: kiminianman
Mar 15, 2007 9:49pm