Review: The Host

Dir. Bong Joon Ho (2005)

The following review contains minor spoilers.

Should you see The Host?

If you mean the American film that came out in 2013 based on the Stephenie Meyer novel, the answer is and easy “no don't waste your time”; but if we're talking about the 2007 Korean movie of the same name well then that's where things get a bit more complex.

The Host is a sensitively crafted story about the complex relationships that form within a dysfunctional family unit when the members are under extreme stress. Oh yeah, it's it's also a monster movie in addition to the aforementioned relationship drama. The Host boasts a sharp streak of humor and an undercurrent of pointed political sniping, it's difficult to discuss the narrative without venturing into spoiler filled territory and this is largely due to how clever the writing is. Just when the audience has the movie pegged it veers off in a different direction, but it never once feels like an unhinged roller coaster.

Every story beat is carefully measured, this is not a standard Godzilla-style thrill factory. The Host spends a lot of time with its characters, making sure the audience cares about them as people. It’s very tense and grim, the director is in full control and uses comedy to manipulate the audience. The pattern often goes as follows, layers of tension and anticipation are broken by something slightly ridiculous. The silliness escalates, letting the audience know that it is permissible to laugh. This moment of comedy is broken mid-laugh by something truly terrible occurring, punishing the audience for their enjoyment of the humor and thus strengthening the layers of tension and anticipation built. Rinse, repeat.

Some audience members may find this level of manipulation exhausting and others may be thrilled by it, but it's safe to say that this narrative device is pretty unusual and potentially worth watching the film for alone.

It should be noted that the middle of the film tends to drag on longer than it needs to and the way the narrative ducks and weaves to subvert audience's expectations can make it feel as though it has occasionally lost its way. In the second act there are some ludicrous plot points, particularly the creatures origin story that may have viewers rolling their eyes but they're played out so confidently that it may just be the director thumbing his nose at the audience in good humor. Your mileage may vary.

The actors all turn in nuanced performances and each central character gets a chance to really shine. Visually, the color palette is restrained and the compositions are generally quite nice, the visual effects are an effective mix of digital and practical. The creature itself being a blend of large-scale animatronics and CG wizardry. This integration isn't always perfect though, digital effects such as water or fire are particularly poor, but not distractingly so. Musically, the soundtrack is mostly orchestral; sometimes understated, sometimes soaring but never overpowering.

So, should you see The Host?

If you're up for a grim character centered monster flick that isn't afraid to take shots at the audience while still maintaining a strong, central politically-oriented narrative, then I highly recommend The Host to you. The Host is not for you if creature violence or prolonged tension are bothersome, or if you're looking for a creature feature that bends more towards action and large-scale destruction.

By way of second opinions, Rotten Tomatoes places the host at 92% out of one hundred and IMDb gives it 7 stars out of 10.

-Josh Evans