The Host (Gwoemul)

The Host (Gwoemul)

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The Host (Gwoemul)

Ah-sung Ko, Hae-il Park, Du-na Bae, Kang-ho Song, Hie-bong Byeon

A creature emerges from the Han River’s shores for a feeding frenzy upon onlookers. When a young girl is snatched in the melee, her family set off to recover her from the monster that the government c...( read more  read more... )laims to be a host of an unidentified virus.

Id: 10952994

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Recent Reviews


  • November 18, 2009
    Problem being is the poor CGI to film transition and a slightly strange translation (or a bad script) but if you like world cinema and subtitled movies and enjoy trhller suspense in a good humoured fashion then watch! I really enjoyed it, laughed A LOT (at the jokes) and really d...( read more)idnt mind the bad SFX.
  • September 30, 2009
    Excellent monster movie! Much better than Cloverfield or any other Hollywood blockbuster come to think of it. Great acting, direction, character attention, SFX and a brilliantly written with an unpredictable story, make this a joy to watch. If Godzilla was a metaphor for the atom...( read more) bomb and Cloverfield was a metaphor for 911, than this one is definitely, albeit subtly, a metaphor for the disaster that is waiting to happen due to pollution and our governments slow reaction to do anything about it (Joon-ho Bong also seems to have a problem with Police big time, his films seem to be laden with his obvious anger at the Korean Government too). Joon-ho Bong is becoming one of my favourite directors only after seeing two of his films, I do however, really hope they keep this film as it is and don't do a sequel!
  • September 26, 2009
    Scream for me Seoul! Gwoemul (or The Host) sees South Korea put into a state of hysteria normally reserved for 1950s b-movies. This delightful creature feature is an interesting Asian take on the monster movies of old, with a lot less stagey shtick and a lot more in the way of co...( read more)ntemporary concerns and classy film-making.

    The film, excellently constructed by director Bong Joon-Ho, centres around the premise that a few years previously an arrogant American official ordered toxic chemicals to be poured down the drain. Thus, said pollutants find their way into the Han River and a mutant is spawned, the 'thing' then goes on to wreak havoc upon the panicked park-goers of Korea's capital city. Poor Seoul isn't only blighted by this watery beast, but also by American scaremongering, secret agendas and monsoon rain; the latter makes the film look all the more bleak and beautifully tragic.

    All sounds very appealingly apocalyptic, but what about the monster? Frankly, it's 'orrible: a kind of octopussified-scaly-tentacled-fishfaced-squid-beast that likes to drag schoolkids off to the sewers. A Harryhausen model may be prettier to look at, but it must be admitted that "The Host" in all its CGI sliminess looks the part and shoots the film lightyears away from its papier-mâché and puppet predecessors. Combined with the biting socio-political commentary on offer and the affecting acting performances (as best exemplified by Hie-Bong Byeon and Kang Ho-Song as father and lazy son respectively), Gwoemul manages to root itself in distressing realism.

    It may be grey and gruesome, but it's also an enjoyable escapade: a good old-fashioned disaster smash. There's also a little bit of something for everyone, whether it be in the family drama, the social statements, the chase or just purely in the finned fright of 'The Host' itself. South Korea keeps on pumping out vital films and Gwoemul is no exception. With superb special effects and sharp film-making, Gwoemul is something of a modern monster masterpiece.
  • August 15, 2009
    Fans of Cloverfield will love this Korean offering. Both have similar premise but The Host is much more humorous and, consequently, much less pretentious.
  • July 5, 2009
    Monster movies fucking rule as do Korean movies so it's no surprise that this film absolutely rocks. After building up the film too much for myself it was great but a bit unsatisfying. Every watch since has been absolutely supreme. The desaturation is stunning and is what I'm all...( read more) about recently. The comedic moments are perfectly timed and always a bit heart wrenching at the same time. Bong Joon-ho has made a monster movie more about a specific family affected by the event and shows how families however much they are considered losers can triumph. The monster generally looks great, and considering it is photographed in harsh sunligh quite a lot it's even more impressive. The ending has a few dodgy shots but nothing to ruin the momentum. Gets better and better.
  • December 18, 2009
    Excellent Korean monster movie with some comedy thrown in. I loved the young actress Ah Sung Ko who's taken by the creature. Great stuff.
  • December 15, 2009
    It wasn't really as thrilling as I expected it to be, and some of the character's stupidity/lack of will was frustrating. That said, it's not a bad movie. Definitely watchable.
  • December 5, 2009
    The first half was awesome. The second half was boring. With its good visual effects and all, this film would've been great if the second half was done right.
  • December 1, 2009
    Did not like! They did make a really good monster though, but the movie sucked.
  • November 16, 2009
    OMG. Best monster movie ever. Funny, kind of scary, magnificently done. (I'm not a lover of monster movies though... no competition!)

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