The Host
Here Is What You Need To Know:
The Host is yet another little gem that is likely to have slipped by many movie fans residing outside of South Korea where the film was produced. The idea behind The Host is pretty simple: pollution of South Korea waters, with the participation of Uncle Sam, yields one bad ass mutant fishy thing of sorts. The genetically altered sea beastie is absolutely crazy looking and is certainly a highlight of this slice of South Korean cinema. There has been much "to do" about the less than positive portrayal of America and Americans in the film. While much of this negative portrayal is very obvious, most Western movie-goers could watch The Host and miss many of the messages aimed at the movie's local audience. Some of the sentiment towards America is unmistakable, as Americans are pretty much the villians in the film. This theme of the movie definitely infuses The Host with a undercurrent of sorts that will seem odd to most Western viewers.
What Was Cool:
The Host isn’t perfect, but so much is done well that flaws are forgiveable. Most likely you will be stunned by how cool the monster looks. I could really go on and on, but any fan of sci-fi or horror films has to see this film, the creature effects are truly awesome. The cinematography is consistently nice throughout, as is the acting.
What Was Stupid:
There are no real weak links in The Host, but the film does suffer a little from pacing problems and is a little disjointed from time to time. While the acting is very good, I was irritated to see, yet once again, Song Kang-ho in the lead. He is a fine actor, but it seems, at times, as though he is the only male actor in all of South Korea at least for a big budget film. Now, maybe I just don’t know enough about South Korean cinema, but Song has stared in Joint Security Area (very under appreciated film), Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Memories of Murder and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance as well as many other major releases. Its getting a little old and seems a bit unfair.
The Film's Real Genius or Geniuses:
Boon Joon-ho both wrote and directed the film and did so with a budget rumored to be in the $10 million dollar range! Ouch Hollywood!
Overlooked Performance/Accomplishment:
The Host has been largely overlooked by Western audiences and that is too bad. The creature effects done by the increasingly famous “The Orphanage” deserve some real notice for what they accomplished with the monster.
Story A
Use of Science B+
Acting A (A very solid and capable cast takes some of the horror/gore edge off.)
Portrayal of Women B (The women in this film are portrayed as being very intelligent and capable while, at the same time, human and real. Very nice.)
Visuals and Special Effects A
Visuals-Set Design/Props B
Wardrobe/Costumes B-
Style/Sex Appeal B (Not exactly a sexy film, but still cool.)
Enjoyability Grade A-
Home Theater/HD Factor A
Gut Check (Level of Studio Executive Guts) B+ (A monster movie is a easy choice for making money but infusing it with political statements of any sorts, whether the executives believe in those statements or not, takes some guts. Even if the sentiments expressed in the film reflect what most people feel on a topic this is still a decision inherit with risk.)
Overall Innovation A (Obviously, The Host is visually innovative, that is a given. The way the characters address the issue of how to deal with the monster is really unique and refreshing, especially for horror fans.)
Overall Grade A (While The Host does wander a bit, here and there, and I wish we would have seen more of the chaos from the monster’s attacks, still The Host is memorable. While The Host was scary to watch, the people that really need to be scared are the unimaginative, do-little producers in Hollywood, as the rest of the world is slowly beginning to pass them by.)
A Little Fact About Cherie:
I find most Korean women to be quite interesting…
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