An Entertaining, Non-Formulaic Monster Movie
The Host (2006) is an unconventional creature feature about an ugly monster that emerges from the river in Seoul and begins gobbling up people. On DVD you can either hear the dialogue in dubbed English or listen to it in the original Korean while reading English subtitles.
This is a horror film, but it is enriched by everyday details of contemporary Korean life, much of which is treated humorously. Also, the movie contains some political satire. Attempts by both Korean and American authorities to deal with the monster only aggravate the situation, and it falls to an ordinary family who operate a snack stand to combat the beast. A large part of the film's appeal comes from its populism.
The monster, which lives in the sewer system, resembles a giant mutant lizard with a hideous toothed mouth. The creature is bigger than a pickup truck, swims like a dolphin, gallops around on land like a horse and is astonishingly acrobatic, using its prehensile tail to swing about under bridges.
Just Plain Folks Battle a Monster and Pay the Price
The nearest thing to a central character in The Host is Park Gang-du, father of a 13-year-old girl. Gang-du and his dad, known within the family as Grandpa, run a snack stand on the banks of the Han, the wide river that cuts through Seoul. When the weather is fine, crowds of people enjoy relaxing on the riverbank and business at the stand is good.
One sunny day a large animal is spotted in the Han, and the crowd starts throwing food to it. But the animal turns out to be a monster, which leaps ashore and goes on a rampage, swallowing many people. It eventually grabs Gang-du's daughter with its tail and disappears back into the river.
This incident precipitates a far-reaching crisis, and the authorities thrash around, but accomplish nothing. Ultimately it's up to the Park family to take on the monster themselves, and each member has something to contribute. Grandpa has connections with the underworld. Gang-du's brother learned to make Molotov cocktails as a student activist. His sister is skilled at archery, having won a bronze medal at a national competition. As for Gang-du himself, he possesses no special capabilities, but he is tenacious and brave. But the Parks' quest is harrowing, and some members of the family do not survive.
A Virus Threat Brings In the Americans
An intriguing story complication in The Host comes when there is an announcement on television that the monster is the host of a deadly new virus. In view of the recent SARS and bird flu scares, this development causes great concern, and the Korean government imposes quarantines. When the crisis drags on, the United States involves itself in the situation and prepares to spray Seoul with a new chemical called Agent Yellow (recalling the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam). As the Americans get ready to deploy the chemical, a sizable number of Koreans stage a protest demonstration.
At one point in the movie, an American physician declares that the virus has gotten inside Gang-du's brain. In what is arguably the film's most horrifying sequence, a medical procedure is performed on Gang-du that requires forcibly subduing him and inserting some sort of a probe into his head.
English-Language Audio Commentary
On DVD, The Host has a feature-length English-language audio commentary by writer-director Bong Joon-ho, who is accompanied by Asian film expert Tony Rayns. It's Rayns who makes the commentary come alive as he steers Bong into talking about things likely to be of interest to English speakers.
Rayns and Bong cover the actors' backgrounds, the director's previous movies, the use of five companies to create the special effects in The Host and the extensive location shooting, including lots of filming in sewers. They also discuss cultural differences, including touching on the South Korean government's use of martial law in the 1980s. In addition, they point out ways this film differs from the usual monster movie, although the one that matters most is undoubtedly Bong's inclusion of quirky details that affect the tone of his film. Incidentally, Bong mentions that Universal has bought remake rights to The Host.
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