Director - Bong Joon-Ho
Language - Korean
Genre - Horror, Monster, comedy?
There are a few things you need to realise about 'The Host'. You need to realise that almost every character is an idiot and they are meant to be. You need to realise that the comedy is meant to be there, it sometimes seems out of place but once you realise it should be there and it's not over acting then you can appreciate it as a necessary part of the film. You also need to know that there is a lot happening in 'The Host', there are 3 main plot lines which interweave the film, these are:
1) The monster
2) Hyun-seo's survival
3) The Virus
4) Gang-du & his family's search for Hyun-seo
All the plot lines link easily and, with the satirical look at Korea, make 'The Host' different to most of the other monster movies out there. I will cover the plot lines to give a good look at the film.
1) The Monster -The Monster is mainly a plot device as a pose to an antagonist. With the exception of the first appearance it is the presence of the monster that is used to move the plot along and not it's actions.
'The Host' starts off on a boat where a lab technician is ordered to pour bottles of formaldehyde down the drains which lead into the Han River. This scene is never mentioned again and, as know one ever finds out where the monster came from it doesn't really add anything to it. 'The Host' really starts by Introducing Gang-du, his daughter Hyun-seo and his dad. Gang-du and his dad own a food cart on the bank of the Han River and, whilst delivering food to one of his customers a shape is seen hanging off the near by bridge, as the picnickers watch the shape drops from the bridge and swims towards the bank and the on lookers throw food and beer at it. The monster then come onto the land and starts chasing down and eating people. One of the people it grabs is Hyun-seo, and that's almost it for the monster's rampage, we see it a few times and it is refers to but until the last couple of scene's the monster only really does one other important thing and that is...
2) Hyun-seo's survival - the monster does not kill Hyun-seo, instead it leaves her with some other body's in it's lair, it's not clear whether the monster knows that she is alive as it deposits a number of dead body's by her through out the film. Hyun-seo spend most of the rest of the film trying to find a way out, other survivors and a way to get a message to the out side.
3) The Virus - After the first attack the Government & Army come to take charge, they are interested in anyone who has come into physical contact with the monster as, it is later reveiled, the monster is carrying an unknown virus. This is one of the first scene's we are shown that it is not just Gang-du and his family that are stupid as the soldier who is trying to calm down the crowd decides that the best way of explaining what is happening to every one is to show them the news, we then watch as the soldier goes through the channels on the tv only to realise that it is not time for the news. The virus storyline is one of the main parts of the film and is used to show lack of communication between different groups of people and gives other characters a reason to dismiss facts that don't fit what they think is happening.
4) The Search for Hyun-Seo. Whilst being held awaiting tests for the virus Gang-du receives a phone call from Hyun-seo, this is the first sing that she is still alive. Gang-du and his dad have been joined by his drunk, jobless brother and his bronze medal archer sister and they break out of the hospital to try and find Hyun-seo. Hindered by the fact that a reward is put out on them and that they don't know where to look it seems unlikely that they will find Hyun-seo.
*** Spoiler Alert ***
I don't like giving Spoilers but to continue this review I will have to mention some important plot facts so don't read on if you haven't seen the film.
As I've said all the characters except Hyun-seo are stupid, they all have their own ideas of what is happening & what needs to be done, the only charater that knows he is stupid is Gang-du and he is the only one who is right, but know one believes him.
Apart from Gung-du and his family there is the medical team who are looking into the virus, the American army who thing the Koreans are handling the monster and virus wrong and there are three sets of the public, the ones hunting Gang-du for the reward, the ones protesting against the American army's decision to use 'Agent Yellow' to stop the monster. and the people who panic when some one sneezes after it is broadcast that there is an unknow virus on the loose.
The Korean and American army are so sure that know one has survived the monster attack that they are prepared to ignore the physical evidence of Hyun-seo's phone call. In the same way the medical team are so convinced that even when they can not find the virus in the victims body's they can not accept that there is not actually a virus. With all the different sides contradicting each other and the fact that only people who can actually see that there are survivors are idiots the search for Hyun-seo is continually delayed so that by the end of the film the monster has ran off with Hyun-seo and the only other survivor, the American army release a toxin on an area full of protesters and Gang-du and his family are left to fight the monster alone.
It took me a bit of time to understand the the comedy aspect of the film was meant to be there but the film swing from high emotion to comedy slapstick which actually increases the emotional impact.
When I first saw the monster I thought it was a bit to much 'CG' almost cartoony but as it is only seen in full at the beginning it does not take anything away from the film.
The only other point on this film is what is the Host of the title, is it the monster who is keeping Hyun-seo in its lair or is it Gang-du who is the host of the none existent virus?
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