Review #12: The Host (2006)


This review was originally written in October 2016.

Day 12: The Host

I was not at all expecting to watch a Korean horror film; that being said, when I realized I was watching a Korean horror film, I wasn't expecting this. I'd actually classify this one more as an action film than horror- there's a monster and the monster is scary and all that, but I'd say the plot has more in common with something like Speed, if you just replace the villain with a big monster.

Anyway, I really thoroughly enjoyed this film- like I said, I wasn't sure what to expect at first, and the slapstick goofy bits that made up the first twenty minutes or so didn't really prepare me for the gritty, down-in-the-depths thriller that was to come. Now, there's the fact that the inciting incident was so cartoonish and the resolution of the final set piece was a bit odd- yes the main characters just beat the monster, but do you think it's a good idea to kick back and regroup twenty feet from the army device spewing toxic chemicals? And did you forget that virtually everyone in the world thinks there's a nation-threatening epidemic going on, and that the main character is effectively Patient Zero? I know the viewer is aware of the truth of the matter, but the rest of the world isn't! Can we get a little bit of explanation of how that gets resolved, instead of just fast forwarding a few months and saying that's that?

But seriously, great film. I think movies like this are my favorite part of doing this month of horror films- I get to see movies like The Host, which I never would have watched in a million years. Oh- and one more thing: You know something this movie does that's awesome? There's a point in the film where, as far as the viewer knows, all four of the protagonists are effectively dead. Now, most of them get better, but holy cow, if you want to learn to bring a story to its lowest lows before bringing it to its highest highs at the climax, take a lesson from this movie.

Rating: 8/10 Thousand Bottles of Formaldehyde

Number of different ways the main character's name is spelled within the film: 3

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