Gabe Reviews Horror

This review was originally written in 2022. Gabe's 100 Bucket List Horror Films Review #50: The Host (2006) Writer/Director Bong Joon-ho has expressed frustration with people's reactions when making this film, as they seemed to think that making a "monster movie" was beneath him. While I can definitely attest that Bong Joon-ho is a fantastic director (I highly, highly recommend Parasite, another movie of his that unfortunately isn't on this list), I feel that looking back, this is a peculiar movie to make people feel that way about him. Because ultimately, I don't think this IS a monster movie. I mean, it is, but it isn't. The Host is a Korean film that was so popular that approximately twenty percent of the entire country bought tickets to see it. It follows the story of a family whose daughter is kidnapped during a viral outbreak, and they go through hell and high water to get her back (but at what cost...). There's also a monster in there. But that...

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 fr...