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Host, The
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MPAA RATING: R for creature violence and language
Starring Kang-ho Song, Hie-bong Byeon, Hae-il Park, Du-na Bae, and Ah-sung Ko
Utilizing state-of-the-art special effects, The Host is both a creature-feature thrill ride and a poignant human drama. (Magnolia Pictures)
| GENRE(S): | Action | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Foreign | Horror | Sci-fi | Suspense/Thriller |
| WRITTEN BY: |
Chul-hyun Baek
Joon-ho Bong Won-jun Ha |
| DIRECTED BY: | Joon-ho Bong |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: July 24, 2007 Theatrical: March 9, 2007 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 119 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | South Korea |
| LANGUAGE(S): | English / Korean (with English subtitles) |
Original title "Gwoemul"
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 6.3 (out of 10) based on 123 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Ethan S. gave it a9:
If you're looking for a horror movie then you have come to the wrong place. But, this movie is not a horror movie failing to be one. It is something completely different. It is one of the best 'monster movies,' if not the best, that I have ever seen. It is full of drama and darkish humor. It develops the characters extremely well, even succeeding in giving the monster personality. The struggles that the characters go through are real and do not seem to be fabricated for cinematic effect (besides the monster) and therefore do not leave you with any unanswered questions or loose ends. It is intense, although it is able to calm itself down in times of character development and more intellectual interaction between the characters. It involves much more than the standard Man Vs. Monster theme as seen in so many other movies of its kind. The only gripe I would have with this movie would be the very beginning because it makes it slightly corny. But, nonetheless, you forget about that and any questions of why there is a 50 ft fish going around and eating people are eliminated. The presence of the monster becomes noticeable on a perfect scale as the story progresses. It does an excellent job of showing societal reaction to the monster and makes sure that the magnitude of the public and government reaction is not allowed to go out of control save for maybe some over-the-top government action (but, hey, its Korea). All in all, I'd say that this movie is fast-paced when it needs to be, but also allows itself to have emotional and heartfelt themes.
Peter J. gave it a5:
The dialog, or lack thereof, pretty much killed this movie for me. With the review it received I was expecting much better. If they took this movie more seriously and left out the idiocy I would have given it an 8!
Sophia K. gave it a10:
Used interesting sources. never got bored during whole film. Great!
Ted S gave it an8:
If you rent this movie, beware that your DVD player doesn't default to play you the dubbed version, as mine did. After sitting through half the movie and wondering how anyone could have enjoyed it, I switched over to the original Korean dialogue with English subtitles. It becomes a different movie, almost literally--and a far superior one. Some of the dialogue is so different between the dubbed and the subtitled English, you can't believe it's coming from the same source. What seems clownish in the dub becomes effective and even stirring when the original dialogue is playing. Whatever you do, don't watch this dubbed; the film's dark humor and queasy tonal shifts make it suffer even worse than most from the process.
Val H gave it a5:
Why do these foreign films have to get a 0 or a 10? The Host is a solid 5 or 6. The family are a sort of Korean version of the family in "Liitle Miss Sunshine". A likeable mess that you want to win in the end. The horror takes a big second place to the comedy. Overall it wasn't a disaster, but it was no masterpiece, either as a thriller or as a relationship piece. As I said, it was a solid 5 or 6/10. Rent it if there's nothing else calling to you at Blockbuster. I'm still trying to work out why so many professional critics pronounced it a masterpiece. It was fine, but nothing worth catching a bus in the rain for.
Dave L gave it a10:
Fun, action-filled, humorous film. A must see for those who enjoy Asian films.
Oliver C. gave it a7:
Let's not get carried away here.. This movie was good for a monster movie. The acting and special effects were mediocre, the movie itself was hardly frightening. I found myself rooting for the monster at times. However, the directing is really a lot of fun and the movie has a point its trying to make, for which it deserves some credit. Not great, not jaws, but certainly one of the better monster flicks. Definitely better than cloverfield.

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