Review of The Host (2006) by Nathan M — 03 Aug 2014

After seeing Bong Joon-Ho's Snowpiercer, I decided I had to go back and see the director's earlier work, and, man, was I glad I did. The Host is a fantastic take on the b-movie/monster movie genre, that pokes fun at it, while still being a great entry. Joon-Ho understands how to craft an action sequence and build tension in a way that feels organic, and, most importantly, fun. That's what this is at its heart, it's fun. And isn't that what monster movies should be?

Does it have great character development? Sure. Horrific moments? Sure. A great monster? Absolutely. But what it has in spades is fun. Joon-ho knows what we care about when it comes to monster movies, and he just hits us over the head with it over and over again. In a way that is satisfying. If you love monster movies, you need to see The Host.