Review of The Host (2006) by John K — 21 Jul 2012
At the heart of every good monster movie is a narrow-minded government ready to jump on the first easy answer offered up as a solution. The Korean-born Host is a savvy and satirical monster flick with high class effects and a wicked sense of humor.
When a young girl is kidnapped by the monster, her family goes through hell trying to rescue her. There are less-than-subtle jabs at both the Korean and American governments. The men in charge create a city-wide panic about a nonexistent virus that serves as a distraction from the mutant fish monster.
One can't help but think of the whole SARS panic from several years ago - misdirected panic at a grand scale. The Host is topical and thoroughly entertaining through it's 2 hours, which is a feat in and of itself.
These classic sub-genre films are especially successful when they are able to laugh at themselves, and The Host is hilarious and frightening at the same time. I could complain about the overly digital monster, but it doesn't seem too hurt the film too much.
Ultimately the hype behind this film is warranted - is old school and new school at the same time... Great stuff.
This review of The Host (2006) was written by John K on 21 Jul 2012.
The Host has generally received positive reviews.
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