Review of The Host (2006) by Lewis C — 03 Apr 2011

Though not the greatest monster movie ever made, The Host manages to provide a funny, scary, and political experience to rival that of films like Godzilla and Cloverfield. The two scientists at the start of the film seem to be trying very hard not to burst out laughing as they pour seemingly 75 bottles of formaldehyde into a river, perceiving this as the most efficient disposal method possible.

Of course, the military is called in to clean up the mess, and therein follows a surprisingly moving scene where one of those two scientists tells his assistant that there is no virus to decontaminate, and then orders the main character to be killed and incinerated to ensure eradication of the nonexistent disease.

It's heavy stuff, and, unfortunately, not without real-world provocation to back it up. I do not currently have enough room left in this review to talk about much else, but let it be said: if you are any degree of monster movie fan, this is required viewing.