G4 Presents The Host
November 1st 2008 07:14
Tonight G4 presented the South Korean monster movie, 괴물 - Gwoemul - "Creature" - The Host, a non-traditional take on the monster genre where we follow a family town asunder by the attack of a horribly mutated beast and their attempts to reunite. In addition to the staples of the horror genre, the Host is also ripe with political commentary, dark comedy, environmental issues, and social satire. It is easy to see how and why this film rose to blockbuster status in South Korea, as well as firmly entrenched its self in several global top ten lists for that year.
One key difference between the Host and most monster films of our time is that the creature is not of some unimaginable size, it is more along the lines of an elephant, save for a preternatural agility and violent tendencies. Unlike its fellows of the monster movie genre, the creature from the Host is not shy about being seen by great crowds, as it acts similar to various aquatic and amphibious predators, going into a feeding and killing frenzy when presented with large numbers. The CGI of the monster is impressive, especially when the modest budget of $11 Million USD is taken into account.
While there is definitely a bias against the portrayal against the United State's military in the picture, as well as the South Korean government and the nature of organized protest, there are also individuals of the same various groups that are shown in a positive and heroic light. Perhaps the film is commenting on how the person, not the group, is an important thing in our life.
Even though it is a horror movie, the Host has plenty of touching moments about parental and familial love and the lengths that family will go to in order to protect those that they love, in some cases some unusual extremes. But, in the end, it is the emotion of the human condition that is front and center in this movie, as seen by the touching epilogue at the end of the movie.
Overall, the Host is an enjoyable foreign film and monster movie that is a welcome addition to anyone's video library.
One key difference between the Host and most monster films of our time is that the creature is not of some unimaginable size, it is more along the lines of an elephant, save for a preternatural agility and violent tendencies. Unlike its fellows of the monster movie genre, the creature from the Host is not shy about being seen by great crowds, as it acts similar to various aquatic and amphibious predators, going into a feeding and killing frenzy when presented with large numbers. The CGI of the monster is impressive, especially when the modest budget of $11 Million USD is taken into account.
While there is definitely a bias against the portrayal against the United State's military in the picture, as well as the South Korean government and the nature of organized protest, there are also individuals of the same various groups that are shown in a positive and heroic light. Perhaps the film is commenting on how the person, not the group, is an important thing in our life.
Even though it is a horror movie, the Host has plenty of touching moments about parental and familial love and the lengths that family will go to in order to protect those that they love, in some cases some unusual extremes. But, in the end, it is the emotion of the human condition that is front and center in this movie, as seen by the touching epilogue at the end of the movie.
Overall, the Host is an enjoyable foreign film and monster movie that is a welcome addition to anyone's video library.
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