Screening

About The Host

Rating:

R R

Year Released:

2007

Format:

2K DCP

Genres:

Action/Adventure, Drama

Metadata:

Directed by Bong Joon-ho

From the mind of Academy Award-winning South Korean master Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer, Okja, Parasite), The Host pays homage to classic monster movies of yore while adding its own offbeat sense of humor and a distinctly topical bent. After an American scientist orders 200 bottles of formaldehyde to be dumped into Seoul’s drainage system, city residents begin noticing a strange creature in the murky waters of the Han River that eventually begins attacking the citizenry. When his young daughter is abducted by the monster, comically inept but fiercely determined dad Gang-du (Song Kang-ho) must find the location of its sewer lair and rescue the little girl before it’s too late. Even as it addresses societal ills like pollution, the threat of a pandemic, and government corruption, The Host remains a devilishly entertaining and wildly inventive thrill ride. In English and Korean with English subtitles.

“Bravely shifting tones from the horrific to the slapstick and back again, Bong Joon-ho has made a movie that's comprised almost equally of family sitcom, political indictment, high-urban paranoia and maximum-geek, monster-movie delight.” – Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

"Bong Joon Ho's smash-hit monster movie The Host [proves that] he is deft at putting genre in the service of biting social commentary." – Rebecca Cleman, Screen Slate

“With multiple artfully constructed layers of social commentary, The Host offers an incisive look into South Korea's soul.” – Anthony Kao, Cinema Escapist