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The Host

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The Host (2007)

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Reviews Counted: 140

Fresh: 129

Rotten:11

Average Rating: 7.7/10

Consensus: As populace pleasing as it is intellectually satisfying, The Host combines scares, laughs, and satire into a riveting, monster movie.

Rated: R

Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:Mar 9, 2007 Limited

Box Office: $2,010,000

Synopsis: The talk of the 2006 Cannes International Film Festival, THE HOST, the latest film from critically acclaimed visionary director BONG Joon-ho, has already garnered a substantial amount of... The talk of the 2006 Cannes International Film Festival, THE HOST, the latest film from critically acclaimed visionary director BONG Joon-ho, has already garnered a substantial amount of international buzz. Utilizing state-of-the-art special effects courtesy of a creative partnership between Weta Workshop (King Kong, The Lord of the Rings) and The Orphanage (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Sin City), THE HOST is equal parts creature-feature thrill ride and poignant human drama. Gang-du (SONG Kang-ho) works at a food-stand on the banks of the Han River. Dozing on the job, he is awakened by his daughter, Hyun-seo ( KO A-sung), who is angry with him for missing a teacher-parent meeting at school. As Gang-du walks out to the riverbank with a delivery, he notices that a large crowd of people has gathered, taking pictures and talking about something hanging from the Han River Bridge. The otherwise idyllic landscape turns suddenly to bedlam when a terrifying creature climbs up onto the riverbank and begins to crush and eat people. Gang-du and his daughter run for their lives but suddenly the thing grabs Hyun-seo and disappears back into the river. The government announces that the thing apparently is the Host of an unidentified virus. Having feared the worst, Gang-du receives a phone call from his daughter who is frightened, but very much alive. Gang-du makes plans to infiltrate the forbidden zone near the Han River to rescue his daughter from the clutches of the horrifying Host... --© Magnolia Pictures [More]

Starring: Kang-ho Song, Byun Hee-bong, Bae Hae-il, Bae Doo-na

Starring: Kang-ho Song, Byun Hee-bong, Bae Hae-il, Bae Doo-na, Ko A-sung

Director: Joon-Ho Bong

Director: Joon-Ho Bong
Screenwriter: Hah Joon-won, Baek Chul-hyun
Producer: Choi Yong-bae
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

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Release:

Jul 24, 2007

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Reviews for The Host

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
05/13/09
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
11/20/08
Michael Szymanski
Hollywood.com

This monster movie from the Republic of Korea is one of the best films of its kind.

Full Review Source: ESplatter | comment Comment
07/14/08
Steve Biodrowski
ESplatter

Minor flaws in a film destined to be embraced by genre fans worldwide.

Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
06/24/08
Geoff Berkshire
Metromix.com

A fantastic satire/monster movie

Full Review Source: sbs.is | comment Comment
01/29/08
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
sbs.is

Imagine Little Miss Sunshine and Alien mixed together and you'll have an inkling of what South Korea's The Host has in store for you.

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment Comment
01/18/08
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org

A rather tender-hearted, often sorrowful, more often hilarious view on the familial conflicts between generations and between siblings.

Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | comment Comment
09/27/07
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy

Joon-ho Bong effectue un pied de nez pour le moins renversant à une formule attribuant ordinairement une force psychologique surhumaine à ses protagonistes

Full Review Source: Panorama | comment Comment
09/21/07
Jean-François Vandeuren
Panorama

If the slow pacing and gawky acting seem typical of low-budget monster movies, so much the better.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
08/14/07
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Más que una simple película de monstruos, un raro ejemplo de entretenimiento, drama familiar, crítica política y social y humor muy, muy bizarro.

Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment Comment
08/08/07
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

like a mutant hybrid spawned from the improbable union of Little Miss Sunshine and Godzilla; for in this family comedy and political satire an unnaturally evolved tadpole just happens to loom (very) large.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
07/09/07
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film

The Host is a decent little monster movie that fans of the genre should enjoy.

Full Review Source: IGN Movies | comment Comment
06/25/07
Stax
IGN Movies

a terrific popcorn movie that ... contains equal parts humor, horror and drama and turns out to be a thoroughly enjoyable "creature" movie that also contains an underlying environmental message.

Full Review Source: Murphy's Movie Reviews | comment Comment
05/07/07
Ted Murphy
Murphy's Movie Reviews

click for full review

Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | comment Comment
05/03/07
Joseph Proimakis
Movies for the Masses

In spite of its assorted lumpy bits, this is a far more successful monster movie than any creature feature Hollywood has churned out in a LONG time

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
04/24/07
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons

A self-aware throwback to the giant ants and nuclear-spawned mutant movies of the 1950s...

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
04/20/07
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Mixes the chemically enhanced intensity of a Godzilla sequel with the single-minded mission status of Harold and Kumar.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Weekly | comment Comment
04/19/07
Sean O'Connell
Charlotte Weekly

Both fun and thought-provoking, but it's just not the instant classic it's being hailed as.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
04/11/07
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

The origin of the film's amphibious creature may be firmly planted at the doorstep of U.S. hubris, but The Host is strictly populist fare, ironically owing much to the best of American blockbusters.

Full Review Source: Scene-Stealers.com | comment Comment
04/10/07
Eric Melin
Scene-Stealers.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for The Host

March 18, 2009: Bong Joon-ho Discusses Upcoming Projects Opens in new window
Director Bong Joon-ho isn't involved with the upcoming sequel to his hit monster movie "The Host," but he does have a number of other projects in the pipeline -- including "an... More...

November 19, 2008: The Host Is Coming to America Opens in new window
According to Bong Joon-ho, director of "The Host," Universal has purchased the American rights to his film, and the studio is planning a remake for U.S. audiences. More...

June 26, 2008: The Host 2 Filming in Early '09 Opens in new window
Director Ning Hao will helm and script a Chinese sequel to the Korean box-office smash The Host, scheduled to film early next year. More...

January 10, 2008: First Look at The Host 2's "Multiple Monsters"
Work on The Host 2 is moving full steam ahead -- and a just-released concept sketch is giving fans their first idea of what to expect! More...

See More Topics...

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