Improperly disposed of toxic-wastes generate an immense amphibious predator in Seoul's Han River. This early outing from Oscar-winning director Bong Joon Ho has his characteristic off-beat style and unsubtle, comedic social-commentary. The film swerves from claustrophobic horror (young Se-Joo (Dong-ho Lee) trapped in the sewers by the revolting monster) to near slapstick (the kinetic out-pouring of grief at the communal memorial to those devoured by the creature), but the main target of the satire is the bureaucracy and self-serving duplicity of the 'establishment'. Although its biological origins are vague, the monster is great (although its acrobatic swinging under the bridge is very odd) and the cast, although bordering on caricatures, is very good (I flipped back and forth between a dubbed and a subtitled version). Fast moving, witty, and full of food and water imagery, the film is good fun and a huge improvement on 1967's 'Yongary, Monster from the Deep', Korea's first stab at kaiju adventure.
Review of The Host
