The Host (괴물 Monster) (2006)

Synopsis: This movie is about a monster that gets created because some american dude made some other korean dude dump some sort of toxic chemical into the Han River. After a few years a squid mutates and then goes about terroizing the people around the Han River. The story follows a dysfunctional family who lives in a concession stand by the Han River. The grandfather, Hyun soo, the grand daughter, along with her father, Gang Doo try their best to get by. The story picks up when the Monster Squid comes out of the water and starts owning. In the end of the sequence the monster kidnaps and seemingly eats Hyun Soo. This begins a series of events that brings together Gang Doo's brother, Nam Il, a unemployed graduate, and his sister, Nam Joo whose an olympic bronze medalist in archery. The family gets quarantined by the military because they suspect that the monster has some sort of virus.

One night Gang Doo recieves a call from Hyun Soo somehwere in a sewer. He then goes to tell the authorities who only believe he's insane, a symptom of the virus. As a result the family escapes and takes the matter into their own hands and go on a hunt for the monster and save Hyun Soo.

Why You Should See It: Simply put, this movie is the dream and any person who likes movies or the entertainment industry in general should see this movie. It doesn't do anything new but it does everything so well. It ties together multiplie layers of questions ranging from simple nuances from the family all the way to government superstructures. In the end the product is one that will make you think and re consider this movie on many different levels making you want to watch it over and over again.

Things to Watch Out For: The main idea of the movie isn't really about killing the monster or finding Hyun Soo. It's about questioning society and human nature. Making us think about who the real monsters are. So as you are watching this movie pay close attention and really try to think about what the director/writer is trying to convey. If you pay close enough attention you will slowly begin to see how this movie makes us question all aspects of society and ourselves and seeing that there is a monster in everything.
The sub theme of this movie is gettign a second chance which is pretty clear and it does give the movie a nice circular feeling as the ending strongly resembles the beginning and does well in tying together the character development as well as the main plot.

Things You Don't Expect: This isn't a horror movie as the trailers would have you believe. Hell it's a boarder line thriller. So don't go watch it if you're expecting a scare fest. And it's rated 14A which means there is no gore, no violence and definitly no nudity. It might be a bummer for some, but if you want to watch a movie with all the things this one doesnt' have then just wait until April 6th when you can pay a visit to the Grind House.

Final Score: 8.5