The Host

Joon-ho Bong's The Host (2006) continues the tradition of his earlier film, Memories of Murder, of turning the genre upside down - this time he does it to the monster film genre. And for better or worse, he blends different genres in a wilder way than in his other films. After an American military base pours toxic chemicals into the Han River, a dangerous mutated monster appears and begins to kill people. After its first appearance, it captures Hyun-seo, a schoolgirl whose dysfunctional family does everything to get her back alive.

Even by Bong's standards, The Host is very satirical. It mostly pokes fun at the genre and the film itself. The characters are wonderful and the way they change towards the end is fascinating - even though most of the development comes through irony rather than drama. The film keeps turning your expectations upside down all the time - even the ending feels weird because at first it seems way too dramatic and dark when compared to the rest of the film. But then I realised how it continued the film's subversive narrative perfectly. I figured out that it was more ironic than dramatic in the end - because it didn't release all of the tension the film had gathered earlier. Even though Bong handles the satire better this time, the film becomes too baffling for its own sake - the chaotic narrative tries to take a lot of paths at the same time, but ultimately it seems to be more lost than focused.

If there is something you can expect to succeed in a Bong film, it's the form. His form is similar to his other films: intensive and intriguing. Especially the long take of the monster's first appearance is a true masterpiece. The Host also features some of the best CGI I've seen in a long, long time. I don't know if it's more up to the design of the creature's movement or the CGI itself, but it was VERY effective.

The Host is very much like Bong's other films: it had the potential to become a masterpiece, but something went a bit wrong in the screenplay. I hope he can handle his chaotic screenplays one day so that he could deliver a masterpiece - because he seems to be very capable of executing one.

Score: 8 out of 10