DVD Review - “The Host”
GRADE: B+
“The Host” is nothing like the cheesy Japanese classic monster film “Godzilla. Actually the Korean made “The Host” is one of the best “creature features” ever made! I really loved the way this film kept me on the edge of my seat while making me laugh at every corner with it’s wit and campy dialog. The funniest scene in this film is during the funeral scene at the beginning while the main characters mourn the assumed loss of their youngest family member. The actors that play the close knit family in this movie are hilarious! Without being corny, “The Host” manages to create chills and keep in line with some other classic horror-comedy films like Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” movies and Peter Jackson’s classic “Brain Dead” with the laughs.
The acting and storytelling in this film are pretty impressive for a scary foreign film. Most of the action scenes are filmed in such a realistic way that it is hard to remember that the creature is CGI. The premise of “The Host” is familiar in its set up, but it stirs clear of cheesy Godzilla effects and crowd scenes. The realism of the creature provided by awesome effects give this film an underlined tension that weaves in and out of the movie.
I found myself completely entertained while watching “The Host”. It worked on many levels for me as part comedy, part horror and part action movie. The underlined message is also not lost on the viewer. The more man plays with the environment and nature, the more we are prone to un-kown dangers. “The Host” isn’t a heavy handed pro-environment parable, it is more like a super cool “creature feature” with a great story, out of this world effects and on spot acting to back it up.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
and because of this review, i may take a stab at watching this movie.
August 9th, 2007 at 10:00 am
I LOVED this film. I’m not a SERIOUS horror fan, but I do dig a good creature feature. This was a great creature feature with fantastic characters, awesome special effects, and some really funny underlying social commentary. Truly a undiscovered gem!