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The Host

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The Host (2007)

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Reviews Counted:141

Fresh:130

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.

Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

US 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: Oh Bong-Joon

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

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Reviews for The Host

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato

Garth Franklin

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: | comment Comment | Apr., 24 2007 08:03 AM

Dark Horizons

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 10 2007 04:53 AM

Sydney Morning Herald

tomato

Urban Cinefile Critics

The creature is aquatic, acrobatic but definitely not angelic, in this idiosyncratic mix of creature feature and horror thriller, with a dash of slapstick, and a pinch of black humour.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 01 2007 01:12 AM

Urban Cinefile

tomato

Fernando F. Croce

A subversive blast

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 27 2009 11:50 PM

CinePassion

tomato
4/5

Roger Moore

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 13 2009 03:15 AM

Orlando Sentinel

tomato
3/5

Michael Szymanski

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 20 2008 03:15 AM

Hollywood.com

tomato

Steve Biodrowski

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 14 2008 10:47 AM

ESplatter

tomato
4/5

Geoff Berkshire

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 24 2008 03:15 AM

Metromix.com

tomato
3.5/4

Stefan Birgir Stefansson

A fantastic satire/monster movie

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 29 2008 04:37 AM

sbs.is

tomato
9/10

Beth Accomando

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: | comment Comment | Jan., 18 2008 09:19 AM

KPBS.org

tomato
8/10

Tim Brayton

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 27 2007 01:39 PM

Antagony & Ecstasy

tomato
8/10

Jean-François Vandeuren

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: | comment Comment | Sep., 21 2007 06:23 AM

Panorama

tomato
7/10

John J. Puccio

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 14 2007 09:53 AM

DVDTown.com

tomato
4/5

Enrique Buchichio

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: | comment Comment | Aug., 08 2007 10:57 PM

Uruguay Total

splat
2/4

Joe Lozito

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 14 2007 03:31 AM

Big Picture Big Sound

tomato
4.5/5

Anton Bitel

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: | comment Comment | Jul., 09 2007 01:50 PM

Eye for Film

tomato
3.5/5

Stax

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 25 2007 01:03 PM

IGN Movies

tomato
B

Ted Murphy

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: | comment Comment | May., 07 2007 04:48 PM

Murphy's Movie Reviews

tomato
4.5/5

Joseph Proimakis

click for full review

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 03 2007 09:27 AM

Movies for the Masses

tomato
88/100

Philip Martin

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 20 2007 06:11 AM

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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all

Latest News for The Host

September 02, 2009: First Look: The Host 2 Opens in new window
Eager for an early glimpse of one of the monsters you'll see in "The Host 2"? Twitch has what you're looking for. More...

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...

See All

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