Gwoemul (The Host) (2006)

I've been meaning to see The Host for quite a while and finally got around to it, aided by my new interest in both Song Kang-ho (after his performance in Thirst) and Bong Joon-ho (after his segment in Tokyo!). The former plays Gang-du, a hapless slacker dad working for his father's (Byeon Hie-bong) snack shop in Seoul. When a huge mutated fish-amphibian-monstrosity pops up out of the river near the shop, his young daughter Hyun-seo (Ko Ah-seong) is stolen away along with several others. Believing her to be dead, Gang-du, his father, his professional archer sister Nam-joo (Bae Doona), and his alcoholic brother Nam-il (Park Hae-il) are in mourning as they get shipped off to a medical facility by the government after a virus believed to be caused by the monster is discovered. Gang-du interacted with it and is experimented on while his family remains quarantined.

He receives a panicked call from Hyun-seo, who somehow survived her plunge underwater and is being held in the sewers below the city. He busts out of the hospital with his dad and siblings, and they use their life savings to obtain a truck and uniforms so they can sneak into the restricted area around the river. They must search the labyrinthine sewer system while figuring out a way to defeat the monster (also, learning to work together and not bicker), as Hyun-seo does her best to stay alive and protect the only other surviving victim, a small and hungry boy named Se-ju (Lee Dong-ho). Meanwhile the Korean government is working with the US to find a permanent solution to both the alleged virus and the monster's attacks, in the form of the deadly chemical weapon Agent Yellow.

Song Kang-ho continues to be my new favorite actor. He's almost unrecognizable from his role in Thirst, with wacky hair and a droopy-eyed demeanor. He's great as comic relief, but shifts effortlessly and believably into a more serious mindset, creating a sympathetic and multi-layered character under the silly facade. Ko Ah-seong as his daughter is amazing, moving from chatty, disrespectful pre-teen to determined, badass survivor in one unexpected fell swoop.

Bong Joon-ho effectively blends a huge mix of genres and storytelling conventions to create a really interesting and highly entertaining film. It's at times hilarious, disgusting, tragic, thrilling, and action-packed. He takes a standard premise- scaly mysterious monster attacks unfortunate city- and imbues it with imagination, intelligence, and satirical undertones (the creature is accidentally forged by an American military scientist's irresponsibility, the US is willing to unleash a chemical weapon that could kill Korean citizens, etc). The effects and monster design look great, and there's even a few Molotov cocktails.

The Host is mad enjoyable, you guys. Go see it sometime.

4.5/5