The Host

Great satisfaction. Personally, lately I've been on a kaiju wave so I'm glad I got to see this film during this period. It's fun, it defies the genre, but at the same time it can be action-packed and, most importantly, really gritty. I was incredibly surprised by the special effects, which are incredibly well-done, and the monster truly looks like it's there. I had a great time. (08/04/2015)

This Asians drive me mad, they can turn even a fish mutant destroying a big city into something boring (though as it couldn’t be otherwise, the destruction lasts about two minutes). Terrible characters, even worse actors (the unforgettable scene of the argument and the despair over the photo of the “dead” girl is… well, it’ss unforgettable), awful script, ridiculously looking monster… really, nothing works in this film, though it does looks quite good. But fans of Asian cinema loved The Host, as it’s clear by all the five-star ratings. Brr! (06/08/2008)

I don't understand how the same person who can make films that are on the edge of perfection can then come up with a dud like this. I fear there was a lot of work behind it, but I do not at all see why something like this had to be made. And that it got such a huge following? It's a mystery. For me, an almost unwatchable film. Barely 1 star. (17/03/2020)

I expected a lot of things after Parasite, but I still couldn’t imagine such a great combination of a monster movie that balks at nothing (the carnage!), a satire that bites like a mutant giant fish, a compelling drama, a black comedy, and a pure unadulterated horror movie. It's a funny, but mostly sly film. Funny and cunning in a slightly different way every time. (22/02/2020)

A family comedy (perhaps even a grotesque), a melodrama, a horror, a monster movie and an anti-imperialist parable that has designs on America and its "mutagenic" Korean heritage. A brilliant alternation of moods, tempo and atmosphere, precise parallel storytelling, deliberate sneering at Hollywood clichés and flying between a literal film about a monster and a monster-symbol / bearer of a mysterious virus that serves to unleash fear and control citizens with marvelous mutants in hazmat suits. The only way not to go crazy from it is to get carried away by it. Bong Joon-ho is strong in this type of freestyle - and the film is not chaotic or unbelievable for even a moment. Mannerist yes, but the question is to what extent one should take the conclusion deadly seriously. (09/07/2013)