February 9th, 2000 and the setting is a morgue at a US Army based in Korea. An American tells a Korean to pour formaldehyde, tens of bottles worth, into the sink. The Korean points out that the formaldehyde would end up in the Han River, polluting the water. The American repeats his request, this time as an order and the Korean follows this direct call.
Forward two years and the setting is the Han River as two men are fishing in the water. One of them discovers a creature in the water, and both are flummoxed at what it is, as it falls back into the water and disappears swimming away.
Fast forward even more, and we then cut to a family run stall that sells various goods and with someone sleeping on the job. This is Kang-du Park, the father of Hyun-seo Park. Ten minutes or so into the movie, and already we are given a glimpse of the monster that will cause havoc and terror through the film. This is the host.
Gwoemul (The Host) is the first monster film that I have seen in quite a while, and one that surprisingly works. It must have cost Korea quite a fortune in making it as the special effects are quality throughout, particularly of the main creature that is causing havoc throughout the film.
At first I assumed it was going to be one of those horror films that ripped off Ringu and put it’s own Korean spin on it. How wrong I was, and how glad I am that I was wrong. The acting for the duration of the movie is solid, and all the actors play their parts well, in particular the children who never come across as brattish or annoying.
It’s hard to say what I didn’t like about the film. I guess one of my gripes is that the film made me laugh but also made me depressed at times. I couldn’t tell whether it was a serious monster film, or a comedy. The moments humour are funny, but they seemed inappropriate at times, similar to say telling someone that’s lost their kid that they’re a lazy good for nothing. It is humourous, but it’s a bit twisted in that regard because the situation doesn’t really arise for humour, yet they manage to through it in. It’s quite a smart move but it may put off some viewers. For me it worked.
Not so much a gripe, but a cliché moment in which America plays the bad guy. Now it’s easy to dismiss the film as another attack on America, but this isn’t the case, though a cliché, Korea also takes flack for it’s ineptitude in dealing with the American interference. Though unlike the biggest cliché, America does not save the world this time. About bloody time too.
Gwoemul manages to depress the viewer, as a family struggles to come to terms with the death of a loved one, only to discover she may be alive, the turmoil of trying to find out the truth while being chased by the military, it’s all a bit much for one family to handle. In this viewers opinion, the family goes through a hell of a lot, with little reward at the end of the rainbow, if you can even call it a rainbow, because there’s very little in the movie that has an uplifting happy mood.
Credit to the director Bong Joon-Ho for creating superb tension, gripping moments of fantasy, and thrilling tragedy. The pace of the film is well crafted throughout, and you never feel bored or distracted at any point. As stated already, the production values are high for this film, it’s no surprise then that the US has picked up the rights to remake this in to a native release. It’s also no surprise that the man behind this film was also behind Memories of Murder.
Overall, Gwoemul manages to entertain in all the right places offering something for fans of Sci-Fi, fans of thrillers, and fans of comedy as it mixes them all to offer a delicious cocktail of entertainment.
Although touted as an Asian horror, there’s very little horror in it, there are some gruesome scenes, but these are little and sparse throughout the picture. The ending was one that I didn’t expect, and it all seems to tie up a bit too neatly. All the right thing start to happen in the space of a few minutes and I sort of wonder whether the ending was rushed.
In summary, however, I thought this film puts to shame a lot of monster films that have come out, particularly from Hollywood, showing how it should be done. To think a country like Korea showing the rest of the world how to do a monster flick!
It’s ironic, and irony is something that is used in the film extensively to demonstrate the situations the poor family find themselves in. You’re endeared by the family, distraught when they’re in a pickle, and cheering them on when they look like they’re about to succeed. How many monster films have you seen that make you do that?
Verdict: Engrossing, thrilling and ultimately witty Sci-Fi melodrama, showing the rest how it’s supposed to be done. Japan and the US take notes.