I remember watching the movie as a thirteen years old, extremely intimidated by the monster, who frightfully disturbed the citizens of Seoul. Watching it eight years after, I have realized that there is a lot more to the movie than merely daunting depictions of the monster. Even from the very beginning of the film, it is obvious that the government manipulation in disguise of government support to help protect the citizens, is more of what is intended of the movie. The monster itself does not seem like the core problem. Even on the news, there is more information about what the government is doing(or not doing) than the monster itself.
For example, the movie starts with a discussion of an American medical official and Korean staff who works under him. There is an irony, in that he states that he hates dust, however he demands the Korean staff to pour the toxins, which is a lot more harmful than dust, into the sink. Even though the Korean staff tells him that all the toxins will eventually end up in Han river, the American official seems indifferent of its consequences.
Bong Joonho, one of the most recognized director of South Korea, uses various yet unique cinematography in portraying the host. His camera movements are more moving than fixed(obviously to depict the monster) and his frequent zooming in(closeups) of the actors and actresses’ facial expressions, help better the express the and emotion changes that a character's goes through in different scenes. The movie has many different genres, including comedy, drama, thriller, monster. Its mix of genres was perhaps one of the reasons for the success of the film. Thus, in addressing many political and social problems, and using the story of a family love, the movie the Host became successful in becoming the most watched South Korean film in cinemas.
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