The Host

                The Host (2006) is different from other monster movies where a creature ravages a city, such as Godzilla and Cloverfield. As Sotang states, quoted by Anisfield, “’In science fiction films disaster is rarely viewed intensively; it is always extensive’ and such films are ‘one of the purest forms of spectacle; that is, we are rarely inside anyone’s feelings.’” (57) This is not The Host. In it, we see a family with many flawed characters—a grandfather who neglected his son, a father who everyone thinks is stupid, an aunt who can never quite succeed because she’s too slow, and an alcohol uncle without a job. But once they realize that Park Hyun-seo (Ko Ah-seong) is still alive, they ban together to save her. And through that, they all redeem themselves. The grandfather who neglected his son defended and took the blame for Park Gang-doo’s (Song Kang-ho) issues and ended up sacrificing himself for his family. The father who everyone considered a failure succeeded in killing the creature and saving the boy that his daughter was trying to save. The aunt who never managed to shoot in time when it mattered managed to shoot the monster in the eye, critically injuring him. And finally, the alcoholic uncle used alcohol bottles to make bombs which he used to help kill the monster and was the one who managed to find the location of Hyun-seo through a work ethic and cleverness that no one thought he had. I feel like the movie is less about the monster and more about the struggles of a family, which makes it unique from other monster movies. It is a monster movie because there is a strange creature who is trying to kill people, but I feel like the monster was just something to build the actual story on—a story of redemption and the love of family.