Director Bong Joon-ho has created quite a stir with 'The Host'. Movie has broken box office records in Korea. Released on 71 screens in the US in March 'The Host' has already taken over $1 million. Adam Kempenaar and Sam Van Hallgren over at Filmspotting have posted their take on 'The Host' -- this is probably the most objective appraisal I've come across -- you can listen to the podcast here. They're calling this picture an 'absurdist-tragedy', and a 'monster movie with the cast of Little Miss Sunshine'. Their description of how the main characters (a dysfunctional family) try to 'out-grieve' each other upon learning the monster has (apparently) killed a family member is worth a listen.
If you haven't seen a trailer yet (or haven't seen a clean copy), try hitting the official site, which opens with a pristine copy. The look of the site gives you some idea of how important a movie this has become to Hollywood. A lot of money was spent to make it top-drawer.
When I first saw a clip from this movie it struck me as being very Spielberg-esque, except more fluid, both in camera-style and in ability to handle actors. I found a recent interview with Joon-ho at MovieWeb where he discusses the background on 'The Host', and mentions future projects. Look for good things from this director.
A Hollywood remake is in the works by Universal, but Joon-ho will not direct so I'm not holding out much hope that it will have the heart of the original. Joon-ho, on the other hand, has a pragmatic view (interview at SciFiWire) -- if the remake is good...great, if it's crap then his version will be the definitive one.
This is one of the best looking movies I've ever seen. The script and camera are witty but not self-conscious. Brings life to a tired genre. So far this year, 'The Host' is the only DVD I'm looking forward to buying.
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