The Host

The Host is definately not the one with the mostest. Being a big fan of Korean cinema, I was eagerly anticipating this movie, as I'd head that it had done really well in Korea, and the internet buzz was pretty positively looking forward to it. So, I toodled along down to the cinema to be entertained. I wasn't expecting anything more than a creature fest, with a little style. Sadly, I was thoroughly disappointed.

Its the story of a beast thats born through a chemical mishap in the Han River (which incidentally is a beautifull place!). Creature gets big, people get eaten and chased. There's a Virus that people that come into contact with the beast contract, and there's also confusion over whether a virus actually exists or not (I didnt quite figure this one out even though I sat through the whole thing). a girl gets taken to its lair, from where she calls her dad on her cell phone. Her dad, an absolute idiot, embarks on a mission to save her. Now, I'm not an easy man to disappoint when it comes to Asian Cinema, however, this one took the biscuit. The subtitles for a start, were extremely badlyu translated. It would seem whichever translation company got the gig either didn't have enough time, or they were very, VERY cheap. The acting is atrocious. Even for slapstick asian style flicks. As for the creature, please... most of the time it looked like a big blob with a couple of legs. Really badly designed, absolutely nothing new at all. It can swin, and it can swing under bridges, and it has a massive tongue. I'm bored even describing it to you it was that uninspiring. The CG, while it had its moments, and despite the poor design of the creature, was somewhat crappy too. Without spoiling it (it does a good enough job itself!), the fire at the end is possibly the worst CG effect I've ever seen.

People, I'm sad to say, avoid this one at all costs. Given the option to give it a second chance, I think I'd rather sick up a lung.