Even if Bong Joon-Ho 's worldwide fame as a mainstream director came with Parasite, the Korean was already a filmmaker to watch in 2006, when he released The Host, a monster movie with a chilling, horrific atmosphere. In 2023, a 4K remastering of the film is due to hit cinemas on March 8, 2023.
Bong Joon-Ho will be in Paris on February 26 to present the film and give a masterclass at the Grand Rex. So, what do you think of the film? If you've already seen it, it's a good opportunity to rediscover it in ideal conditions, but this re-release is aimed above all at neophytes.
The Host tells the story of Park Gang-du, a kindly simpleton played by Song Kang-Ho(winner of the Best Actor award at the last Cannes Film Festival), who lives with his daughter Hyun-seo and her father. One day, a giant monster emerges from the depths of the river where they live and attacks the crowd. Gang-du tries to escape with his daughter, but she is abducted by the monster, who disappears at the bottom of the river. The Park family decide to set off in search of the creature, to find Hyun-seo...
If you enjoyed Parasite, or any of Bong Joon-Ho's other films, this opus is sure to please. While the creature's design and the special effects that animate it have aged considerably, for a Korean film from 2006, it's still a very good piece of work. Above all, this was only the filmmaker's third feature, but his immense talent was already there. Thanks to his relentless, ultra-rhythmic, always legible and impressive direction, it's easy to forgive the special effects, and there's no problem getting into this story that's as terrifying as it is deeply moving.
The tension is palpable at every turn, and even the most genre-accustomed moviegoer will be held spellbound from start to finish. After the fantastic opening scene of the monster's attack, the pace of the film changes, and other themes emerge. The arrival of a supposed virus is said to have been caused by the monster, and the entire city of Seoul is quarantined. This is an opportunity for Bong Joon-Ho to address a theme dear to his filmography and present in all his works: the struggle between classes, and the marginalization of the proletariat. Here again, the message is unfailing.
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