The Host

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2:05

The Host

R

2007

1h 59m

Horror

Comedy

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

155 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Careless American military personnel dump chemicals into South Korea's Han River. Several years later, a creature emerges from the tainted waters and sinks its ravenous jaws into local residents. When the creature abducts their daughter (Go Ah-sung), a vendor (Song Kang-ho) and his family decide that they are the only ones who can save her.

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Critics Consensus

As populace pleasing as it is intellectually satisfying, The Host combines scares, laughs, and satire into a riveting, monster movie.

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Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

04/01/2007

3.5/4

As ebullient and bizarre as a monster that can do back flips, leaving the viewer in a shock of delight.

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

03/31/2007

3.5/5

Comes up with not only a fistful of nervous pools of fear but also a heady wellspring of classic monster-movie matinee fun.

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Geoff Pevere

Toronto Star

03/30/2007

3/4

Bravely shifting tones from the horrific to the slapstick and back again, Bong Joon-ho has made a movie that's comprised almost equally of family sitcom, political indictment, high-urban paranoia and maximum-geek, monster-movie delight.

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Joshua Polanski

There Were No Gods Left

May 27

The Host, in addition to being a wonderful family drama and a fun creature flick, serves as a critique of American consumerism, and in particular, the way Americans treat the world itself as a commodity.

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Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

01/22/2025

Bong plays the monster’s origin very literally…right up until he starts masterfully modulating tones.

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Joshua Stevens

Loud and Clear Reviews

01/21/2025

4/5

A film about protecting family and the environment as much as it is about a giant fish creature, The Host is a genre-traversing thrill ride with simple but potent messaging.

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Xane B.

@xabobinchuck Jan 8

I was not the biggest fan of the acting.

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Torin F

@nonlinearize Dec 27

THE HOST is an innovative film that emerged as an early pioneer in the modern comedy-horror resurgence. Combining monster movie, family drama, political satire, and more, the film's genre mashup is a bit uneven but broadly effective, resulting in a memorably oddball gem. Watching it again nearly two decades later, however, the film hasn't aged as well as expected, though it does still have its charms.

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Jack F

@MovieFan111 Nov 19

It was pretty good. I liked that he put in a political message by turning it into a monster movie.

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Ry N

@RyGuy Nov 11

Korea's version of Godzilla where American pollution from agent orange creates a monster in the Han River. When the monster kidnaps a family's child they go hunting in the sewers. This movie isn't scary nearly as much as it's funny, the guy spitting in the puddle before the bus drives by will be forever hilarious to me.

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Oz S

@Ozsoffy Aug 18

I just finished watching the Korean film The Host (2006) and honestly, I didn’t like it at all. The pacing felt uneven, the acting was over-exaggerated, and the dialogue along with the overall plot came across as silly, with nearly every character making foolish decisions. Watching it almost 20 years after its release, the CGI has not aged well, and despite all the buzz surrounding the film, I couldn’t connect to any scene or moment. On the positive side, the film does manage to capture some striking atmosphere around the Han River, and the creature design itself was creative for its time. Still, to me it was a very disappointing experience, and while I’ll give it a few extra points for being a Korean production, I rate it only 2/10. Not recommended.

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Rick R

Aug 6

This director, Bong Joun Ho, is tops.

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The Host: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Careless American military personnel dump chemicals into South Korea's Han River. Several years later, a creature emerges from the tainted waters and sinks its ravenous jaws into local residents. When the creature abducts their daughter (Go Ah-sung), a vendor (Song Kang-ho) and his family decide that they are the only ones who can save her.

Director: Bong Joon Ho
Screenwriter: Baek Cheol-hyeon, Ha Junwon
Distributor: Magnolia Films
Production Co: Nick Wechsler, Silver Reel, Chockstone Pictures
Rating: R (Language|Creature Violence)
Genre: Horror, Comedy, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Original Language: Korean
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 9, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.2M
Runtime: 1h 59m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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