Is ‘The Host’ Bong Joon-ho’s Best Film?

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Bong Joon-ho’s “The Host” (2006) is the film I tell everyone they need to see if they want to know how extraordinary the South Korean filmmaker’s talent truly is.

Some would say to seek out Bong’s “Snowpiercer” (2013), a popular favorite, or his jaw-dropping, genre-defiant Best Picture winner, “Parasite” (2019).

I suspect that anyone who felt let down by “Mickey 17” (including this writer) will want to revisit the work that made Bong so acclaimed in the first place.

For me, the quick response has always been “The Host.”

It begins in 2000, with the only scene in English, with Scott Wilson playing an American doctor instructing his lab partner to “pour the formaldehyde down the drain opener.” We cut to dozens and dozens of bottles of poison going down the drain.

From the get-go, we’re venturing into the realm of classic monster flicks, yet the sequence is a unique blend of startling and darkly amusing. It’s no secret that tampering with nature can lead to disastrous consequences, especially when it comes to something as significant as the Han River, but the scene also maintains an authentic feel.

The American doctor is aware of the poison he’s about to unleash and his partner is horrified by the instruction, which he ultimately follows. The opener is perfect – black comedy but stomach churning.

Later on, as the years passed, a fisherman observed the telltale signs of pollution in the waterway and spotted a misshapen tadpole swimming by him.

“How many tails did it have?” he asks.

Again, we laugh because we know we’re watching a monster movie, but the moment is still chilling.

Eventually, we meet the Park household, a charming, tight knit working-class family working next to the Han River. Someone spots a massive, weird-looking object hanging from the bridge, which dives into the water and emerges into a crowd of people as a quick-footed eating machine.

The main character, “The Host,” reaches the film’s astonishing introduction of the monster in just 11 minutes. This creature, which looks like a bizarre mix of a giant tadpole and a mountain lion, is surprisingly seen during daylight hours. In an odd twist, it manages to be both amusing and genuinely terrifying.

In each and every scene, the special effects are simply astounding. Just twenty minutes into Bong’s movie, it seems like a timeless masterpiece already.

The first action sequence in the movie stands out as its artistic high point. It’s a seamless blend of editing, cinematography, music, and slow-motion effects that create an exceptionally well-crafted scene. I can’t immediately think of another monster reveal set on a bright day where the danger is so clear, but in this case, the level of detail and movement are striking and not at all contrived.

In addition to capturing and destroying the monster, the plot becomes about the search for Hyun-seo (Ko Ah-sung), the youngest of the Park family, who becomes the monster’s prisoner. Song Kang-ho’s performance as her blonde-haired, goofy and lovable father is the film’s heart and comic relief. Also on hand in the rescue is Nam-joo (Bae Doona), the Park family member with Olympic-level archery skills.

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Bong’s brilliant monster movie takes a second act turn that felt like paranoid sci-fi 20 years ago but now feels like a scary look ahead. Scenes of the family under quarantine and held prisoner by Hazmat suit wearing captors provide uneasy reminders of the Coronavirus pandemic, even as the scenes are meant to be, on some level, satirical and darkly comic.

The portrayal of government procedure during an outbreak is chilling, even as Bong is sending it up.

As in most monster movies, the authority figures are the problem, while the heroes are the believers who are courageous enough to face the unthinkable. While the contagion sequence goes on too long, the thrilling rescue scenes are everything you’d want.

This combo of social commentary and monster movie is always striking, though the wisest choice was making it a family story, as the narrative is about the effort to reunite a broken family unit.

I cared deeply about the Park family, which not only gives the film its human core but characters whose uncertain outcomes only elevates the suspense. The comedy becomes madcap and is sometimes forced but, considering the intensity, always welcome.

“The Host” is an eco-Kaiju, like all Kaiju monster movies – the subtext is environmental impact, and the devastation brought on by a man-made creature. While it may be too artsy for those expecting a more traditional Kaiji film, it’s also the kind of film that knows if you’re going to introduce archery early on, it had better pay off in the end.

Made post-“Memories of Murder” (2003) but before “Mother” (2009), “Snowpiercer” and “Okja” (2017), Bong’s “The Host” became one of South Korea’s top-grossing films and garnered hype worldwide. I remember reading about it in a magazine spread that gave a glimpse of the startlingly vivid creature effects.

I saw the film at the 2006 Denver Film Festival at a midnight screening. I left the theater utterly exhilarated (the following night, I returned to the same theater, where the same slot was given to “Pan’s Labyrinth.” It was a great year for the fest).

Subsequent films like “Cloverfield” (2008), “Pacific Rim” (2013) and “Monsters” (2010) also excel in expanding the expectations and human center of Kaiji films. “The Host” is so good that it plays like an ideal double feature with “Godzilla Minus One” (2023).

In “Bong Joon-ho’s 2006 film, he brilliantly displayed one of the most iconic movie monsters, Rodan, and the thought-provoking message embedded in Godzilla. The result was a remarkable movie that combined heartfelt emotion with breathtaking action, making it as impactful as it was awe-inspiring.

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2025-03-16 20:07