HD DVD Review: The Host - Page 2

That said, The Host is a unique piece of creature feature filmmaking. It’s not easy to stand out in a market of generic direct-to-cable knock-offs and box office duds such as the 1998 Godzilla remake. The attention to detail with its characters is what helps this effort rise above the typical clichés and predictable finale.

The film translates beautifully to the hi-def format. Color is beautiful, rich, and full. Contrast with the black levels creates an amazing image on screen. Finer details such as details in the clothing and backdrops are high. The only downer is some excessive film grain, and it’s consistent throughout.

Numerous audio options are available, and none disappoint. The leader is the Korean DTS-HD mix, packed with consistent rear speaker usage that captures the creature's movements as it makes its attacks. The downside is overwhelming bass. The footsteps of the monster are far too powerful, especially given its fleet-footed nature and rather small stature. Godzilla doesn’t take steps that rattle a house like this.

This is a packed HD DVD experience, pulling over all of the two-disc features available on the standard DVD release. Making of the Host is a 10-minute feature that is mostly the director discussing his concepts and ideas for the film. Behind the scenes footage comes later in the special features.

Memories of the Sewer is one of the more unique looks at filmmaking to find its way onto a home video format. It’s rare to hear actors complain, but they do that here en masse. No sets were built, and film crews shot in an actual sewer line, unclean, biological waste and all. It’s a shame it’s only 10 minutes, as the stories are simply unheard of (such as the prop department gathering dead animals to use as props).

Physical special effects is a brief five minute feature dealing with how to create gas for the finale and the plates for the eventual CG work. Designing the Creature runs 11 minutes. It focuses on why the monster looks like it does while throwing massive amounts of conceptual artwork at the viewer.

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Article Author: Matt Paprocki

Matt Paprocki is a 12-year movie and game critic. He currently freelances for Blu-ray review site DoBlu.com and video game site MultiPlayerGames.com.

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