Lest I lose sight of my target, though, I might as well confess that this is all thematic gravy and the foremost intent of The Host is to entertain. Bong succeeds in this aim grandly. He throws so many balls in the air that it seems inevitable that some will fall, and while a couple subplots go unresolved, on the whole Bong keeps an admirable balance.
He's also not afraid to puncture the creeping seriousness of the situation with absurd comedy, such as the mourning scene degenerating into a thrashing slugfest between Nam-il and Gang-du or the hazmat-suited soldier who, in the middle of Hie-bong's vow of vengeance against the beast that assumedly killed his granddaughter and apropos of nothing, slips and falls.
The action scenes are also well-handled. While nothing quite tops the jaw-dropping frisson of the monster's introductory romp, Bong moves the film along at a crisp pace and keeps the tension at a rolling boil. Whether it's Nam-il giving an impromptu demonstration of his escape artist skills, Nam-joo attempting to get off an arrow at the monster before it runs her over, or Hyen-seo struggling to sneak out of the monster's lair without attracting attention, The Host keeps the excitement coming.
It's the finale, with its confrontation between an exhausted monster and a determined Park family, that drives home the true measure of Bong's achievement. The mutant fish is a means, not an end. While it's lots of fun to watch a big ugly something chow down, there needs to be something else down the line if a work of art is going to be more than a forgettable diversion. By not losing sight of the humanity of the situation, The Host succeeds in ways most genre efforts wouldn't think to consider.
Article comments
1 - Lisa McKay
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