Weekly DVD Pick - The Host

There has been a lot of talk about JJ Abrams upcoming untitled monster movie around. While you could just wait to see it, I would suggest instead that you check out the new DVD release of The Host. The Host is a Korean movie that actually received a release in North American theatres due to it being well received at Cannes and in Asia.

There are a few things that stand out for me when it comes to The Host. The first is that it combines genres extremely well. This is the story of a somewhat dysfunctional family first, then a monster movie and finally a political satire. Humour is combined with horror and drama.

The Host really shines for me when it comes to the family itself. The movie really focuses on how this dysfunctional family deals with the loss of one of their own by a monster attack. The family is driven to rescue their own at all costs. While this could have gone overboard on them working together or towards the opposite I found that they hit the perfect level of being able to get along during such a difficult situation.

There are some definite comments on American policies and involvement in Korea. I found that some of it worked well but there were a few times when the movie does go a bit overboard.

Finally, I just want to comment on the ending. The ending of The Host really stands out for me. It has a near perfect dark happy ending that many movies strive for. This isn’t just a simple monster movie there is a lot more going on in it and I highly recommend checking it out.