The Host (2007)
84%RT Audience Score: 72%
Awards & Nominations: 10 nominations
As populace pleasing as it is intellectually satisfying, The Host combines scares, laughs, and satire into a riveting, monster movie
If you’re looking for a monster movie that’s equal parts horror, comedy, and political satire, then The Host is the perfect pick for you. Bong Joon-ho’s film is a wild ride that will leave you both terrified and delighted. Plus, who doesn’t love a monster that can do backflips? It’s like watching a giant, scaly gymnast wreak havoc on Seoul. So grab some popcorn, settle in, and get ready for a monster movie that’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.
Production Company(ies)
Poly Gram Filmed Entertainment, Spelling Films, International, Blue Parrot
Distributor
Magnolia Films
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Blue Lagoon, Grindavík, Reykjanes, Iceland
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for sadistic scenes of torture and bloody violence, terror, nudity, sexual content, language and some drug content
Year of Release
2007
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 59m
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Language(s):English, Slovak, Italian, Czech
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Country of origin:The Netherlands
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 9, 2007 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 24, 2007
Genre(s)
Horror/Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doo-na, Go Ah-sung, David Joseph Anselmo, directed by Bong Joon Ho, written by Bong Joon Ho, Baek Cheol-hyeon, Ha Junwon, horror, comedy, R rating, box office gross $2.2M, reviewed by Mark Holcomb, Roger Moore, Liam Lacey, Jim Emerson, Marc Savlov, Geoff Pevere, Song Kang-ho as Park Kang-du, Byun Hee-bong as Park Hie-bong, Park Hae-il as Park Nam-il, Bae Doo-na as Park Nam-ju, Go Ah-sung as Park Hyun-seo, Dolby SRD, Flat (1.85:1) aspect ratio, Magnolia Films, Han River, creature, monster movie, satire, political commentary, dysfunctional family comedy, touching melodrama, South Korea, tidal contamination, sea creature, misfits, heroics, black comedy, B-movie, found footage, atmospheric horror, effective monster carnage, American military personnel, chemicals, vendor, family, daughter, abduction, locals, tongue-in-cheek, classic monster-movie matinee fun, maximum-geek, incisive look into South Korea’s soul
Worldwide gross: $35,728,183
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $51,183,048
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,314
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 5,581,576
US/Canada gross: $17,609,452
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $25,226,736
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,334
US/Canada opening weekend: $8,203,391
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $11,751,915
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 907
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $10,200,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $14,612,193
Production budget ranking: 1,528
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $7,868,666
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $28,702,190
ROI to date (est.): 128%
ROI ranking: 834
Byun Hee-bong – Park Hie-bong
Park Hae-il – Park Nam-il
Bae Doo-na – Park Nam-ju
Go Ah-sung – Park Hyun-seo
David Joseph Anselmo – Donald
Director(s)
Bong Joon Ho
Writer(s)
Bong Joon Ho, Baek Cheol-hyeon, Ha Junwon
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
10 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (155) | Top Critics (49) | Fresh (144) | Rotten (11)
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
Mark Holcomb
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
May 13, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
As ebullient and bizarre as a monster that can do back flips, leaving the viewer in a shock of delight.
April 1, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/4
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
A horror thriller, a political satire, a dysfunctional family comedy, and a touching melodrama, Bong Joon-ho’s The Host is also one helluva monster movie.
April 1, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/4
Jim Emerson
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
Comes up with not only a fistful of nervous pools of fear but also a heady wellspring of classic monster-movie matinee fun.
March 31, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/5
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
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.
March 30, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
A monster movie for those who like a little meat on the genre’s bones.
October 26, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
The Host filled a crucial hole in our horror life: a big, hulking, unstoppable force that we accidentally created and can’t control.
March 22, 2021
Sean Fennessey
The Ringer
This is a ton of fun and puts most Hollywood monster movies to shame
October 24, 2020
Rachel Wagner
Rachel’s Reviews (YouTube)
“Bong Joon Ho’s smash-hit monster movie The Host [proves that] he is deft at putting genre in the service of biting social commentary.”
January 14, 2020
Rebecca Cleman
Screen Slate
Fast-paced, outrageously witty and wild, you can’t go wrong this weekend if you pick the monster with the most and catch The Host.
November 13, 2019
Debbie Lynn Elias
Behind The Lens
With multiple artfully constructed layers of social commentary, ‘The Host’ offers an incisive look into South Korea’s soul.
August 14, 2019
Anthony Kao
Cinema Escapist…
Plot
After American military personnel dump chemicals into South Korea’s Han River, a ravenous creature emerges and abducts a vendor’s daughter. The vendor and his family decide to take matters into their own hands to save her in this horror-comedy directed by Bong Joon Ho.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of The Host includes Song Kang-ho, Bae Doo-na, and Go Ah-sung.
Bong-Joon-Ho.jpg
