Every Bong Joon-Ho Film Ranked Worst To Best
2. The Host
Before Parasite became Bongs most successful film, there was The Host. Not only did it mark a significant step up in scale and skill for Bong’s own career, but for the Korean film industry as well.
Years after two men dump hundreds of bottles filled with organic compounds into a river, a horrific fish like monster rises up from said river and begins attacking the locals. As shop owner, Park Gang-du, tries to flee the monster, his daughter is kidnapped by the creature before is dives back into the river.
As the military arrives and cordons off the area, Gang-du and his friends attempt to hunt down the beast and save his daughter.
The main reason why the film was such a massive venture for Bong was because of its $10 million budget, which was a huge sum by local industry standards.
The Host went on to become a major summer hit, as it became South Korea’s widest release and sold over 13 million tickets. It helped established Bong as one of the countries most successful filmmakers and convinced Universal to buy the rights for a remake.