I'm hearing from a lot of people I know who follow foreign cinema that
The Host is the one foreign language movie of 2006 that you just have to see. The Korean movie is said to be a genre bending tale of a mutant creature who appears from a river in Seoul to terrorize a small town. The movie opens in the U.K. this weekend, in what should be a fairly limited run. Here are the critics reviews...
"Pic, which is not even in widescreen, will be best appreciated by auds who just go with the quirky flow rather than expect regulated, U.S.-style thrills". - Derek Elley - Variety
"Bong Joon-ho's The Host delivers high-octane thrills while cannily exploiting contemporary political fears". - Nick Schager - Slant Magazine
"The Host may be lumpy and bumpy, but it's also one of the freshest monster movies we've had in decades -- and, to any creature-feature buff, a rocket-ride blast of the highest order". - James Rocchi - Cinematical
"Director Bong Joon-ho shifts tones with quicksilver dexterity, cannily keeping the audience (and the film) just on the edge of losing its balance and splashing into the Han ". - Jim Emerson - Rogerebert.com As the movie doesn't open in American shores till the New Year, there are only 10 reviews to go from
Rotten Tomatoes, but 9 of those are coming back positive. They all say that the movie is a welcomed return for a fun and exicting monster movie, that Hollywood doesn't seem capable of making. I'm going to try and catch a screening of this if I can find a cinema showing it near me, it sure sounds like fun! source -
rotten tomatoes