1 post tagged “korean film”
Gwoemul or The Host is an excitable yet quirky Korean horror film who's rights have already been purchased by Universal Studios for an American remake. Years after an assistant in a Korean morgue is forced to dispose hundreds of bottles of formaldehyde into the Han river, a gigantically slimy catfish-like monster appears causing havoc by the Korean riverside.
The movie focuses predominantly on the story of a family, an elderly father who runs a snack shop to serve river goers, his three children (an unemployed college graduate, a world renowned archer, and a useless fumbling son who helps him at the shop), and his grand daughter. When the grand-daughter is abducted by the monster, the four set out to rescue her while battling the Korean and American forces that are surveilling the monster.
The film takes a refreshing approach to the typical monster movie. The monster is not presented as the clear antagonist, as the characters are often found battling the political forces that prevent them from pursuing the grand daughter. Within the scope of the movie, the hype of an alleged virus that the monster 'hosts' creates viral frenzy within the city and interestingly enough the American representatives are the ones eliciting the fear. Thus, it is not directly clear whether the citizens are more afraid of the actual monster, or the viral monster that the government mediates.
Meanwhile, the tone of the movie jumps back and forth between Horror, Drama, and Comedy. While the scenes with the monster are action packed, the rescue adventure of the family is sometimes comedic and often strangely so. Dramatic and serious monologues and scenes are often paralleled by laughable acts. I thought that perhaps this unique narrative was built off of a manga or anime-style of story and presentation. Anyone have any insight into this?
Either way, the film was entertaining, refreshing, and a good step out of the typical horror genre movie. It will be interesting to see what the American studios will do with it.
