Counterpoint: The Host (2006)

We here at Granny Diner rarely disagree, but when we do we subject everyone around us to an unending argument where opinions rarely shift. Today's point of contention, the South Korean-produced monster movie The Host:

Yay:

For the most part, monster movies suck. The monsters are lame, the plots are predictable and the characters are boring. I'll admit that. But The Host isn't a typical monster movie. Sure, the monster was a bit goofy looking and the plot was hardly perfect, but where The Host differs from most other films like it is in its odd characters, tone and atmosphere.

First, I liked how the director didn't force the viewer to sit through half of the movie catching only brief glimpses of the monster in half-light waiting for it to finally be revealed in an underwhelming moment of banality. In The Host, we see the monster very early in the film, and in broad daylight! All of it! Not just it's tail, or eye, or tooth, but all of it! And the scene rules because of it.

All of the scenes that include the monster are cool, but I really didn't expect the most interesting part of this movie to be the cast of characters. Usually, characters in these types of films are comprised of really good looking actors intended to be eaten by a stupid monster in very predictable ways. Nothing like that exists in this movie.

The main character, a single dad who's a bit of a fuck up, spends the majority of the movie looking for his daughter who was snatched up at the start of the film by a giant fish-creature. Along with him is his oddball family and most of the time I didn't know whether to laugh at them or feel bad for them. They are not heroes, but they try. Despite all their flaws and mistakes, they are likable characters and I found that I cared about them. So in the end, this is a movie about a family as much as it is a movie about a giant mutated fish. It's not perfect, but it's still the best film I've seen in it's genre. Recommended.
-daniel

Nay:
I'd have to agree with the opening statement Daniel makes, for the most part, monster movies DO suck, and The Host was no exception. Gimme a fuckin break, the movie, cast of characters and all, were horrible. I guess I can see how its nice to watch this loser family run around looking for their missing family member, only to know it isn't going to end well.

And how the hell did 2 children survive the attacks of this monster? It killed everyone. Grown men and women, fit people from the army, but these two children are the ones that survive. Oh yeah.

The monster was cool, and it was great that you got to see it and blah, blah, blah, but what a lame origin for the monster. The stupid scientist apprentice contaminates the river by dumping all sorts of chemicals , because his dimwit 'evil' boss tells him too. Gimme a break. Anyway, other than The Host giving the audience the monster, there isn't much else drawing anyone to this film, particularly the dimwit family that Daniel 'cares' about. They sucked.

This movie gets 2.5 middle fingers out of 5.

-Lead

The first ten minutes:

You decide.