Buy The Host on DVD

The Host

DVD Widescreen 2-disc Special Edition More Info 2-disc Special Edition Close Caption: No Region Code: 1 UPC: 876964000994 Catalog #: DL2458552 Languages: Korean Dolby Digital (Primary), English Dolby Digital 5.1, English subtitles	Usually ships in 5-10 days	$13.49 (10% off) List Price: ~~$14.99~~
Blu-ray More Info Close Caption: No Region Code: 1 UPC: 876964001007 Catalog #: DB2458553 Languages: Korean Dolby Digital (Primary), English Dolby Digital 5.1, English subtitles	Usually ships in 5-10 days	$31.49 (10% off) List Price: ~~$34.99~~

When new special editions or price reductions are announced.

From the liner notes

The talk of the 2006 Cannes International Film Festival, The Host, the latest film from critically acclaimed visionary director Joon-ho Bong, has already garnered a substantial amount of international buzz. Utilizing state-of-the-art special effects courtesy of a creative partnership between Weta Workshop (King Kong, The Lord of the Rings) and The Orphanage (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Sin City), The Host is equal parts creature-feature thrill ride and poignant human drama.

Review

At a US military installation in South Korea, a pasty-faced American officer tells his Korean lab assistant to throw dusty bottles of formaldehyde down the drain. The assistant tries to tell the officer that formaldehyde is toxic, and the drain dumps directly into the Han River, which runs through the heart of Seoul. But the officer insists, and the bottles are emptied. It's the year 2000.

Two older gents are fishing in the Han River, when one notices a small unusual creature in the water. It snaps viciously when he tries to pick it up. They call it a mutation. It's 2002.

The Park family's home base is the food stand they run at the banks of the Han River. Gang-du's daughter Hyun-seo is angry at him for missing a parent-teacher meeting. His father is continually angry at him for his laziness. Gang-du's brother Nam-Il is an unemployed college graduate, and sister Nam-Joo is in competition for the national archery team. On this sunny summer day, Gang-du notices a crowd gather at the river's edge. People have noticed a mass suspended from under a nearby bridge. The object uncurls, drops into the river, then comes ashore. For lunch. And it's not standing in line at the food truck. It's 2006.

The Host is a superbly crafted sci-fi/horror movie, replete with bureaucratic ineptitude, political conspiracy, weird humor, family friction and a truly scary, acrobatic monster with disgusting eating habits and a really wicked back flip. Gang-du shows his mettle in the face of crisis: he springs into action when the creature grabs his daughter, and the entire family puts their squabbles on hold and unites with absolute resolve to get her back. The US Army comes into play again, ostensibly taking over to capture the creature, but is it really just an elaborate cover-up? Mutated, flesh-eating abominations aside, the real horror is what humans do to each other.

Director Joon-ho Bong scores a hit with The Host, adroitly incorporating multiple storylines, making the most of an accomplished cast (Ah-sung Ko as the young Hyun-seo is notable), creating a superb creature, and testifying to the ongoing usefulness of the Molotov cocktail. For creature feature aficionados, this is a must-see.

-- Ann Yarabinee

Product Format Information

DVD Widescreen: $13.49 (2-disc Special Edition)

Availability: Usually ships in
5-10 days
Close Caption: No
Region Code: 1
UPC: 876964000994
Catalog #: DL2458552

Studio : Magnolia

Languages: Korean Dolby Digital (Primary) , English Dolby Digital 5.1 , English Subtitles
Extras: Deleted Scenes
Features:
Audio commentary: with director Bong Joon-Ho
Featurette: Making of The Host with director Bong Joon-Ho; Designing the Creature; Memories of the Sewer
Photo gallery: Film storyboards
Puppet Animatronix; The Film Departments; Special FX and Sound FX; Casting Tapes; Training the Actors
Bloopers: Gag reel

---------------------------------------------------

Blu-ray : $31.49

Availability: Usually ships in
5-10 days
Close Caption: No
Region Code: 1
UPC: 876964001007
Catalog #: DB2458553

Studio : Magnolia

Languages: Korean Dolby Digital (Primary) , English Dolby Digital 5.1 , English Subtitles
Extras: Deleted Scenes
Features:
Audio commentary: with director Bong Joon-Ho
Featurette: Making of The Host with director Bong Joon-Ho; Designing the Creature; Memories of the Sewer
Photo gallery: Film storyboards
Puppet Animatronix; The Film Departments; Special FX and Sound FX; Casting Tapes; Training the Actors
Bloopers: Gag reel