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It has been quite a while since we last saw any monster movie produced by the Asian. It is for this reason that THE HOST stands out in its marketing campaign, drawing the curiosity of audience when its trailers shown an estimated 15-foot long creepy crawler on the loose in a busy park filled with panicky looking human being.
In a nutshell, the movie surrounds a family's desperate attempt to rescue its youngest member from the hands of this mutated creature. However, while hunting down the creature inside the complicated sewerage system along the Han River, the mutant is not the only threat the family has to face. Ironically and amusingly, the human military and medical personnel stubbornly believe that the family is infected with a deadly "virus" and they have to be immediately arrested and quarantined.
As in any monster movie, expect aplenty nerve-wrecking chasing sequences and gunfire. However, what could be lacking in this movie is the moral behind the whole issue. It touches on almost everything from environmental, politics, and family relations. Unfortunately, to squeeze so many complicated themes into a 2-hours movie could be daunting. As a result, the many appealing and possibly thoughts-provoking issues were merely scratched on the surface, leaving a finale that is not as touching as earlier expected.
Pardon for being sadistic here, but aren't any monster movie fans keen to see more blood-splatters and higher body count? Here, the death toll is considered, in monster movie standards, conservative. Finally, the fans may not be happy that the creature has been dispatch way too quickly and too "un-brainy" in the finale.
Nevertheless, the many plot holes and dissatisfaction could be well compensated by the filmmaker sincerity in giving audience the next best thing after Hollywood's Alien. The effect works by San Francisco based, The Orphanage was realistic enough to make your heart racing. Yes, it is not entirely flawless, and the creature looks like a larger version of that hellhound in the movie, Hellboy. But it is still refreshingly enjoyable and menacing enough to leave an impression.
Movie Rating: 4/5 Stars
In a nutshell, the movie surrounds a family's desperate attempt to rescue its youngest member from the hands of this mutated creature. However, while hunting down the creature inside the complicated sewerage system along the Han River, the mutant is not the only threat the family has to face. Ironically and amusingly, the human military and medical personnel stubbornly believe that the family is infected with a deadly "virus" and they have to be immediately arrested and quarantined.
As in any monster movie, expect aplenty nerve-wrecking chasing sequences and gunfire. However, what could be lacking in this movie is the moral behind the whole issue. It touches on almost everything from environmental, politics, and family relations. Unfortunately, to squeeze so many complicated themes into a 2-hours movie could be daunting. As a result, the many appealing and possibly thoughts-provoking issues were merely scratched on the surface, leaving a finale that is not as touching as earlier expected.
Pardon for being sadistic here, but aren't any monster movie fans keen to see more blood-splatters and higher body count? Here, the death toll is considered, in monster movie standards, conservative. Finally, the fans may not be happy that the creature has been dispatch way too quickly and too "un-brainy" in the finale.
Nevertheless, the many plot holes and dissatisfaction could be well compensated by the filmmaker sincerity in giving audience the next best thing after Hollywood's Alien. The effect works by San Francisco based, The Orphanage was realistic enough to make your heart racing. Yes, it is not entirely flawless, and the creature looks like a larger version of that hellhound in the movie, Hellboy. But it is still refreshingly enjoyable and menacing enough to leave an impression.
Movie Rating: 4/5 Stars
