If the slow pacing and gawky acting seem typical of low-budget monster movies, so much the better.
Additional miscalculations? The film is too long for its subject matter at almost two full hours. Since the action sequences with the sea monster are actually rather brief, this means there is much too much time spent on family squabbles and interpersonal connections. A little of this family business goes a long way. Some judicious editing would have helped the film's pacing, too, which bogs down occasionally in its human melodramatics. What's more, there are times when the CGI doesn't quite look right, which, I suppose, is the equivalent of the old stop-motion animation looking slightly fake. However, the interesting thing about "The Host" is that even when something doesn't work, one can view it as a positive in the film's favor.
As I say, "The Host" is corny in the right ways, yet it's stirring and affecting in at least some of its personal touches as well. If the slow pacing and gawky acting seem typical of low-budget monster movies, so much the better; and if there are moments of tenderness mixed in with moments of pure slapstick, so much the better also. This is a film that knows how to take itself seriously enough at times, but not so seriously as to lose our attention or respect.
"The Host" gets an R rating for gratuitous (and wholly unnecessary) profanity and a bit of monster violence.
Video:
The picture, presented in its original 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio, is topflight in almost every respect. Yes, the image is glassy and bright, no doubt the intention of the filmmaker by increasing the contrast, and that is exactly the way it shows up in this 1080, VC-1 transfer. The high resolution makes every facet of the video razor sharp, with a screen that is clean and clear from beginning to end. Even in the depths of the sewers, the deep black levels are not so dark as to obscure detail. This video reproduction is really quite a pleasure to look at, and it enhances one's movie-watching experience as much as or more than anything I've seen in HD.
Audio:
The audio arrives via 5.1 DTS HD or Dolby Digital. After a moment of decision, I chose to listen in DTS, which came across as more transparent and more robust. Besides, it's the default setting (along with an English dub), so I guess the folks at Magnolia Home Entertainment knew what they were doing. Other options include the Korean track in DTS or DD, along with English and Spanish subtitles. Besides being crystalline and red-blooded, the DTS track has a thundering bass, a strong dynamic impact, and a good sense of directional activity in the surrounds. Again, I especially enjoyed those sewers and their eerie noises.
Extras:
The extras on the disc, all of them in standard definition, are extensive, but before I tell you about them, there is a nitpick I'd like to address. Maybe it was just my Toshiba A1 player, but trying to access the bonuses was a minor chore. First, the menu items only stay on the screen for a few seconds before disappearing, so if you don't make your choice quickly, they go away and you have to start over. Then, you have well over a dozen separate extras to chose from, but once an item ends, the screen does not revert back to the extras screen but to the movie or to the main menu, where you have to do more clicking to get back to them. It seemed a nuisance to navigate.
That aside, I have nothing but compliments for the bonus features. For starters, there is an audio commentary with director Bong Joon-Ho and his good friend, British critic Tony Rayns. Together, they explain the film and the filmmaking decisions pretty well, with Rayns acting as a sort of moderator and guide. Next up is a series of featurettes, each lasting from five to twenty minutes. There's "Memories of The Host," "Memories of the Sewer," "Physical Special Effects," "Designing the Creature," "Bringing the Creature to Life," "Puppet Animatronix," "Animating the Creature," "Cast Interviews," and "Actor Training." Among them, I tended to enjoy "Memories of the Sewer" best, as that was one of my favorite parts of the movie. After those, we have some storyboards and deleted scenes (about eight minutes' worth) and a clever gag reel.
Things conclude with sixteen scene selections, but no chapter insert; a Korean theatrical trailer; three movies "Coming Soon to HD DVD" (but are already available), including "District B13," "The Lost City," and "The World's Fastest Indian"; English and Korean spoken languages; and English and Spanish subtitles, with English captions for the hearing impaired.
Parting Thoughts:
Although I enjoyed "The Host" well enough on its own, I found the HD DVD picture and sound so very good that they aided considerably in helping me to enjoy the movie even more. "The Host" is a fairly old-fashioned creature feature with a few uplifting human touches, made all the better for its added visual and sonic delights.
As I say, "The Host" is corny in the right ways, yet it's stirring and affecting in at least some of its personal touches as well. If the slow pacing and gawky acting seem typical of low-budget monster movies, so much the better; and if there are moments of tenderness mixed in with moments of pure slapstick, so much the better also. This is a film that knows how to take itself seriously enough at times, but not so seriously as to lose our attention or respect.
"The Host" gets an R rating for gratuitous (and wholly unnecessary) profanity and a bit of monster violence.
Video:
The picture, presented in its original 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio, is topflight in almost every respect. Yes, the image is glassy and bright, no doubt the intention of the filmmaker by increasing the contrast, and that is exactly the way it shows up in this 1080, VC-1 transfer. The high resolution makes every facet of the video razor sharp, with a screen that is clean and clear from beginning to end. Even in the depths of the sewers, the deep black levels are not so dark as to obscure detail. This video reproduction is really quite a pleasure to look at, and it enhances one's movie-watching experience as much as or more than anything I've seen in HD.
Audio:
The audio arrives via 5.1 DTS HD or Dolby Digital. After a moment of decision, I chose to listen in DTS, which came across as more transparent and more robust. Besides, it's the default setting (along with an English dub), so I guess the folks at Magnolia Home Entertainment knew what they were doing. Other options include the Korean track in DTS or DD, along with English and Spanish subtitles. Besides being crystalline and red-blooded, the DTS track has a thundering bass, a strong dynamic impact, and a good sense of directional activity in the surrounds. Again, I especially enjoyed those sewers and their eerie noises.
Extras:
The extras on the disc, all of them in standard definition, are extensive, but before I tell you about them, there is a nitpick I'd like to address. Maybe it was just my Toshiba A1 player, but trying to access the bonuses was a minor chore. First, the menu items only stay on the screen for a few seconds before disappearing, so if you don't make your choice quickly, they go away and you have to start over. Then, you have well over a dozen separate extras to chose from, but once an item ends, the screen does not revert back to the extras screen but to the movie or to the main menu, where you have to do more clicking to get back to them. It seemed a nuisance to navigate.
That aside, I have nothing but compliments for the bonus features. For starters, there is an audio commentary with director Bong Joon-Ho and his good friend, British critic Tony Rayns. Together, they explain the film and the filmmaking decisions pretty well, with Rayns acting as a sort of moderator and guide. Next up is a series of featurettes, each lasting from five to twenty minutes. There's "Memories of The Host," "Memories of the Sewer," "Physical Special Effects," "Designing the Creature," "Bringing the Creature to Life," "Puppet Animatronix," "Animating the Creature," "Cast Interviews," and "Actor Training." Among them, I tended to enjoy "Memories of the Sewer" best, as that was one of my favorite parts of the movie. After those, we have some storyboards and deleted scenes (about eight minutes' worth) and a clever gag reel.
Things conclude with sixteen scene selections, but no chapter insert; a Korean theatrical trailer; three movies "Coming Soon to HD DVD" (but are already available), including "District B13," "The Lost City," and "The World's Fastest Indian"; English and Korean spoken languages; and English and Spanish subtitles, with English captions for the hearing impaired.
Parting Thoughts:
Although I enjoyed "The Host" well enough on its own, I found the HD DVD picture and sound so very good that they aided considerably in helping me to enjoy the movie even more. "The Host" is a fairly old-fashioned creature feature with a few uplifting human touches, made all the better for its added visual and sonic delights.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]21865[/release]