The Host

This was interesting as hell, after about 20 minutes i was thinking this would be a pretty generic monster movie, but boy was i wrong. it blended comedy, social commentary, action, drama, and horror very well. sure the effects were dated but by the end of the film i felt so immersed it wasn’t even noticeable. despite the monster, the American/Korean government was easily the horror element in the film, represented in such a realistic fashion that it was comedic as much as disturbing. on top of the great writing there were some really awesome shots, and despite their initial impressions it was hard not to get attached to all the characters by the end.  i think some of the comedy near the beginning kind of affected the emotional stakes of the film, particularly the moment where they all cry and make a scene, though it was funny i feel like it would have been better if the moment was taken seriously. there were some other more minor moments as well where the comedy didn’t fit. on top of that i do feel like there were some cutaways meant to hold the viewer in suspense that felt more unnecessary and annoying than adding intensity. and idk, hyun-seo falling in the sewer just to wake up when everyone else arrived felt overly convenient.  on top of that, there were some minor problems i had, but i was pretty blown away by how original it felt despite starting out somewhat basic.  i wish there was a star rating equivalent to 8.5/10, because to me while not a 9/10 it feels well above the 8/10 movies i’ve rated. anyways, probably gonna rewatch parasite next.