The Host

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2:05

The Host

R

2007

1h 59m

Horror

Comedy

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

155 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Careless American military personnel dump chemicals into South Korea's Han River. Several years later, a creature emerges from the tainted waters and sinks its ravenous jaws into local residents. When the creature abducts their daughter (Go Ah-sung), a vendor (Song Kang-ho) and his family decide that they are the only ones who can save her.

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Critics Consensus

As populace pleasing as it is intellectually satisfying, The Host combines scares, laughs, and satire into a riveting, monster movie.

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Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

Apr 1, 2007

3.5/4

As ebullient and bizarre as a monster that can do back flips, leaving the viewer in a shock of delight.

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Mar 31, 2007

3.5/5

Comes up with not only a fistful of nervous pools of fear but also a heady wellspring of classic monster-movie matinee fun.

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Geoff Pevere

Toronto Star

Mar 30, 2007

3/4

Bravely shifting tones from the horrific to the slapstick and back again, Bong Joon-ho has made a movie that's comprised almost equally of family sitcom, political indictment, high-urban paranoia and maximum-geek, monster-movie delight.

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Joshua Polanski

There Were No Gods Left

May 27, 2025

The Host, in addition to being a wonderful family drama and a fun creature flick, serves as a critique of American consumerism, and in particular, the way Americans treat the world itself as a commodity.

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Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

Jan 22, 2025

Bong plays the monster’s origin very literally…right up until he starts masterfully modulating tones.

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Joshua Stevens

Loud and Clear Reviews

Jan 21, 2025

4/5

A film about protecting family and the environment as much as it is about a giant fish creature, The Host is a genre-traversing thrill ride with simple but potent messaging.

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Siemen R

@RT93165948 5 days ago

The movie does nothing particularly bad; the acting is good, an interesting story, good visual effects for the time, good cinematrography and music. But it didn't do anything particularly amazing either. I wasn't that invested in the characters, and had to force myself somewhat to stay interested in the story. I liked the comedy injected now and then, but some plot points were a bit lazily executed, like how the government seemed to have no interest in actually fighting the river monster. It was the family that did the things people in power should have done. And this is an interesting theme. A critique on authorities and sympathy for the little guy. Ultimately, the whole was less than the sum of its parts.

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Ivan R

@RT88443011 5 days ago

Weird movie, but not bad.

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B P

@Bradster69 Sep 16, 2026

Definitely Recommend It

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Mike K

@DadYouWishYouHad Sep 12, 2026

Who is giving this more than half a star? How is this 93% fresh? The dialog was terrible, the acting was awful (the dad had one expression for every emotion), the graphics were bad, and every scene was very predictable. Don't waste your time.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 10, 2026

The Host = a *4* star movie

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Bobby E

@RT23212962 Jul 25, 2026

I liked this flick . Original . Take a look at it .

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The Host: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Careless American military personnel dump chemicals into South Korea's Han River. Several years later, a creature emerges from the tainted waters and sinks its ravenous jaws into local residents. When the creature abducts their daughter (Go Ah-sung), a vendor (Song Kang-ho) and his family decide that they are the only ones who can save her.

Director: Bong Joon Ho
Screenwriter: Baek Cheol-hyeon, Ha Junwon
Distributor: Magnolia Films
Production Co: Nick Wechsler, Silver Reel, Chockstone Pictures
Rating: R (Language|Creature Violence)
Genre: Horror, Comedy, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Original Language: Korean
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 9, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.2M
Runtime: 1h 59m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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