The Host

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The Host

R

In Theaters Nov 20

2h 0m

Sci-Fi

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

154 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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In Theaters Nov 20

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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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Bong Joon Ho

Director

Song Kang-ho

Park Kang-du

Byun Hee-bong

Park Hie-bong

Park Hae-il

Park Nam-il

Bae Doo-na

Park Nam-ju

Ko A-sung

Park Hyun-seo

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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Cour T

@courtex 5 days ago

It’s definitely more of a comedy than anything; not the dry, dark humour kind of dark comedy, but the over-the-top ridiculous kind of comedy. The drama side does still give a good story, the acting is good, the visuals are good, but I just wasn’t really expecting a comedy - not my taste

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kenneth S

@RT75814168 Oct 11, 2026

How did this movie get a 93%. What were the critics watching that they looked at this movie as anything other than crap? This movie gets 1/16th of a star.

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Marc Z

@TKDLife Oct 2, 2026

This is highly watchable Korean Monster movie and cautionary tale. In a fashion similar to thee original Godzilla this movie tells a not so believable tale about the impact of toxic dumping by humans into the environmental ecosystem. Korean movies are well made. They balance interesting characters and visuals with great stories. The special effects in this one are a bit primitive, but that sdoes not detract from the enjoyment.

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Siemen R

@RT93165948 Sep 22, 2026

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 Sep 22, 2026

Weird movie, but not bad.

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B P

@Bradster69 Sep 16, 2026

Definitely Recommend It

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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: Sci-Fi, Horror
Original Language: Korean
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 9, 2007, Limited
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Nov 20, 2026
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.2M
Runtime: 2h 0m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital Surround EX
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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