The Host

Creating a new monster for a possible new franchise is tough, you're never quite sure if the effort that you put into the creature will hold the audience's interest and imagination. The use of a contaminated river to spawn a mutated creature isn't a really new idea but the creature itself is something to be amazed at. Here not only being mutated is enough, but the evolution of the creature is advanced to the point that it is able to exist in and out of he water for long periods of time as well as being able walk and swim. In the way of Korean films that have come out in recent years this ranks right up near the top of the list, with strong directing, acting, and effects that don't overwhelm the film or story.
A giant creature has made the River Han, in Seoul, its home and feeding ground, but when it takes the young daughter of a concession peddler a race against time to find and save her begins. The effects used for the creature are very well done and the design itself is very inventive. The creature appears to be an amalgam of a number of different animals, just from its looks, its abilities and actions within its surrounding environment. The layout of the story and the action is reminiscent of the early Godzilla films, but with a creature that is a more manageable size the character now becomes more interactive. Having the family relationships being the main focus of the story is nothing new in the way of Korean films but here we're given the view of a very dysfunctional family and how they come together in the end.
This film is setup perfectly to be continued into a franchise, and hopefully the producers and writers will do it justice and not try to commercialize it into toy line. Keeping the story and the action a little on the R-rated side of filmmaking gives it an edginess that takes the audience on a ride that doesn't seem to have an end. It will be interesting to see what happens next if this is truly taken into a franchise mode, after seeing this first film I would be willing to go out of my way to see the next films.