MovieChat Forums > Gwoemul (2007) Discussion > Am I missing something?

Am I missing something?


Why does everyone like this movie so much. It tries to act scary at parts but then something stupid happens and it takes me out of the movie. I don't get it can someone explain it to me please.

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It's a comedy-horror so that's understandable. But I think it is overrated. It has great CGI and models and good acting by some, but has a very bad script, and it's full of goofs and lose ends. Still though, I think the Korean cinema is on the right track.

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I agree wholeheartedly. The near perfect rating this got is a greater mystery than the origin of the monster itself. The delightfully sinister poster art and trailer made promises the film did not keep.

I found that the comic relief took over right from the start as if the director needed to assure us this was just a movie, not a documentary. Every time it edged towards frightening, it popped your space with some bad comic acting. I ended up skipping to the monster parts, it was so agonising to watch.

Predictable as hell, and that's saying a lot for the genre. Gee, I wonder if the disgraced olympic athlete will save the day and redeem themselves at the last moment? It's like they had M. Night Shyamalan consulting.

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Wow--this is really a stupid comment. Hyperbole much?

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Glad I'm not the only one that thought it was bad.

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It wasn't very predictable. I bet you can barely mention anything predictable other than what you just said, and even that's wrong. Her flaw was taking too long to shoot, which happened again when she first encountered the monster, causing her to get knocked into that gap. The arrow shot at the end has nothing to do with this imperfection, it was just a cool way to use a monster and meant very little in terms of the character arch.

Also, you clearly just hate the horror comedy genre. Don't hate on apple pies for tasting like apple.

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I am scratching my head on this too. After watching it last night (okay, I only watched about half the movie because it could not hold my attention), I came here expecting a 3 or 4 rating. I didn't find it scary or funny. It seemed like a bad film school project with mediocre CGI. Scientifically, a bit of formaldehyde dumped in a large river is going to create a new, giant, killer species? If that was the case every mortician and biology student who dissected stuff in labs would be 25 feet tall with 7 limbs and 3 eyes. On top of that it was over acted and way too long (seriously, I could skip away for 20 min.s and not miss anything?). They could have left a hour on the cutting room floor and had a much more tolerable movie.

"i'm outta here like a blind chinese dissident"

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i would read the first post of this. or even further if anyone is interested in the good old deeper meaning.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468492/board/nest/129995403?ref_=tt_bd_3



wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube men! wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube men!

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I it given an average rating of 7, which is the same rating I would give it. For those in this thread who think it is bad, then compared to what? Besides Prometheus I haven't seen any american monster movies recently, which I would consider better than the Host.
The acting ight be quite hysterical saometimes, and it had some bizarre moments, but I think the monster was really well done (how many better monsters have you seen recently in american movies) and I felt quite entertained during the movie.
And yes it was to be expected that the archer saved the day, but how many unexpeted ending have you seen recently (except the Mist).

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This is black comedy first, horror second, so if you were expecting Cloverfield,
then I can see why you are confused. I never, ever try to peg a movie before
a watch it. In fact I try to not read about, or watch trailers or any movie
before I see it. Hell I went to see the first Jurassic Park, I had no idea what
it was about, I don't watch a lot of TV, and when I did it was TIVO'd or downloaded
or from a DVD, I refuse to watch any commercials, ever.

I have watched this movie a dozen times in the last 2 years since I first watched
it. Everybody cant like everything, but I know that this is well received, you can see that it has won many awards at various film festivals all over the world

I love this movie. It has Horror, it has laughs, it has drama, and it has heart.
I don't know if you like asian movies, but if you have watch a lot of anime then
you know how anime can have some awkward humor that is lost on us westerners,
and even I don't get some of it.

If you come from a broken or "functional dysfunctional" family, than this movie would defiantly hold much more weight for the viewer.

Probably the reasons that you don't like this movie, or find it strange, are the same reasons I love it.

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Because it was showing the way a dysfunctional family came together for one of their own and the struggles they went through to get back the one they loved even if it meant dying to do so. That is why it was praised so much. It wasn't just about the monster terrorizing the river and the people it was about the family who were always against one another fighting something that tried to break them apart.

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YES YES! absolutely correct. I personally find this movie
heartwarming, endearing, and touching on a personal level,
I myself coming from one of these broken "dysfunctional"
families myself. In fact I would even go as far to say
that this movie is MORE about the FAMILY and how they
come together to save a fallen member of their own.
it could have been a monster or war or anything that
had separated them, and It would have worked as a script
just a wonderfully.

There are those out there that would call this another
"popcorn" cookie-cutter action/horror but I say to them
that, to me, "The Host" is just as poetic and haunting as the
other Korean favorite "A Tale of Two Sisters"

just my 2 cents, lol

BTW, I think you might have meant to reply to the OP,
since your post seemed to answer his/her question, and
not mine, just sayin

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BTW, I think you might have meant to reply to the OP,
since your post seemed to answer his/her question, and
not mine, just sayin


I was replying to the OP but for some reason it replied right under your post lol. But yes. The grandfather said it all in the Gymnasium "Hyun-seo you brought us all together. Thank you."

They put aside their bickering and rivalry to break the monster that tried to break them.

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Yes, and I love the quiet tender moment between the grandfather
and the daughter and eldest son, as he explains why they
should not be so hard on the youngest son for sleeping, and
how the granddaughters mother left.

The OP says that the wackiness of the family keeps bringing
him out of the film, but that is because he is treating it
as a horror movie. total wrong way to watch this.

I know more about Korean way of life, family, politics, and
more by watching this movie than I ever knew about the country
in 38 years of my life.

Also, and let me know if you noticed this, but is it just me
or did they use a very similar idea of how the family members
all play their part to save the day, and how it was all alluded
to in the beginning of the movie. Now wait, I am not done, I am
still getting to my point, OK, so picture how this was done, and
now think back to another movie that has a similar ending, which
was also a movie that was given some crap about. so the movie that
I thought of when I first saw how the family came together was
the ending of "Signs". how the mother had spoke her dying words
and was alluded to how her own family was going to save themselves
by using their own strengths. the baseball player. the girl with the
water. the Father who gained his faith back. and the young son who
stopped breathing which saved his life since the poison couldn't enter
the lungs.

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Yes. It basically went like this.

-The uncle who was a drunk used beer bottles to make Molotov cocktails to throw at the monster.

-The Aunt who was a mediocre archery player whom mastered her skills to get the bullseye of Gwoemul's eye.

-The father who threw away his childish antics to become a man and to kill the beast who killed his daughter.

-The grandfather who after years of neglecting his children when he was younger finally put them ahead of himself so they could survive.


The ending was my favorite part. How they all came together to finally rid their world of the monster who wants to destroy it.

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and if you want to get really indepth:

the uncle not only was a drunk, but had learned to make the
moltov cocktails so well from his days of protesting, which
he had given up to "work for the man". having debased his values
by working at a desk job, he became the drunk. now he sobered up
and used those good ol' moltov skills to good use.

the aunt actually was a top notch archer, she was qualifying
for the Olympics, IIRC, it was always her bad timing that
was the problem, which we saw on TV and then again in the
sewers, had she "took the shot" her niece may have been saved.
but she finally redeems herself at the end.

and yes, the grandfather tried to save the day, but fell short
by not loading the shotgun. but to his children he was now
a hero in their eyes.

and dont forget the most important sacrifice, the granddaughter
saved the boy with her own body.


the ending to this movie was just awesome. the little boy who
had no home, and was a "(I forget the name, the grandfather set
up the story about how it was ok to steal food when you are hungry)",
was adopted. and the father was making him a real home cooked meal.
the snow was falling at night time. one of those sad but happy endings.

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I guess I can see why people would like it for this reason but I just found the writing pretty poor as well.

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MadRotaryOne_DDCgod.....Your replies were dead on. I took the same things away from this movie that you did. I think too many don't get what a black comedy is.

They see this as a simple horror film with okay CGI but it's far beyond that. In fact in my opinion the monster is almost secondary to the story. It could have been a kidnapping, hostage taking they just chose to pick a monster.
There are many things to take away from this film. And none of it has to do with why the movie was called the host. There's a whole thread on why it's called that.

This is a great black comedy. It's become one of my faves right up there Grosse Pointe Blanke and Cold Blooded. Violent movies for sure but loaded with off beat comedy and comic moments.

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Yes!!!! You are also dead-on with the idea about the monster being secondary.

Whoever didn't "Get" this movie, that is just fine by me.

It's funny how these people think this as poor writing/directing, when
the man has now recently made one of the finest, IMHO, sci/fi movies
of the last 20 years. I think Snowpiercer will go on to be one of the
"Mainstream Cult" movies that we love to watch over and over throughout our lives.
I have probably watched The Host 10 times or more, and that is only since
my first viewing of it only 2 years ago or so.
Right up there with other movies such as Clockwork Orange and Dr. Strangelove.

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by guitarslinger47;

"I think too many don't get what a black comedy is.

They see this as a simple horror film with okay CGI but it's far beyond that. In fact in my opinion the monster is almost secondary to the story. It could have been a kidnapping, hostage taking they just chose to pick a monster.
There are many things to take away from this film. "

But that leads to this; is "The Host" trying to do too many things?
- There is the kidnapping by the monster and the rescue.
- And a disfunctional family that comes together.
- There is commentary about the harshness of the government, including irrational actions supported by the US.
- And there is some comedy mostly done by the grandfather. But that ends when he dies.
- There are a few gross moments with the monster puking up bones with more horror movie moments.
- And there are some standard B movie monster movie tropes.

Some people compare this to "Jaws" but "The Host" does not have the single focus of "Jaws".

While some see the many themes and styles as a strength, for me the film came across as disorganized and inconsistent.
For instance towards the end "The Host" tries to be realistic at one moment where the father is being operated on to look for a virus.
Then he has an unrealistic escape and his sister and brother fight and kill the monster with no police/military helping out.
This moves the film from hard reality to action movie silliness very quickly.

And that inconsistent tone was sometimes reflected by the music where tense moments had a light jazzy theme.

I can see why "The Host" has received lots of awards because it is quirky and the director has skill.
But being odd and jumbled is not a strength imo.
6/10 for me,

BB ;-)

it is just in my opinion - imo - 🌈

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I agree. I don't think it worked as any kind of comedy, dark or light, nor a horror. I get there was a "message" in there but the delivery was clumsy.

I choose to believe what I was programmed to believe

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Because it's foreign all its many flaws are interpreted as "characterful" by hipsters. The CGI was really bad, wasn't funny at all, just frustrating. To top if off it's full of pointless anti-Americanism (I'm not American) as if it was written by some left-wing edgelord.

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