The Host

Monster movie, family drama or black comedy? South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's 'The Host' is all of these and much more. Allegedly pitched with a crudely cut-out nessie glued onto a postcard, it concerns a mutant creature which terrorises the inhabitants of Seoul and one family in particular. The giant tadpole is an expertly crafted mix of CGI and animation; the genre-required monster munching moments are suitably tense and a bleakly comic family drama keeps up the human interest. Like the river-dwelling beast, the movie is a little flabby around the mid-section but unique and cracking fun to watch. 'The Host' is destined for cult status and, regretfully, a Hollywood makeover. [Colan Mehaffey]