news culture The director of the phenomenal Parasite returns with the striking 4K remake of one of his films
Crowned with 4 Oscars, including Best Picture, Parasite is undoubtedly the masterpiece of South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho. A corrosive satire on societal excesses, it propelled the fiftieth anniversary to such a dimension that all its next productions will be scrutinized. While waiting for the release of Mickey 17, his new feature film for 2024, the Daegu native will return to the limelight with the 4K remastering of his monster film, The Host.
Released in 2006, The Host is a bit like Bong Joon-Ho’s Godzilla. For years, the American army has thrown toxic products into the Seoul river, the Han, and some no longer hesitate to warn of the presence of a strange underwater creature. Despite this rumor, people continue to live normally and this is the case of a small family who tries to support themselves by running a snack near the Han. But the situation is not easy. Between the immaturity of his eldest Gang-du, the failure of his daughter and the unemployment of his other graduate son, daily life is not easy for the brave Hee-bong. The only one who puts a smile on everyone’s face is Gang-du’s only daughter, young Hyun-Seo. One day, the crowd witnesses a strange phenomenon on the banks of the river when, suddenly, a monster emerges from the depths and destroys everything in its path. In a panic, Hyun-Seo wanders off and gets abducted by the creature that dives back into the Han. The Park family decides to go to his rescue…
The Host, the film from the creator of Parasite, soon in 4K!
With a record budget for a South Korean production at the time, The Host will therefore return in a remastered version in 4K to enjoy every detail. With this feature film, Bong Joon-Ho delivers a cocktail between public entertainment and political satire. Nonconformist in many respects (which could be defined as an eco-horror thriller), the film is based on the same clichés as Godzilla, with a creature born from the nauseating experiences of man who ends up reclaiming his rights. What is strong with the South Korean director is that he manages to handle all the ingredients of the monster movie while delivering a strong message. Once again, we take advantage of the extraordinary talent of Bong Joon-Ho (the plans are sumptuous) and seeing The Host again in 4K will be one of the great opportunities of the coming weeks.
The film will be released in 4K in theaters starting March 8, 2023. For a while, there was talk of a sequel simply titled The Host 2, but the project was put on hold after several director changes.
