Released in July 2006, Bong Joon Ho's monster film The Host ripped through the box office like a force of nature. Breaking every record on the book, The Host became the first Korean film to sell 13 million tickets, surpassing the all-time record held by King and The Clown. It topped the box office for five consecutive weeks, writing a new page in Korean cinema history. Although monster films have a strong tradition in Japan and the U.S., they're typically relegated to bargain bins in Korea. When Bong Joon Ho, the critically acclaimed director of smash hit Memories of Murder, announced he was making a monster movie, the film industry was unsure of how to react. But this was the film Bong was always meant to make. Bong rounded together an illustrious cast led by Song Kang Ho (JSA), Byun Hee Bong (Crying Fist), Bae Du Na (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance), and Park Hae Il (Rules of Dating). Meanwhile, a monstrous budget and state-of-the-art CG technology gave birth to the proverbial beast. The result: The Host not only conquered the box office, it garnered almost universal acclaim, winning over critics and moviegoers alike from Cannes to Korea. More than just a creature feature, The Host delves into a raw, suspenseful world of unspeakable horrors, politics, conflicts, and emotions in one family's relentless fight against the monster that rose from the Han River. Read More...