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Korean horror co-written and directed by Joon-Ho . The film follows snack bar owner Gang-du Park (Kang-Ho Song) and his family as they are forced to fight back against a mysterious monster which emerges from the Han River in Seoul. Fearing the worst after his daughter Hyun-seo (Ah-sung Ko) is captured and carried away by the unidentified creature, Gang-du is left shocked when he receives a phone call from her explaining she is being held captive by the monster deep in the sewers. Spurred on by Hyun-seo's unexpected call, Gang-du gathers together the remaining members of his family and bravely sets off into the sewers in a bid to rescue her. From .co.uk ----------- The Host has managed to become Korea's most successful film to date, winning accl both domestically and internationally, and it's easy to see why. At first glance, it looks like any other monster movie--an amphibious creature from the depths stalks and devours an urban population--but there's actually much, much more going on beneath the surface. Not that there needs to be: although it has a fairly hefty 119-minute runtime, The Host is fast moving, with plenty of action and a truly gruesome-looking monster. Visually, it's a gorgeous movie, with stunning special effects and beautiful settings (even the rather nasty sewer scenes look perversely great). However, the real crux of The Host isn't really anything to do with the monster: at heart, this is a family drama, not a horror movie. The story focuses on one small family and how they react to the weird goings-on all around them. When the youngest member of the family, Hyun-seo, is snatched by the titular monster, the family is devastated until a call from her mobile phone gives them fresh hope. Unfortunately, everyone who came into contact with the being has been quarantined due to a virus e, so they have to escape the Korean authorities to go on a rescue mission. Then the American army steps in, and all hell breaks loose... It's a very original idea, with nuanced and well-written characters, plenty of humour, and a darker undercurrent of social and political commentary, topped off with a thrilling monster-killing adventure. Brilliant, in other words. --Sarah Dobbs