Gwoemul

Gwoemul
Those of you who haven't watched the movie The Host (aka Gwoemul), you guys don't know what you're missing... it's probably one of the best movies to come out of Korea (land of BoA and kimchi) ever... What grips you is that it goes against your expectations, surprises you and at times, frustrates because it keeps going against what you want to happen (and that can actually be a good thing). What surprises the most is actually the laughs. YES, laughs! It's a thriller-drama-comedy. An odd combination but it works... This movie's rather different and it's entertaining.

The storyline starts with the rather stereotype "dumping of toxic materials into the river"... and years later some fish gets really mutated... but the overall storyline is rather original with lots of twists. The opening scene where the daughter Hyun-Seo (brilliantly played by Ah-sung Ko, really cute lil girl) of lousy father Kang-du (excellently played by blond-haired Kang-ho Song) gets abducted by the giant fish monster has gotta be one of the most disturbing scenes ever... giving hints of things to come. The scene in which the family gets together after they suspected Hyun-Seo died was emotional at 1st, but takes a quirky twist as everyone in the cinema ends up bursting into laughter (watch the movie to see why... lol) and was one of many odd comic elements in the movie. The US as usual will interfere and take things into their own hands... the plot thickens and the monster gets more and more disturbing. Ok I won't give any spoilers... The family members, wise grandfather Hie-bong (brilliant acting by Hie-bong Byeon), drunk and hot-tempered uncle Nam-il (played by Hae-il Park), slowpoke Olympic medallist archer aunt Nam-ju (played by supercute Du-na Bae) are well portrayed, and you can't help but feel for them, as they go all-out in search for Hyun-Seo.. The monster is so alive... it likes, breathes, crawls, swings, swims, eats, vomits... um... you get the idea. Kudos to the animation team for a wonderful job on it. It may not be perfect, but it's as good as Korean movies get. The messages spread in this movie are clear and good, reflecting much of things going on in the world today... and the bond between family members, the emotions are all well displayed. The acting is good, the special effects top notch... what else can I say?

This is a MUST WATCH!

Gwoemul Trailers
Trailer - Korean Version


Japanese Version (This version's rather good)


Trailer - UK Version

Gwoemul Movie Posters

Teaser Poster

Dunno what version is this, but it's drawn...

Original Korean Poster

Another Original Korean Poster

Ok this is the one that we received...

Gwoemul Characters

Hyun-seo

Kang-du

Hie-bong

Nam-il

Nam-ju

Nam-ju again... what can I say, I find her cute XD

Gwoemul Screen Caps

A rather funny scene early in the movie

Hie-bong, Kang-du and Hyun-seo watching Nam-ju in the Olympics

Probably one of the most gripping scenes in the movie

Monster carrying victims to lair...

Mourning scene... (rather silly... lol)

The US taking over the situation...

Family kena quarantined...

Ironically all the incidents brought the family together

Searching for Hyun-seo...

Adorable Nam-ju...

Nam-ju taking aim at the monster (watch the movie to see what happens...)

Nam-ju again (yeah, she's looks dirty throughout 90% of the movie)

A rather emotional scene towards the end of the movie...

Interesting Trivia: The event described in the beginning of Gwoemul is based on an actual event. In February 2000 in a US military facility located in the center of Seoul, US military civilian employee Mr. McFarland ordered to dispose formaldehyde into the sewer system leading to Han River despite the objection of a Korean subordinate. Korean government attempted to prosecute Mr. McFarland in Korean court but US military refused to hand over the custody of Mr. McFarland to the Korean legal system. Later, a Korean judge convicted Mr. McFarland in absentia. Public enraged at the Korean government's inability to enforce its law on its own soil. In 2005, nearly five years after the original incident, Mr. McFarland was finally found guilty in Korean court in his presence. He never served the actual prison sentence, however. No sighting of mutant creature has been reported in Han River, yet... XD

PEACE & God Bless,
Aris