Film Threat by Felix Vasquez, Jr.

Joon-Ho's epic is a masterpiece of monster cinema that's intelligent, innovative, and reaches down to the basic core of family unity to propel its story beyond mere conventions of science fiction.

San Francisco Chronicle by Peter Hartlaub

A great piece of filmmaking and a legitimate science-fiction/horror classic.

Chicago Reader by J.R. Jones

The mix of dark humor, creeping suspense, and a sort of apocalyptic tenderness makes this the best horror flick in years.

The New Yorker by Anthony Lane

I have seen The Host twice and have every intention of watching it again.

Portland Oregonian by M. E. Russell

The Host isn't just a terrific monster movie. This South Korean box-office smash is also a laugh-out-loud comedy and a surprisingly angry political satire.

Christian Science Monitor by Peter Rainer

A cross between "Godzilla" and "Jaws," it manages to be both truly scary and truly funny – sometimes all at once.

Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum

Bong Joon-ho's wildly entertaining saga should become the hip, thinking-person's monster movie of choice.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer by Sean Axmaker

The sudden turns of temperament are a treat after the smart-ass attitude of American horror flicks, and the film is full of minor surprises, squirming in unexpected directions without leaving the conventions behind.

The New York Times by Manohla Dargis

The Host is a cautionary environmental tale about the domination of nature and the costs of human folly, and it may send chills up your spine. But only one will tickle your fancy and make you cry encore, not just uncle.

Los Angeles Times by Kevin Crust

With a subversive streak as wide as the Han and a title open to interpretation, The Host confounds our expectations while providing top-notch entertainment. For Bong, the monster movie is an ample vessel, one that he can fill with social criticism while discovering exuberant amusement in the process.

Chicago Tribune by Michael Phillips

The tone of The Host is slippery in the best way; you're never sure if you're in for a joke or a shock, yet nothing feels random.

Premiere by Glenn Kenny

When the movie isn't being scary, it's crazily funny, so much so that critical watchers will wonder if Bong might tilt the balance of the picture too far in a comic direction and water down the scares. He doesn't.

Salon by Andrew O'Hehir

A thrilling ride and a sometimes dry, sometimes sweet comedy, but beneath all that is a humane and tragic view of life worthy of the greatest films. Even those without rubber monsters.

L.A. Weekly by Ella Taylor

The Host is a miracle of breathless play with form and tone that also seethes with attitude and ideas, from pure movie love to pointed sociopolitical commentary to a bleak existentialism about the inherent cruelty of our world.

New York Magazine (Vulture) by David Edelstein

The Host packs a lot into its two tumultuous hours: lyrically disgusting special effects, hair-raising chases, outlandish political satire, and best of all, a dysfunctional-family psychodrama--an odyssey that's like a grisly reworking of "Little Miss Sunshine."

Variety by Derek Elley

On almost every level, there's never quite been a monster movie like The Host. Egregiously subverting its own genre while still delivering shocks at a pure genre level, and marbled with straight-faced character humor that constantly throws the viewer off balance.

Village Voice by J. Hoberman

Gross-out horror is never far from comedy and The Host, Bong Joon-ho's giddy creature feature, has an anarchic mess factor worthy of a pile of old "Mad" magazines.

The Hollywood Reporter

Bong has pulled together a multilayered horror-drama that works more often than not. The film gets back on track after a clumsy middle section that's too long and finishes strong, and Bong fans, horror fans and Asiaphiles are likely to be thoroughly satisfied.