Soon Gang-du must leave the stand to make a delivery, but while doing so discovers a very large creature hanging beneath the rafters of the Han River Bridge. People are taking picture, throwing rocks and talking energetically about what this animal might be. Yet this enthusiasm quickly turns to terror when the creature drops from bridge, swims to the riverbank and finally comes ashore to wreak chaos amongst the frenzied throng.

Grabbing his daughter by the hand, Gang-du tries to escape along with the rest of the crowd. Unfortunately, the mass of people proves too much for him, Hyun-seo’s tiny fingers wriggling out of his own thus leaving her to face the creature alone. And, just like that, both her and the monster are gone beneath the waves, another death amongst the many this animal has left within its bloody wake.

But all might not be lost. Even though the government warns anyone coming into contact with the new creature could become infected with a deadly disease, Gang-du receives a frantic cell phone call from his daughter revealing she is alive and trapped somewhere in the city’s massive sewer system. With the rest of his dysfunctional family by his side, the Parks escape from the Korean agents keeping them quarantined and descend into the sewers to find their missing member. But the monster is waiting for them, and with a city spiraling out of control this disparate band might be Seoul’s only hope for salvation.

Bong Joon-ho’s The Host was one of the toasts of last years Cannes Film Festival. Almost one year later it is now finally getting its release here in the United States. The question then, of course, is whether or not this Asian creature-feature was worth the wait? Unfortunately, the answer for me leans a bit towards the negative, too much of this familiar tale missing the giddy tongue-in-cheek perversity which could make it sublime.

The film certainly has its moments, and considering the intricacy of Bong’s social metaphors I can’t begin to dismiss it entirely. But I still can’t say the thing bowled me over, too many threads dangling in the air without any sort of a pretense at a resolution. Even at almost two hours in length, the picture feels rushed and unfocused, the filmmaker more concerned with setting up the next visual trick than he is at finding the emotional core to his central family’s struggles.

Still, I can’t help but feel like I’m being more than a tad harsh here. As giddy B-movies go this one can be a real hoot. The first time the creature (beautifully realized by some of the same team who worked on The Lord of the Rings trilogy) comes ashore is a stunner, while the final battle (admittedly filled with its share of clichés) is an energetic treat that couldn’t help but make me smile. I was also quite taken with many of the filmmaker’s attempts at not-so-subtly veiled political commentary, the governmental horrors staring down the Parks far more horrifying then the aquatic ones holding Hyun-seo prisoner.

I just wish the taste left in my mouth at the end of it all wasn’t so bittersweet. While Bong is certainly a talented craftsman worth keeping an eye on, I just wasn’t as captivated by this adventure as I would have liked to have been. Much of it just sits there, building to intriguing moments but forgetting to pay them off with something memorable. While I respect the attempt, and while I certainly don’t begrudge a person from catching a midnight screening, for me the party The Host offers just isn’t one I’d want to get invited to again.

Film Rating: êê1/2  (out of 4)