Director: Bong Joon-ho
Screenplay: Baek Chul-hyun, Bong Joon-ho
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona, Go Ah-sung
Running Time: 124 minutes
Genre: Science-fiction, horror, drama
In Seoul, clumsy, lazy and slightly dense Park Gag-du (Song Kang-ho) lives and works at a small snack bar owned by his hard-working father Park Hee-bong (Byun Hee-bong), and is a single father to his young daughter Park Hyun-seo (Go Ah-sung). One day, a giant water monster rises from the Han River near the snack bar and causes havoc. Despite Park Gag-du's best efforts to save her, the creature snatches Park Hyun-seo and escapes. The South Korean government and American military force the survivors of the attack into quarantine, on the grounds that the creature spreads a deadly virus. Gag-du receives a call from Hyun-seo. Realizing that she is still alive, he escapes with Hee-bong, and his sister, champion archer Nam-joo (Bae Doona), and his brother, alcoholic unemployed college graduate Nam-il (Park Hae-il). The four embark on a desperate rescue mission , while being hunted by the police and military.
Monster movies tend to run on very familiar lines, and this sticks to the basics, while giving a refreshingly quirky twist on the cliches. Most monster movies have the creature being revealed gradually, hinted at and glimpsed before finally being revealed in all it's glory. Here the creature appears in broad daylight, attacking a crowd early in the film. Also it is not particularly big, as giant monsters go, about the size of a large truck. The authorities in the film, both Korean and American, are portrayed as inept, callous, deceitful, and negligent, and are as much adversaries for the family as the monster is. The relationships between the family members are well-drawn, they bicker and fight almost constantly, but there is a very strong bond between them all. We also spend time with Hyun-seo, trapped in the monster's lair, and trying to escape without being discovered. Co-written and directed by future Oscar winner Bong Joon-ho, this is one of the best monster movies of recent years. Full of claustrophobic suspense, it's exciting, scary and often funny, and surprisingly satirical. It makes some pretty scathing attacks on the American military, stationed in South Korea, who are portrayed as not knowing, or caring, how they impact the lives of the local people, and the South Korean government which is portrayed as equally callous and ineffectual. It also has an environmental message, with the monster apparently being a product of pollution.
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