"The Host" is a monster movie, but there's a clear indication early on that it's going to be more than that: We get a complete
view of the monster within the first 15 minutes as it gallops along a river front, eating people. If you know anything about monster movies, you know the good ones generally avoid showing the creature in full view until later in the film. It's much scarier to give hints and glimpses at first, and save the big reveal for closer to the end. "Jaws" is one of the prime examples of doing this effectively; compare it with the later, inept chapters in the "Friday the 13th" series, where Jason is practically the main character and thus loses most of his scariness. "The Host" is not inept, though, and its seemingly premature reveal of the monster is intentional. It signals our subconscious to be on the lookout for other elements. As terrifying as the creature is at first, we won't be quite as alarmed by it later on, and that means the movie must have other surprises in store for us.
To read the rest of this review, click on the relevant link below.