Double feature

"The Myth"

Some people will pick this DVD up on the strength of Jackie Chan’s name, expecting his usual slapstick martial arts-fest. Others will be attracted by the shots of ancient Chinese soldiers that suggest an epic a la "Hero". Still others will be lured by the modern subplot, in which an archaeologist seeks an artefact with the power to reverse gravity.

All three groups will be slightly disappointed.

I watched this with PB, who reckons it feels like a Jet Li movie into which JC has been plunked. As innovative as he is at action sequences – there’s a sensational fight on a conveyor belt in a rat glue factory – Jackie’s never been a romantic lead, and at 52, that ain’t changing.

While the story tries to build effective melodrama with the forbidden feelings between a noble general and the concubine he’s sworn to deliver, this is undermined by the jumps forward and back in time. Their situation should feel inescapable, but it doesn’t.

Having said all that, "The Myth"’s far from awful. There’s always something pretty to look at during the two hours, whether it’s an ultra-cool abode on a barge in Hong Kong harbour, a bursting-with-talent Indian starlet or a clever finale incorporating an army of terracotta warriors.

Unbalanced but not unenjoyable – and a second disc of extras adds bang for your 30 bucks.

[Australian DVD release date: February 7]


"The Host"

Given that it’s about a giant monster terrorising a populace, comparisons between "The Host" and the many Godzilla films are unavoidable. In short, it craps all over the ones I've seen – especially the dire 1998 Hollywood version. For the millions poured into that picture, it failed to make us believe in or care about its characters. Such is not the case here.

When a massive, mutated amphibian emerges from the Han River in Seoul, Korea, kills and maims onlookers, then carries off schoolgirl Hyun-Seo, her dysfunctional family are drawn together in their grief. But then she contacts her dad Gang-du on her fading mobile to say she’s alive in its lair...and we realise the creature’s stockpiling food for later.

Before her clan can mount a rescue, they’re thrown into quarantine. News reports claim the beast may carry an Ebola-type virus, and the government has closed off the area around the Han. Gang-du tries to explain about the phone call, but being of low status and unused to speaking up for himself, he’s dismissed as delusional.

The family’s only option is to escape and save Hyun-Seo themselves. Watching their desperate sacrifices is heartbreaking. There’s a strong underlying message about the treatment of the poor and powerless that becomes stronger when authorities decide to purify the danger zone with a chemical-spraying device known as Agent Yellow.

"The Host" is never preachy, though. Director Bong Joon-Ho finds everyday humour even in the horrible, such as when a government worker in a hazmat suit cheers as he finds a high-denomination note that would have been dropped by a victim or evacuee. Little touches like this only add to the realism of the setting and believability of its inhabitants.

A monster movie with heart and Seoul.

[Australian cinema release date: March 8]