Disregarding the heavy-handed anti-americanism seen in the initial lab scene and the not-so-clever allusions to Agent Orange, Gwoemul is an amazing film about family. Yes it is a monster film and yes the title character chews up the scenery but at the heart of it, Bong Joon-ho is exploring how we deal with lost dreams, how we balance our unconditional love for family members with expectations of success in modern capitalistic society, and how the family unit becomes expanded throughout life.

Maybe it’s because I come from a “quirky” (I hate to use the word but…) family or maybe it’s because I first watched this with my dad – I still tear up every time I pop the DVD in.

This is not a straight-forward monster movie. It’s a strange delightful mix of horror, action, drama, comedy – indicative of the genre-bending that seems to be a trend among modern Korean filmmaking. Most of the humor doesn’t seem to translate quite fully from Korean to USA culture, but I think you’ll enjoy it nonetheless as long as you go into the viewing experience with an open mind.

Some notable scenes (with no spoilers!) that I loved were the slow-mo chase/hand shot, the cup ramen dinner panning around the table, and the mourning/quarantine scene.