In the science fiction genre of the film industry, directors put their best efforts to make the scenes in the movie as real and interesting as possible. With advanced technology, directors can create vivid scenes to attract the audiences’ attention and interest. Not only do these special effects make science fiction movies notable, but also requires an amazing plot with themes such as using love and sacrifice. The science fiction Hollywood film, Cloverfield, directed by Matt Reeves, uses a lot of visual effects to portray the movie to be realistic while having the elements of love and sacrifice. The Host, a South Korean film directed by Joon-Ho Bong, also uses similar elements as Matt Reeves to create his science fiction movie but within these two films are slight differences which make the two movies different. Therefore, these two science fiction pieces can be compared on the differences in the aspect of creating the film and similarities on the plot and in the genre.
The Host begins with scientists being irresponsible about their actions and pouring out chemicals into the Han River, which infects the fish and creates a monster that brings destruction and chaos. The sea creature kidnaps the main character’s daughter and throughout the film, the protagonists and his relatives search for the girl. The Korean film is both a global and national film because it shows both Hollywood and Korean elements. A scene that portrays this representation is when “the homeless man pours gasoline down the beast’s gullet as Nam-il shrugs off his backpack, winds up to toss a flaming Molotov cocktail—and then looks down aghast as the bottle slips out of his hand and smashes impotently at his feet . At this moment his sister Nam-joo appears with her bow and with perfect timing shoots a flaming arrow directly into the creature’s mouth, setting him on fire, after which
Gang-du finishes him off with a metal pole” (Klein). This part represents globalization because it relates to many other scenes in Hollywood scenes such as in Jaws, when the shark is blown up by the shot oxygen tank. Also, the Korean film represents nationalism because the part where the protagonist gouges the monster with the metal pole represents the violent and brutal Korean history in which the people protested against the pro-democracy (Klein). The difference between this movie and the American Hollywood movie is that The Host is filmed as if the cameraman was a character who did not exist while Cloverfield is shot like a documentary; a character in the movie held the camera and filmed every scene. Matt Reeves uses this filming technique because he wants the audience to feel as if they were a part of the movie. In an article, the author states that “In more than one scene, what Hud is recording is also being filmed by others with their cameraphones; far from being gimmicky, this, like the film's characters' response to disaster, feels like an authentic presentation of the way we live now” (Miller). Another technique that the director of Cloverfield used was that he used a lot more close up shots than the director of the Host to show the reactions and emotions of the actors. However, Joon-Ho Bong used a lot of more comedy and humor in his film, quoted from an article “Bong again deploys his aesthetic of generic “collision,” with monster-movie conventions bumping up against those of slapstick and black comedy” (Klein). For example, during the funeral service scene, the actors over exaggerate by rolling around on the ground while the other people at the service say random dialogue over the scene such as “can you please move your car?” Another scene that was humorous was when the protagonist is taken out by the monster because the protagonist forgot how many bullets were left in the gun. The co
medy added to the film makes the movie more entertaining rather than always having a dull or a gloomy vibe like Cloverfield. Another difference between the two films is that Cloverfield was mainly filmed during the night while the Host was filmed during the day with lights in the scene. Filming during the night sets the mood, making the scene gloomy, unknown, and scary. For example, in Cloverfield, while the characters were in the subway, the scene was completely dark until the night vision turned on. This made the audience become nervous and not know what was to come. However, filming during the day shows some life and humor in the scene. Both of these techniques used are different but are beneficial in different aspects to make the film successful.
Aside from the differences between these two films, significant similarities exist that also make these movies. In Cloverfield, the protagonist, Rob, and his friends attempt to flee from a beast lurking in New York City while trying to rescue the main character’s girlfriend, Beth, who wa
s practically dead. Although the film is science fiction, the director depicts the love and sacrifice made by the protagonist, when he refuses to leave the city without Beth. Similar to this plot, in the Host, the beast kidnaps Gang-Du’s, the protagonist, daughter, which leads to Gang-Du and his relatives striving to find his daughter throughout the movie. Both of the characters are struggling to find their beloved ones even through the danger and life-threatening moments. For example, in Cloverfield, Rob runs into the top floor of the broken down apartment, then jumps across to the adjacent collapsing apartment in order to save Beth. In the last scene of the Host, the military drop poison gas around the beast but Gang-Du walks up to the monster, ignoring the deadly smoke and the creature, and reaches his hand into the mouth of the beast and grabs his daughter. These scenes in both movies clearly show that there lie more than just advanced visual effects in science fiction films by using elements of love and sacrifice as an important aspect in the movies. In comparing the similarities between the two movies, visual effects and advanced technology are two important factors in which the directors fro
m both movies used. In Cloverfield, the specialist who created the animated monster was Tippet Studio and used a lot of effective tools such as
“the commercial software includes Deluxe Paint, Autodesk's Maya, Pixar's PRMan, and Apple's Shake. Tippett's custom software stitches everything together and adds functionality to Maya and Shake” (Moltenbrey). Both films required enhanced computer imaging and effects to create the monsters and make them look as vivid and real as possible.
By comparing the two films, there were many noticeable similarities and differences that made each film successful. The directors of each film used different styles and techniques to create the film such as filming the movie in first person. Not only did the two directors use different techniques but also Joon-Ho Bong uses more humor in his film. Also, there were significant similarities that helped create each film to its success. Although both films had the differences and similarities, both movies were outstanding and successful in different aspects.
The Host begins with scientists being irresponsible about their actions and pouring out chemicals into the Han River, which infects the fish and creates a monster that brings destruction and chaos. The sea creature kidnaps the main character’s daughter and throughout the film, the protagonists and his relatives search for the girl. The Korean film is both a global and national film because it shows both Hollywood and Korean elements. A scene that portrays this representation is when “the homeless man pours gasoline down the beast’s gullet as Nam-il shrugs off his backpack, winds up to toss a flaming Molotov cocktail—and then looks down aghast as the bottle slips out of his hand and smashes impotently at his feet . At this moment his sister Nam-joo appears with her bow and with perfect timing shoots a flaming arrow directly into the creature’s mouth, setting him on fire, after which
Gang-du finishes him off with a metal pole” (Klein). This part represents globalization because it relates to many other scenes in Hollywood scenes such as in Jaws, when the shark is blown up by the shot oxygen tank. Also, the Korean film represents nationalism because the part where the protagonist gouges the monster with the metal pole represents the violent and brutal Korean history in which the people protested against the pro-democracy (Klein). The difference between this movie and the American Hollywood movie is that The Host is filmed as if the cameraman was a character who did not exist while Cloverfield is shot like a documentary; a character in the movie held the camera and filmed every scene. Matt Reeves uses this filming technique because he wants the audience to feel as if they were a part of the movie. In an article, the author states that “In more than one scene, what Hud is recording is also being filmed by others with their cameraphones; far from being gimmicky, this, like the film's characters' response to disaster, feels like an authentic presentation of the way we live now” (Miller). Another technique that the director of Cloverfield used was that he used a lot more close up shots than the director of the Host to show the reactions and emotions of the actors. However, Joon-Ho Bong used a lot of more comedy and humor in his film, quoted from an article “Bong again deploys his aesthetic of generic “collision,” with monster-movie conventions bumping up against those of slapstick and black comedy” (Klein). For example, during the funeral service scene, the actors over exaggerate by rolling around on the ground while the other people at the service say random dialogue over the scene such as “can you please move your car?” Another scene that was humorous was when the protagonist is taken out by the monster because the protagonist forgot how many bullets were left in the gun. The co
medy added to the film makes the movie more entertaining rather than always having a dull or a gloomy vibe like Cloverfield. Another difference between the two films is that Cloverfield was mainly filmed during the night while the Host was filmed during the day with lights in the scene. Filming during the night sets the mood, making the scene gloomy, unknown, and scary. For example, in Cloverfield, while the characters were in the subway, the scene was completely dark until the night vision turned on. This made the audience become nervous and not know what was to come. However, filming during the day shows some life and humor in the scene. Both of these techniques used are different but are beneficial in different aspects to make the film successful.Aside from the differences between these two films, significant similarities exist that also make these movies. In Cloverfield, the protagonist, Rob, and his friends attempt to flee from a beast lurking in New York City while trying to rescue the main character’s girlfriend, Beth, who wa
s practically dead. Although the film is science fiction, the director depicts the love and sacrifice made by the protagonist, when he refuses to leave the city without Beth. Similar to this plot, in the Host, the beast kidnaps Gang-Du’s, the protagonist, daughter, which leads to Gang-Du and his relatives striving to find his daughter throughout the movie. Both of the characters are struggling to find their beloved ones even through the danger and life-threatening moments. For example, in Cloverfield, Rob runs into the top floor of the broken down apartment, then jumps across to the adjacent collapsing apartment in order to save Beth. In the last scene of the Host, the military drop poison gas around the beast but Gang-Du walks up to the monster, ignoring the deadly smoke and the creature, and reaches his hand into the mouth of the beast and grabs his daughter. These scenes in both movies clearly show that there lie more than just advanced visual effects in science fiction films by using elements of love and sacrifice as an important aspect in the movies. In comparing the similarities between the two movies, visual effects and advanced technology are two important factors in which the directors fro
m both movies used. In Cloverfield, the specialist who created the animated monster was Tippet Studio and used a lot of effective tools such as“the commercial software includes Deluxe Paint, Autodesk's Maya, Pixar's PRMan, and Apple's Shake. Tippett's custom software stitches everything together and adds functionality to Maya and Shake” (Moltenbrey). Both films required enhanced computer imaging and effects to create the monsters and make them look as vivid and real as possible.
By comparing the two films, there were many noticeable similarities and differences that made each film successful. The directors of each film used different styles and techniques to create the film such as filming the movie in first person. Not only did the two directors use different techniques but also Joon-Ho Bong uses more humor in his film. Also, there were significant similarities that helped create each film to its success. Although both films had the differences and similarities, both movies were outstanding and successful in different aspects.
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