Audio: There are four audio options: The film’s original Korean language, and an English dub, each presented in both Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround. Overall sound quality is very good. Of course, the 5.1 options are stronger and fuller all around. Just pick the format that works best for your system. As for the languages, stick with Korean. The English dub is plagued with poor voices and awkward dialogue. (Some of the English roles from the Korean version, such as the mortician’s assistant and Sgt. Donald, have been re-dubbed.) Dubbing is for kids; adult viewers need not bother with it. Grade: A

Extras / Menus: The first extra is a feature-length audio commentary (entirely in English) by director Bong Joon-ho. The moderator is British film critic Tony Rayns, who asks questions and guides the general direction of the conversation. It’s informative but not terribly deep. Unfortunately, the film’s many political undertones are addressed only briefly. Discussion of special effects technique is limited to pointing out which FX shots were physical and where CGI was used. This is for the best, since overly technical commentaries can become tedious, but there are no FX-related extras elsewhere on the disc.

The other special features are: Deleted scenes, deleted news clips, and director Bong Joon-ho’s reflections. The deleted scenes run 23 minutes, and are divided between “people scenes” and creature shots. Running 5 minutes, the news clips are extended versions of faux news reports used in the film. The director’s reflections is 5 minutes of Mr. Bong apologizing to several groups of people for various things related to making the film. All these extras are in Korean with optional English subtitles. They are presented in fullscreen, except for the deleted scenes, which are in anamorphic widescreen. There is also a very brief, easy-to-find Easter egg.

When the disc first starts, there are previews / promos for Dynamite Warrior (a Thai action movie), Severance (a slasher satire), The Signal (either a Pulse rip-off that’s a year late, or a Cell rip-off that’s a year early), and HD Net that play automatically when the disc starts up. They can be skipped through. There isn’t an option elsewhere on the menus to access them later. The main and special features menus are animated with sound; the others are silent, anamorphic still images. Grade: B (There is also a 2-disc Collector’s Edition with many more extras available.)

Final Analysis: The Host is presented well on this DVD, with very good picture and sound, and some basic extras. Since there’s also a 2-disc Collector’s Edition available for only a few dollars more, this version serves mostly as a rental item. Final Grade: B+