Funny how certain “low-brow” movies sometimes make more profound statements than films that set out to be thought-provoking, a la “Babel” or “Traffic.” Packaged as a monster movie (an oft-underrated genre), Bong Joon-ho’s “The Host” is a perfect example of this kind of subversiveness. Remember, with any good monster flick, it’s not really about the monster, and in this case, “The Host” can be seen as a critique of the war in Iraq.

In a testament to efficient story-telling, we learn in the first 15 minutes that it was U.S. foreign policy that created the giant, flesh-eating tadpole, a product of poisons dumped into the Han River. Where most other monster movies, like “Alien,” reveal the beast at the end of the film, Bong shows us the monster at the beginning of the movie, and with that out of the way, he proceeds to focus on more important matters, using a heavy dose of biting satire and critique.

“Host” draws focus on the Parks, a model of the failed Korean family, who run a snack shack by the Han River. There is Grandpa (Byeon Hie-bong), a regretful and powerless old man; Father (Song Gang-ho), a narcoleptic buffoon; Uncle (Park Hae-il), a drunk and bitter activist; and Auntie (Bae Doo-na), who suffers from tardiness in everything. The only hope for the Park family is the granddaughter Hyun-seo (Ko Ah-sung). Naturally, she is one of the hapless victims who is abducted by the tadpole beast. So begins the Park family’s search to reunite their broken family.

Beneath this storyline rests an allegory for war-time hysteria. This is where Bong’s sharp criticism of America’s involvement in Iraq comes out. Along with the tadpole beast, there is fear of viral infections from the monster, leading the government to put those who were exposed under quarantine. We later learn that there is no virus and that the threat was fabricated. This exchange reveals the fundamental untruth that has fueled mass hysteria, as well as the flimsy excuse for a U.S.-led counter measure that would release a true virus, leading to more deaths. Here one can easily replace “virus” with weapons of mass destruction. In the end, the American government admits guilt with a single word: “misinformation.”

For all its weightiness in message, “Host” thankfully keeps its tongue-in-cheek humor, while treating the Parks sympathetically in their struggle to stay united in a world gone mad. We can just as soon laugh at their antics, writhing and kicking and sobbing on the floor in wild mourning yet we admire their dogged persistence to find Hyun-seo, as each family member rises to be their best when it counts most.

It’s exciting to see a Korean film like this one, which takes a global view of our 21st century, stepping away from strictly national concerns and diving into international waters. And better yet, Bong pulls out a hat trick by presenting his vision in the form of a sci-fi monster flick.