All The Bong Joon-ho Movies Ranked
We go through the esteemed director's catalog and attempt to make a ranking.
Director Bong Joon-ho is one of the most creative and interesting voices working in all of filmmaking. His movies take us to unique worlds, and they have characters and situations that feel unforgettable.
Today, I want to go through all eight of his movies and give them an official ranking. This is all based on my opinion, so if you disagree, I am sorry.
Let's dive in.
1. Parasite
There's not enough time or space to talk about what this movie means to me and how perfectly wonderful it is to watch.
It's a deep look at the growing divide between the haves and the have-nots, that transforms into a horror movie halfway through, when we realize the breadth of the divide.
2. Memories of a Murder
Murder is such a final decision. There's no coming back from death, and the trauma sticks with the people who are alive.
This movie unpacks all that messiness in an unsolved murder that plagues its detectives, who cannot stop it from happening again and again.
3. The Host
I love a good monster movie. This one takes a distinct point of view of environmental causes and the actual threat to humanity. That subtext elevates this and actually gives us something to think about long after the credits roll.
Amidst this is a father and daughter story that grounds all the emotions so nothing ever feels over the top.
4. Mother
One of the things that strikes me a lot about Director Bong's work is that he can slip in and out of any genre. This one is like a suspenseful horror movie mixed with neo-noir.
It's a terrifying look at being wrongfully accused and also a mother's obsessive love to make sure her son is acquitted of a crime.
5. Snowpiercer
Based on the French climate fiction graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand, and Jean-Marc Rochette.
Director Bong takes their pages and adapts this into an English-language dystopian adventure science fiction movie that uses these genre mashups to tell a tonally unique story about the survival of humanity.
6. Barking Dogs Never Bite
Director Bong's debut movie was a dark comedy where you can see his auteur tendencies beginning to shine through. I will say it's pretty twisted and has a lot of dogs being killed, which is both hilarious and hard to pitch why it's hilarious.
Looking back, it's easy to see the guy who did Parasite in here, and frankly, the guy who did all the rest of these movies as well.
7. Okja
An interesting movie, even if it didn't rank among my favorites. I like it when Director Bong comes up with a theme and a message and runs with it.
This deconstruction of the meat industry in America and the slaughter of animals wears its heart on its sleeve and has a boisterous cast who look like they're having a lot of fun hamming it up, pun intended.
8. Mickey 17
Having only seen this movie once, it fell to the bottom of my list because I just don't know it as well as the others on here. My main takeaway from this movie is that Robert Pattinson is a singular actor who takes so many risks and should be rewarded with lots of awards.
The movie has a lot of things going on—exploring religion, politics, animal rights, friendship, and human cloning. It has that signature Bong tone that can feel like whiplash at times.
Summing Up All The Bong Joon-ho Movies Ranked
Like I said up top, this is all my opinion, so if you disagree, you can put your thoughts in the comments below.
Director Bong has a singular voice, and there's something special inside all of his titles. Rankings are inherently annoying because all art should be viewed and then enjoyed. Especially when talking about an auteur's films. This is my order, I look forward to seeing yours.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
