The Host
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Max Irons, Jake Abel, William Hurt, Diane Kruger
Director: Andrew Niccol
Rating: 1/5
After the huge success of The Twilight Saga at the box office over the last few years it doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone that The Host was quickly snapped up to be adapted for the big screen.
The Host is a story about the survival of love and the human spirit in a time of war. Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy.
Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact. Most of humanity has succumbed.
The main problem with all of Stephenie Meyer’s novels is while they are good reads they are not cinematic stories - mainly because nothing really happens in them.
And unfortunately The Host really does suffer from this lack of action and boredom sets in very early on with this movie.
The Host is based on a great idea; alien takes over a human body and yet the spirit of that human fights on. Over time a bond grows between the two as the invader stars to understand the human race.
More than anything the movie should have been about this relationship but instead it descends into this awfully cheesy love triangle - which is something that we have seen too many times before.
There is an element of danger in the film as Diane Kruger’s Seeker is on the trail of Wanderer and yet it never comes to anything.
That danger and menace just melts away as Seeker is taken down by William Hurt in what is a bit of an anti-climax.
Saoirse Ronan is a terrific young actress and yet we really don’t get to see that talent with this movie as she is so much better than this rather limp material.
On the page the struggle between Melanie and Wanderer reads well but on the big screen a voice over has to be used to be able to hear both characters and it really doesn’t work.
The dialogue between the pair is rather clunky and it just doesn’t play well at all - which is a shame as this is a major part of the story.
The Host could have been a really great teen science fiction movie but instead it really just descended into a jumbled mess that sees Ronan kissing either Max Irons or Jake Abel for the whole film.
Once again Stephenie Meyer’s novel has not translated well on to the big screen and a chance to make a great movie really has gone begging.
The story is weak and there is very little character development that you never feel part of this movie or have any empathy for any of the characters.
The Host will be one of the most disappointing movies of 2013 and, quite frankly, there is nothing positive say.
The Host is out now.
Tagged in Saoirse Ronan Diane Kruger