Two guys fighting for the heart of one girl. Familiar, but with a slight twist.
From the author of The Twilight Saga, Stephenie Meyer brings to life her latest creation, “The Host.” Directed by Andrew Niccol, this amalgamation of science fiction, action and romance begins in a world where humans are a dying race among aliens known as “Souls.” These Souls are able to inhabit the bodies of humans and walk the planet looking like them except with distinct blue eyes.
Cut to the plot of the movie, where Melanie Stryder, played by Saoirse Ronan, is a young girl running from Seekers who want to capture and insert an alien into her and use her memories to lead them to the rest of the humans. The Soul named Wanderer tries to take over Melanie’s body, but as she resists we can still hear Melanie’s voice in Wanderer’s head. Essentially, two minds in one body. The more Wanderer learns about Melanie, the more she sympathizes with her experiences and her race. Her journey through the movie explores the life and love that humans embrace, as well as the unity and camaraderie that aliens have.
Overall, the film was okay. In terms of cinematography, shots transitioned well, especially when it came to telling Melanie’s life through flashbacks. The structure of the storyline made sense, but some parts seemed rushed and incomplete. There was a lot of action throughout, but also a lot of wasted screen time where I was staring into a desert scene long enough that I almost felt the sun rays seeping into my skin. There were plenty of chasing and searching scenes that seemed to play a key role in the film, yet the climax ended abruptly and was a letdown.
The language and script didn’t make sense in some scenes, particularly in intimate moments between Melanie, Wanderer, and their respective love interests Jared Howe played by Max Irons and Ian O’shea played by Jake Abel. Kissing scenes or even saying “I love you” seemed a bit brash, emotionless and honestly, kind of awkward. It’s hard not to compare this to The Twilight Saga especially when you throw in a crazy love triangle. It’s easy to get sucked into staring at the handsome leading men, but don’t, it’ll cloud your judgement of the quality of this film.
The plotline was a bit more extensive than The Twilight Saga and the acting was better all around. Chandler Canterbury, who played Melanie’s brother, shined in his role. Throw in a cute kid with talent and you can’t go wrong.
Stephenie Meyer says that another book is in the works for this series and with such an ambiguous and a bit of a surprising ending, we’ll just have to see if this is sparks a new wave of supernatural pandemonium.
