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Movie Review: The Host

Victoria Esteve Staff Writer

CRAVEONLINE.COM
CRAVEONLINE.COM

As a mild fan of the book, The Host, I was disappointed with the theatrical adaptation. I wondered how the 619-page novel by Stephanie Meyer would translate to the big screen but unfortunately, it did not translate well. Directed and written by Andrew Niccol (The Truman Show, In Time), The Host is unfortunately a poorly written, extremely long and tedious movie.

The film is an Invasion of the Body Snatchers style tale told from the point of view of the alien. It follows Wanderer (Saoirse Ronan) who was just implanted into her host body Melanie. The host’s mind is strong enough to be present even after being taking over by the alien. This is one of the forces that make this movie appealing.

The idea is interesting and original enough but one of the reasons it just does not work as a movie is the annoying dialogue that takes place inside the character’s mind. The problem is not Ronan’s performance, but the voiceover that is used. It is cheesy and looks silly especially when Ronan has to strike an expression and hold it. A good chunk of the beginning of the film is an annoying inner monologue. However, this is unavoidable. That being said, after Melanie escapes her “imprisonment” and joins the last known humans, the plot moves along too quickly. This is especially shocking because the movie is over two hours long. Unlike most sci-fi action films, the heroines refuse to act violently so the plot was a little weak on actual action.

The general thread is supposed to be an impossible love triangle between a girl, two boys that seem interchangeable and a parasitic alien. However, the movie condenses so much of the book that as a viewer you cannot grasp the fact that a romance is supposed to be forming. I feel that there are more emotional “crises” than there is an actual story.

Even though the concept of the movie is completely different from Twilight, it is arguably worse because it lacks any actual passion if that is even possible.

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