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Based on the 2008 novel by Stephanie Meyer (the Twilight Saga), The Host stumbles right out of the gate, with a terribly paced opening action scene right into a terribly woven script, and it never gets a chance at redemption and it becomes quite possibly the worst films in recent memory
Melanie Stryder is one of few humans remaining on the planet earth after a parasitic life form known as the souls have been taking over human bodies. After Melanie is captured and an alien life form is poised to take over her body, she resists, creating a bond with her suitor known simply as “Wanderer” and later known as “Wanda”. As Melanie begins to search for Jared and her brother Jamie, the struggle between the two continues as Wanda develops into her own being capable of making choices.
There is just nothing redeeming about this film whatsoever, after it turns into an alien romance flick. The opening scene may have been short and misguided, but it had merit. It was an action scene, suffice to say the only one worth noting, but still an action scene none the less. After it turns into a teenage romance flick with lines like “Kiss me like you want to get slapped.” It loses all credibility, not that it really gained any during the first half hour.
It’s just messy, that is one example of dialogue that for lack of a better term is atrocious. It is a simple movie, designed for simple minds with little pay-off. The plot is a one-way street type plot, everything moves at a very pace, creating no reason to want to see what happens or even care about the fact that things are happening. It’s an easy film to grab a few laughs out of and that is not intentional. It was supposed to be a dramatic tale about the acceptance of one’s body and how body image shouldn’t matter and we should accept people for who they are, whatever shape, size and ethnicity they are. Good themes, but only in a good movie. Acceptance is the key, and I accept The Host as another movie that failed miserably in getting teen romance right, but it’s based off Stephanie Meyers novel so there wasn’t high hopes to begin with.
It’s a romance between three people, much the way twilight was except two of them are trapped in Saoirse Ronan’s body for two hours, exploring their developing sexuality in a world that has become a hell whole. Does that sound entertaining to you? Because it was tumultuous ride of teenage aggression, cheesy rain make-out scenes and awkward proclamations of an alien developing it’s sexual feelings for a human.
Part of me wants to give the film some credit and say with a better script it could possibly have been a better movie, but that would just be wrong of me. So I’ll state the truth, a very harsh one, but the truth none the less, and that is there was never a chance that this film could have been good because Meyer only writes for her own self-righteousness and not to raise valid points or try and bring about social changes. So to be completely truthful the Host was doomed to be a terrible movie because it was coming from terrible source material.
I’m not saying don’t see the Host, because plenty of fangirls will be in line loving this movie, but just try and not view it as a serious form of entertainment. It was more comedic then it was dramatic, so hey atleast you might score a few laughs from the appalling screenplay.
3/10
