This Tuesday, I went to see a pre-screening of the Host, directed by Andrew Niccol,
starring Saoirse Ronan, Max Irons, Jake
Abel and Diane Kruger. Based off the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer,
the movie takes place in a not-so-distant future where aliens have invaded Earth.
The few humans who haven’t been taken as hosts for the aliens live in hiding,
As a fan of the book, I was a little disappointed by the
adaptation. The movie focused less on background and plot, and shoved romance
to the front and center. While the book is largely about love – both romantic
and familial – it’s also a tale of humanity being taken over by aliens. The
trailers for the film were action packed, fast paced and exciting; in reality
it was about 90% dramatics and only 10% action. While the story does put a new
and interesting twist on the idea of a love triangle, the characters fell in
love too quickly and unrealistically, and I was told by a woman who had not
read the book before watching the movie that she had a hard time following and
believing it. On top of that, the acting was definitely sub-par.
That being said, it wasn’t all bad. The scenery, for
example, was amazing. We get to see gorgeous shots of Louisiana swamps, New
Mexican deserts and an underground cavern where the rebel humans live. I also
have to give them credit for making a movie like this work in the first place.
When I first read the Host in 2008, I figured it would never be made into a
movie. Having the main characters be a girl and the alien who lives inside of
her makes for a confusing film, but they made it work.
I would definitely recommend that fans of the book check it
out, and anyone else who might be interested should give it a shot. It’s worth
it for Jake Abel. (I couldn’t resist, I really love Jake Abel.) The Host will be in theaters starting
this Friday, March 29.
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