Director: Andrew Niccol
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Diane Kruger, Max Irons, William Hurt, Jake Abel, Boyd Holbrook, Chandler Canterbury
Running time: 125 minutes
Certificate: 12A
Synopsis: In the future, aliens known as Souls have taken over our planet. They inhabit our bodies, but have turned our society into a perfect place with no crime, hate, or lies. When a member of the human resistance, Melanie (Saoirse Ronan), is captured and becomes a host for a Soul called Wanderer, Wanderer soon finds herself battling with Melanie’s consciousness for control of the body. After forming a bond, Wanderer attempts to reunite Melanie with the human resistance.
Given that THE HOST is an adaptation of a novel from TWILIGHT author Stephenie Meyer, the key demographic of this film is perfectly clear. But to aim the groans and ridicule that are synonymous with the former franchise at THE HOST would be quite unfair. Beginning with a voiceover that explains the basics of these alien Souls coming to earth in a less violent reiteration of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, this is presented to us not only through dialogue, but also ham-fisted visual metaphors such as ridiculously spotless cars driving through very dusty locales, and the ‘Souls‘ costumes being completely white to spoon-feed the idea of purity and innocence.
With the introduction to the world done at speed, it doesn’t feel rushed even when it’s clear the story wants to bypass a lot of basic setup in order to get to the meat of the story – complex characters living in an imperfect world, with humanity not as simple as the Soul would like. Once Wanderer and the human Melanie share the same body, we’re treated to the kind of varied writing and multifaceted characters that TWILIGHT was severely lacking. After meeting up with the human resistance, we encounter Melanie’s boyfriend, Jared (Max Irons), and Ian (Jake Abel), who begins to find himself attracted to Wanderer. However, this isn’t a pondering love triangle, but two very different romances with each girl happening to be in the same body.
It isn’t just the romance that finds itself fleshed out and explored well, as after the frantic opening the film slows down to a very leisurely pace, with each twist becoming a new moral conflict for Wanderer and the humans to deal with. With both the Souls and humans responsible for causing great misery, THE HOST doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. Yet, though Ronan captures the innocence and conflict within Wanderer, her delivery of Melanie’s lines often sounds forced and obnoxious, leaving the human very hard to care for, even if you find yourself connecting to the predicament she finds herself in.
Although an improvement on TWILIGHT with its genuinely likable characters, it isn’t all good news. Niccol’s direction is bland and uninspired, much like it was with IN TIME. Any scene that requires tension is shot in such a trivial fashion that you wonder if Niccol appreciates how on edge and frightened we are meant to feel in these moments. However, the composer certainly does, with Antonio Pinto managing to simultaneously grasp emotional subtlety and excitement, with his delicate compositions at times reaching greatness.
THE HOST will undoubtedly have many fans jumping for joy, but detractors basing their assumptions on Meyer’s previous work may also be pleasantly surprised. Thanks to decent performances of well-written characters in a world where events actually have some relevance and consequence, this is an enjoyable and painless teenage fantasy romance. With Meyer hinting at future novels in this universe, it may be enough to undo some of the suffering her previous franchise has caused.
THE HOST is released in UK and US cinemas today.
