The Host
Dir: Andrew Niccol
2013
**
While I don't think Andrew Niccol's The Host, based on the novel by Stephenie Mayer, was as bad as the critics say it was on release, it certainly wasn't perfect. I think The Host suffered before it was even released by the fact that Stephenie Mayer and her Twilight Saga series had dominated the media somewhat, cutting audiences right down the middle. Stephenie Mayer was idolised by many and hated by the rest. I'm not a 'young adult', so I haven't read the novel the film is based on and couldn't say whether it was a good adaptation or not. At first I was slightly appalled by the obvious Body-snatchers plagiarism, although parasitism isn't something that can be copyrighted the similarities were clear. It's also a little unfortunate that the actors depicting the humans in the story are wooden and so similar to each other as they seem more alien than the aliens. The futuristic style of the film is Andrew Niccol at his most relaxed, white suits and silver vehicles are fairly lazy ways of depicting a futuristic society and are a far cry from his previous work. However, somewhere beneath the dodgy acting, unconvincing romance and stale script is an interesting idea. Whether this idea works in the novel or not I couldn't say, it certainly doesn't in the film, which is such a shame. The possibilities that could lead from duel ownership of one body are vast, a slushy teen drama being pretty far from the best scenario. There are clever ideas floating about but essentially the story makes little sense and certain moral questions are picked up and discarded in ridiculous fashion. It's a rather shallow and unimaginative bit of sci-fi but Saoirse Ronan is very good and it's much better than any of the Twilight films.