Back in the day, The Host was one of my favorite books. So when I heard the famous Stephanie Meyer book was getting its own movie, I could hardly contain my excitement.

But the prospects were bleak. When the movie came out, it immediately received generally negative reviews. Yet, in spite of the 10% rating on rottentomatoes.com, I was determined to go.
The Host takes place in a post-modern world, where aliens (or “souls”) have invaded the the human race. Taking over humans’ minds and bodies, the aliens have created a peaceful world, devoid of war and conflict but without the influence of humanity. The last string of hope, a resistance groups of humans, are fighting to preserve the human race, hiding out in rural communities, struggling for survival in this post-apocalyptic world.
In the thick of the silent war between humans and “souls,” Melanie Stryder is among the homosapien resistance, fighting for her life. Captured at the beginning of the film, she is subjected to the fate of millions of others and taken over by a soul named Wanderer. But despite her subjugation to the alien, Melanie continues to fight from the inside.
This book had the potential to be really weird and strange and so did the film. But, like the book, the film was awesome. And even though the book’s author, Stephanie Meyer, is on my personal hit list, The Host is nothing like her other books (The Twilight Saga). The story is one of the best I’ve ever read, and the film captures the plot really well, considering how much is jam packed into the book.
In addition to casting ridiculously attractive actors (Max Irons, Red Riding Hood; Jake Abel, I Am Number Four), The Host definitely exceeded my expectations. Though the plot was complex and takes up about 600 pages in the actual book, I was impressed with the film’s portrayal and depiction of the story; a difficult feat. Surprisingly, the film stayed mostly in line with the book’s plot, only occasionally taking creative liberties.
And the cinematography was amazing. Filmed primarily in the desert, the shots captured weren’t anything less than breathtaking throughout and definitely left me with a “woah” feeling. Completely caught off guard by the film’s setting, the scenes were just beautiful. Other scenes, such as the modern simplicity of the cities, left a huge impression on me and helped to depicted the the movie in an even greater way by interpreting the plot even further.
But while the the cinematography and plot line were incredible, there were a few minor kinks. Namely, the character Melanie’s coming and going southern accent. At the beginning especially, this was a serious problem. It became more and more of a distraction until it was just downright hilarious. Fortunately, the problem leveled out by the end of the film, disappearing completely as the minutes ticked by, ultimately leaving the film unaffected.
All in all, The Host was a spectacular film. The acting was good, the cinematography was impressive, and the story was brilliant. Though there were a few minor objections throughout, I was pleasantly surprised by the end product. I definitely hadn’t wasted my time.
By Ashleigh Atasoy