The Host

Not being a fan of the Twilight movies I wasn't sure about another film based on one of Stephanie Meyer's novels. However, I have read The Host (book) and actually enjoyed it quite a bit so I thought I would give the movie a chance once it came out to rent.

Initially I wasn't sure how I felt about the movie. When it started it seemed like something that wasn't going to translate very well into film. Certain books just aren't meant to be movies as far as I'm concerned.

The real concern came with all of the internal dialogue which is an integral part of the plot of this story. The Host (preview) tells the story of a parasitic alien life form which has been placed inside the body of a young Earth woman, who is one of the few humans left unoccupied. However, the woman, Melanie, is still in her mind and fights against the alien, Wanderer. This leads to a lot of internal dialogue between the two of them which is difficult to convey in a movie without it seeming a little bit odd. While they did a reasonable job of portraying this, it still took me awhile to get used to it.

As I got more into the movie though I began to really enjoy it. The characters are intriguing and the plot is unique. While it certainly wouldn't be on a list of my all time favorite movies I definitely had fun watching it and was glad that I did. The movie also followed the book fairly closely and was probably the best translation of the book into film that it could be considering parts always have to be cut and changed for movies. My one concern would be that the movie might have a few elements which would be a little confusing to someone who hasn't read the novel. Overall though, I feel like everything was explained fairly well and it would probably be understandable even if one hadn't.

It is certainly a film worth watching if you have read and enjoyed the novel it's based on. Also anyone who hasn't read the novel, but is intrigued by the unique plot would probably enjoy this movie and have limited confusion about what was going on. Hope this helps to anyone wondering if they should see the movie or not.

-Lynx