The Host came out in March 2013, and this blog was created in July 2013. I remember catching this Stephaine Meyer film at the theatre but never reviewed it. As one of my wife’s favourite movies, it was only fitting we watched it on her birthday, and I finally wrote up a review.
The best part of the Host is William Hurt. I liked his character because he was quick with the sarcasm and not ready to judge. Some may view him as the camp ranger, the authoritative figure in his cave, but I see him as the guy who keeps this whole story together. What seems like a minor role is actually pretty significant.
As it been stated many times, I am not a huge fan of Saoirse Ronan’s work. What killed me a little inside while watching The Host was all the inner monologue. I had forgotten that our main character is still alive and fights most of the movie with the occupant of her body.
I joked throughout the movie that Meyer wrote about what she does best, love triangles. Once our Host finds her destination, a brooding conflict of passion erupts between her long lost boyfriend and a new guy who falls in love with her. Since neither can figure out who she really is anymore, it adds to the drama of the story. If there wasn’t a love angle here, I don’t think the inner conflicts and outer conflicts would work as well.
One final thing I enjoyed was the seeker played by Diane Kruger. I liked her determination to find the Host. It can be a little overbearing at times, but that’s the way the character was written. Her story and drive are other critical components to the whole host problem, one that finally gets solved at the end of the story.
According to my IMDb profile, I rated this movie 7.0 back in 2013. I can say that after watching it a second time seven years later, I can still agree with that assessment. I’ll never read the book but did enjoy the movie because of the characters and the people who performed them. 7/10
Ten Stars or Less 