Stephenie Meyer’s The Host: Will the Movie Live Up to the Book?

Revolving around an alien race called Souls, these particular extraterrestrial parasites inhibit Earth and assimilate its inhabitants. The central focus of the novel, however, is on a particular human host named Melanie Stryder, a young girl who refuses to cooperate with Wanderer – the particular parasitic alien soul inserted into her – essentially illustrating a leading character with a dual identity. For those who have not had the pleasure to read this novel, I do not want to spoil the storyline. However, it is safe to reveal major themes that the book touches upon such as relationships, individuality, forgiveness, and of course, love. On a personal note, I enjoyed reading The Host and from what I can remember, sped through the entire 619 pages in a few days. I found the writing and characters to be much stronger and sophisticated compared to the Twilight series, and now that the book is being translated into a movie, I can only hope it will stay loyal to the written piece. Regardless of a fairly long introduction and tidbits of cheesiness, The Host is a good sci-fi read and provides a good blend of emotional sentiment with the world of science fiction.

For a novel that remained a #1 New York Times Best Seller for 26 weeks, and spent over 36 weeks on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list, the production of a movie was finally answered by Andrew Niccol. Director of Gattaca (1997) and the recent blockbuster, In Time (2011), I have fairly high hopes that Niccol will keep us entertained. Nevertheless, fans of the novel have addressed innumerable concerns towards the casting decisions of the movie. Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones, Hanna), who has been casted to play protagonist Melanie Stryder, triggered an age and appearance concern among critics including Meyer herself who claimed that the recently turned 18 year old may appear too young to play the character who would ideally suit an actress in her twenties. Regardless, after seeing Hanna (2011), Meyer refused to pass up Ronan, claiming that she made her role look “so easy, you wouldn’t believe it.”

Other noted cast members include Diane Kruger (National Treasure, Inglorious Basterds) who will play the Seeker – the soul responsible for finding Melanie’s family – as well as Jake Abel and Max Irons who play Ian O’Shea and Melanie’s lover, Jared Howe, respectively. Remarks about these decisions have been targeted towards age and physique, where these young “boys” do not suit the dark, intimidating, and strong “men” the novel visualizes. Others demonstrate a general worry that the movie will do an injustice to the book, but with Niccol and Meyer herself serving as the backbone of the production crew, I’ll keep my hopes and speculations a little more positive for now.

Once again, as a neutral response to every pre-bashing critic about upcoming films, only time will tell if this adaptation will be a success. The Host hits cinemas March 29^th 2013, so don’t get too uptight too soon. You know you’ll end up buying a ticket to satisfy your judgments either way.

In any case, check out the official teaser trailer of The Host below:

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