Keep your friends close, your enemies closer

Melanie Stryder, played by Saoirse Ronan, and Jake Abel, played by Max Irons, share a rare romantic moment in director Andrew Niccol’s “The Host.” || AP photo
Melanie Stryder, played by Saoirse Ronan, and Jake Abel, played by Max Irons, share a rare romantic moment in director Andrew Niccol’s “The Host.” || AP photo

The enemy may not always be against you in “The Host,” based on the book written by Stephenie Meyer.

The story follows Melanie Stryder as her mind is invaded by an alien named Wanderer, one of the enemies that have already taken over earth.

Melanie and Wanderer’s situation is unique in this new world. Melanie’s mind survived the invasion by the alien life form, and now she and Wanderer share a mind.

The foreign race invades the human mind by inserting themselves through the neck and attaching to the spine and brain. This creates conflict as Melanie fights to save her family from the alien invasion.

As the story progresses, Melanie begins to change Wanderer, convincing her of the wrongness of what her people are doing and changing the fate of mankind forever. ­­

As Melanie and Wanderer continue their battle of minds, the story evolves into a complicated love story that satisfies all viewers with a shocking twist.

The film will keep viewers riveted as each second is packed with emotion, story twists and thrill. The actors were spot-on in their portrayal of each character, making “The Host” a great movie to watch for the average viewer as well as die-hard fans of the book.

The only downside to the film was that it seemed to lack drama b­­­oth in special effects and plot.

Though the story is full of shocking twists, a few of the more important scenes that should be dramatic and hard-hitting for the viewer fall flat, leaving the audience wanting more.

This flaw seems to be a common theme in movies based on Stephenie Meyer’s books. But the viewer can rest assured as “The Host,” though at times lacks drama, is not the Kristen Stewart “Twilight” debacle all over again.

Despite these scenes, “The Host” is worth the ticket and carries an important lesson as it shows viewers everyone is their own person, regardless of the name they carry or the planet they are from.

3/5 Stars

 Review by Shannon MacAllister, Staff writer.

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