The Host (2013)

Andrew Niccol's The Host (US, 2013) - Based on the hit 2008 novel by Twilight series author Stephenie Meyer, The Host carries some big expectations but turns out, in the hands of writer-director Andrew Niccol, to be a ponderous and at times pretty silly romantic sci-fi adventure. While devoted Meyer fans will certainly want to see it, less committed moviegoers will be harder to woo. The story is set on a near-future Earth that has been colonised by Souls, aliens who have taken over the bodies of most humans and turned the planet into a creepily clean and peaceful place. Saorise Ronan (last seen in Hanna) plays Melanie, a young woman whose body has been occupied by a Soul known as Wanderer but who resists the alien presence. Eventually, Wanderer begins to warm to Melanie and ‘they’ escape to the desert caves where Melanie’s boyfriend Jared (Brit actor Max Irons, from Red Riding Hood) and little brother are part of a small community of surviving humans. Trailing Wanderer/Melanie, however, is Seeker (Diane Kruger, from Farewell, My Queen), an alien determined to wipe out what’s left of the human race. RATING: 3.