Female protagonist. Two handsome love interests. Elements of the supernatural. Based on a book by Stephenie Meyer.
These attributes describe both the inexplicably popular "Twilight" series and the new film "The Host," an odd but frequently absorbing adaptation of Meyer's follow-up to the infamous vampire novels. "The Host" spins those attributes in a slightly more nuanced direction, making for a more interesting experience, if not an entirely satisfying one.
The film takes place far in the Earth's future, when a malicious race of Seekers have invaded the bodies of nearly every human, except for a few lucky ones like Melanie (Saoirse Ronan, "The Lovely Bones"). A capable renegade, Melanie travels around with her little brother, evading capture, stealing food from the Seekers and kisses from her hunky boyfriend, Jared (Max Irons, "Red Riding Hood").
Early in this curious film, the Seekers successfully capture Melanie. For the rest of the running time, Melanie is reduced to a helpless voice trapped inside her own body, subjugated by a Seeker called Wanderer and later just Wanda.
From within, Melanie manages to exercise some control over her invader. They eventually reunite with Jared and take refuge in a cave dwelling with Melanie's uncle, Jeb (William Hurt, "Robin Hood"), where Wanda falls in love with cave dweller Ian (Jake Abel, "I Am Number 4").
"The Host" feels divided by competing sensibilities. On one hand, Meyer's familiar love triangle and excess of sap recall "Twilight" at its worst: hokey and shallow.
This future world, while intriguing, also seems to operate with bizarre rules. One particularly baffling scene finds Wanda kissing both prongs of the love triangle in order to bring Melanie back from the depths of her own body. The scene is as confusing as it is irrelevant.
On the other hand, writer-director Andrew Niccol, who has created compelling sci-fi worlds in "Gattaca" and "In Time," often seems to be attempting a deconstruction of Meyer's tropes. The love triangle isn't traditional: Wanda is torn between the two men because Melanie likes one but Wanda is still not sure. Furthermore, neither Melanie nor Wanda seems nearly as preoccupied by the choice as the movie wants us to believe.
As a result, the love triangle is somewhat more complex than simply, "Which man is hotter?" Granted, it's not that much more complex, but there's at least an attempt to diverge from the banality of "Twilight."
Furthermore, the first 20 minutes of this film set up a story that never entirely takes off, as if Niccol thought he was making an propulsive, morally complicated science-fiction thriller and had to settle for a competent juvenile version. The opening minutes efficiently set up the conflict and suggest interesting possibilities for the characters. Unfortunately, once Melanie/Wanda finds her way to Uncle Jeb's cave, the fun dissipates.
Most of this movie's pleasures come from watching the reliably excellent Ronan modulate several different characters: Melanie before the takeover, Wanda right after the takeover and Wanda as she begins to soften under Melanie's influence. Ronan's wonderfully expressive eyes and engaging presence never let us forget which is which, though her occasional Southern accent falls flat. Meanwhile, Irons is far more charismatic than Robert Pattinson (Abel is less successful, unfortunately.) Hurt and chief villain Diane Kruger ("Unknown") provide competent support, although they could have used more dynamism.
The movie's downward trajectory steepens at the climax, when an egregious deus ex machina and an unnecessary epilogue sour the otherwise touching ending. If Niccol can grab hold of this world's storytelling potential in a potential sequel, he might be able to craft something more interesting than this passable but flawed adaptation.
mlieberman@theeagleonline.com
