"The Host" - directed by Andrew Niccol
Oh Andrew Niccol.
I like you - I really do.
You're kind of 'our boy' being as how you were born in New Zealand and all.
I'm supposed to like you if for no other reason than National pride.
You're a damned good screenwriter - you proved that with "The Truman Show".
You sure know how to cast a flick too - a brief glance down the IMDB pages of any of your movies provides ample, compelling evidence.
But as a writer-director you suffer from a constant problem.
You throw fascinating ideas at your audience and build up to a final act promising tension, excitement and resolution.
And more often than not you don't quite deliver.
Even in your biggest hit "In Time" the second half wasn't a patch on the great first.
"Gattaca" - your directorial debut was tight and intelligent and really nicely executed.
You were the guy that just needed more cash and bigger actors to play with and you were going to be awesomely great.
I think you will be.
But sadly - again - not quite yet.
With his fifth feature as director Niccol takes on the non-Twilight Stephenie Meyer book "The Host".
He serves as screenwriter too so this one is firmly on his head.
"The Host" presents a future in which mysterious alien lifeforms have descended to Earth and taken over the vast majority of the planet's population.
It's easy to tell when a human is playing host to one of these Aliens because their eyes take on a vivid blue glow.
The non physical part of the human simply disappears.
The scant few survivor's hide from 'Seekers' who are given shiny silver sports cars, motorcycles and helicopters to hunt them down and implant them with aliens.
The upside is that the planet is now filled with peaceful, honest, loving people, is environmentally sound and American Idol and The Khardashians are absent from screens forever.
The heroine of the piece is Melanie who we see plunge from a great height in the opening scene rather than be captured and converted.
She miraculously survives however and promptly has an alien named Wanderer implanted into her.
Melanie won't give up that easily though and will not 'leave' so she co-exists with Wanderer in her physical body.
Much of the subsequent screen time will be taken up with this internal conflict.
Simultaneously a determined, ruthlessly efficient Seeker (Diane Kruger) hunts for Melanie convinced that she will lead her to other humans.
It's a film that works and fails in equal measure for the first hour.
The initial glaring problem is that the inner voice of Melanie talking to the controlling Wanderer is silly.
There's no other word for it.
They chat back and forth and the idea is that they are finding a middle ground of sorts but it doesn't overcome the absurdity.
It's worse when Niccol's script attempts humour.
But his skill with casting comes to the rescue with the talents of Saoirse Ronan as Melanie / Wanderer and her performance brought me back into the film.
Her acting chops have been apparent for some years but she is emerging as a staggering lovely young woman.
Even with the creepy blue glowing contact lenses she is beautiful.
The co-inhabited body gives rise to an interesting situation once Melanie/Wanderer meets up with the remnants of her friends and family.
Love triangles are one thing but when two men fall for one persona each we have a very unique love square.
I can't think of a better description- sorry.
But yes- it is as silly as it sounds.
The actors all do their damnedest to rise above the absurdity and should be praised for their efforts.
The two male love interests do just fine.
(Note that Max Irons (Jared) is Jeremy Irons' son.)
Frances Fisher is her profession's leading proponent of the contemptuous glare and it is required of her here in spades playing a human unconvinced that the alien inhabiting Melanie's body has good intentions.
Sadly nothing else is needed from her.
William Hurt as the wise patriarch Jeb fares far better and provides some much needed gravitas because for a movie about the entire world being taken over by aliens and the desperate plight of the handful of humans left it is lacking in any sense of the importance that they survive.
I mean let me say it again - world peace, no reality TV.
What's to resent?
To be fair there is some effectively tense scenes here and there in the second half and we almost have a car chase or two and a little bit of a shootout.
Once again this is a case of a solid concept largely wasted.
There are too many baffling turns that don't quite add up unless you fill in some gaps for yourself.
Why do people violently kill themselves in twisted vehicle wrecks or in high rise plunges when trapped by Seekers rather than simply take the painless option of submitting?
If an alien and a human can comfortably, even desirably live in the same body isn't the grand solution extremely obvious?
But not enough is done to convince that the struggles of the humans really matters.
This combined with a lack of enough genuinely exciting, compelling scenes dooms this one to mediocrity.
In contrast to his other films which rise high and plummet just as quickly in the second halves this one spreads its highs and lows evenly throughout the two hour run time.
For every scene that works, there soon follows one that fizzles.
Kruger, Ronan and Hurt bump the entire project over the line but this is largely unsatisfying stuff.
It is entertaining to a point but is certainly not going to be the Twilightesque blockbuster that the studio is clearly hoping for.
Still- Saoirse Ronan has a new fan and for that I say thanks Mr Niccol.
And I have high hopes for you too - your promise still awaits fulfillment.
I like you - I really do.
You're kind of 'our boy' being as how you were born in New Zealand and all.
I'm supposed to like you if for no other reason than National pride.
You're a damned good screenwriter - you proved that with "The Truman Show".
You sure know how to cast a flick too - a brief glance down the IMDB pages of any of your movies provides ample, compelling evidence.
But as a writer-director you suffer from a constant problem.
You throw fascinating ideas at your audience and build up to a final act promising tension, excitement and resolution.
And more often than not you don't quite deliver.
Even in your biggest hit "In Time" the second half wasn't a patch on the great first.
"Gattaca" - your directorial debut was tight and intelligent and really nicely executed.
You were the guy that just needed more cash and bigger actors to play with and you were going to be awesomely great.
I think you will be.
But sadly - again - not quite yet.
With his fifth feature as director Niccol takes on the non-Twilight Stephenie Meyer book "The Host".
He serves as screenwriter too so this one is firmly on his head.
"The Host" presents a future in which mysterious alien lifeforms have descended to Earth and taken over the vast majority of the planet's population.
It's easy to tell when a human is playing host to one of these Aliens because their eyes take on a vivid blue glow.
The non physical part of the human simply disappears.
The scant few survivor's hide from 'Seekers' who are given shiny silver sports cars, motorcycles and helicopters to hunt them down and implant them with aliens.
The upside is that the planet is now filled with peaceful, honest, loving people, is environmentally sound and American Idol and The Khardashians are absent from screens forever.
The heroine of the piece is Melanie who we see plunge from a great height in the opening scene rather than be captured and converted.
 |
| The hugely talented, very lovely Saoirse Ronan |
Melanie won't give up that easily though and will not 'leave' so she co-exists with Wanderer in her physical body.
Much of the subsequent screen time will be taken up with this internal conflict.
Simultaneously a determined, ruthlessly efficient Seeker (Diane Kruger) hunts for Melanie convinced that she will lead her to other humans.
It's a film that works and fails in equal measure for the first hour.
The initial glaring problem is that the inner voice of Melanie talking to the controlling Wanderer is silly.
There's no other word for it.
They chat back and forth and the idea is that they are finding a middle ground of sorts but it doesn't overcome the absurdity.
It's worse when Niccol's script attempts humour.
But his skill with casting comes to the rescue with the talents of Saoirse Ronan as Melanie / Wanderer and her performance brought me back into the film.
Her acting chops have been apparent for some years but she is emerging as a staggering lovely young woman.
Even with the creepy blue glowing contact lenses she is beautiful.
The co-inhabited body gives rise to an interesting situation once Melanie/Wanderer meets up with the remnants of her friends and family.
 |
| Two women, one body, two men.... it's cinema's first PG foursome |
I can't think of a better description- sorry.
But yes- it is as silly as it sounds.
The actors all do their damnedest to rise above the absurdity and should be praised for their efforts.
The two male love interests do just fine.
(Note that Max Irons (Jared) is Jeremy Irons' son.)
Frances Fisher is her profession's leading proponent of the contemptuous glare and it is required of her here in spades playing a human unconvinced that the alien inhabiting Melanie's body has good intentions.
Sadly nothing else is needed from her.
William Hurt as the wise patriarch Jeb fares far better and provides some much needed gravitas because for a movie about the entire world being taken over by aliens and the desperate plight of the handful of humans left it is lacking in any sense of the importance that they survive.
I mean let me say it again - world peace, no reality TV.
What's to resent?
To be fair there is some effectively tense scenes here and there in the second half and we almost have a car chase or two and a little bit of a shootout.
 |
| Diane Kruger as the Seeker - ruthless bitchiness has never been more appealing |
There are too many baffling turns that don't quite add up unless you fill in some gaps for yourself.
Why do people violently kill themselves in twisted vehicle wrecks or in high rise plunges when trapped by Seekers rather than simply take the painless option of submitting?
If an alien and a human can comfortably, even desirably live in the same body isn't the grand solution extremely obvious?
But not enough is done to convince that the struggles of the humans really matters.
This combined with a lack of enough genuinely exciting, compelling scenes dooms this one to mediocrity.
In contrast to his other films which rise high and plummet just as quickly in the second halves this one spreads its highs and lows evenly throughout the two hour run time.
For every scene that works, there soon follows one that fizzles.
Kruger, Ronan and Hurt bump the entire project over the line but this is largely unsatisfying stuff.
It is entertaining to a point but is certainly not going to be the Twilightesque blockbuster that the studio is clearly hoping for.
Still- Saoirse Ronan has a new fan and for that I say thanks Mr Niccol.
And I have high hopes for you too - your promise still awaits fulfillment.
| Rated | M for mild, infrequent violence |
| Running Time: | 125 minutes (1hr 55mins without end credits) |
| Starring: |
| Saoirse Ronan | --- Melanie / Wanda (Wanderer) |
| Diane Kruger | --- Seeker / Lacey |
| Max Irons | --- Jared Howe |
| Jake Abel | --- Ian O'Shea |
| Chandler Canterbury | --- Jamie |
| Scott Lawrence | --- Doc |
| Boyd Holbrook | --- Kyle |
| Stephen Rider | --- Seeker Reid |
| Emily Browning | --- Pet |
| Frances Fisher | --- Maggie |
| William Hurt | --- Jeb |
| Rachel Roberts | --- Soul Fleur |
| Shyaam Karra | --- Soul Anshu |
| Brent Wendell Williams | --- Soul Winters |
| Jhil McIntyre | --- Soul Lake |
| Bokeem Woodbine | ---Nate |
| Jaylen Moore | --- Seeker Song |
No comments:
Post a Comment