Funrahi Movie Reviews

The Host

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 2 hours 5 minutes (125 minutes)

Rated PG-13 for some sensuality and violence.

Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy

It's

A

Sci-fi,

Good

For

A

Few

Laughs.

2 out of 5

The Host Review

What's Good:
If you like the genre, then most of the parts are good.
What's Bad:
Slow screenplay, tiring pace and some silly unwanted moments which end up being hilarious.
Verdict:
The Host is a passable film that should be able to entertain a segment of viewers. It has some solid cinematography and competent performances, but dramatically ineffective.
Watch or Not:
Watch it if you love sci-fi movies and can do with lusterless screenplay and dull stars.

Audience Ratings for The Host

48.0%
260 Ratings
1 2 3 4 5
hate it don't like it it's ok it's good it's great

Plot Summary

What if everything you love was taken from you in the blink of an eye? "The Host" is the next epic love story from the creator of the "Twilight Saga," worldwide bestselling author, Stephenie Meyer. When an unseen enemy threatens mankind by taking over their bodies and erasing their memories, Melanie Stryder (Saoirse Ronan) will risk everything to protect the people she cares most about - Jared (Max Irons), Ian (Jake Abel), her brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury) and her Uncle Jeb (William Hurt) , proving that love can conquer all in a dangerous new world.

Critics Reviews for The Host

5 Critics like this movie.
Reviews Counted: 21 | Positive Review: 1 | Negative Review: 20 | Average Rating: 1.9/5

Ronan, youthfully elegant as always, tries hard, but the material defeats her.
Critic Score: 1/4

March 29, 2013 Full Review
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail

A goofball teenage sci-fi romance, "The Host" is an End of Days parable that seems like it was written at a slumber party.
Critic Score: C

March 29, 2013 Full Review
Adam Graham
Detroit News

If only the movie played as nicely as it looked.
Critic Score: 2/4

March 29, 2013 Full Review
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger

The Host raises many questions, among them, how has it taken this long for Diane Kruger to play an alien?

March 29, 2013 Full Review
Stephanie Zacharek
Film.com

Long, tedious and often unintentionally hilarious.
Critic Score: 1/4

March 28, 2013 Full Review
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post

It's a mushy and unsuspenseful melodrama.

March 28, 2013 Full Review
Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post

Pick up the book. It does a far better job of breathing life into this monochromatic new world than the film.
Critic Score: 1.5/5

March 28, 2013 Full Review
Betsy Sharkey
Los Angeles Times

Dopey, derivative and dull, "The Host" is a brazen combination of unoriginal science-fiction themes, young-adult pandering and bottom-line calculation.
Critic Score: 1/5

March 28, 2013 Full Review
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
New York Times

There's only so much value that Niccol's slick presentation can add to Meyer's shallow material.
Critic Score: 2/4

March 28, 2013 Full Review
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Ronan is better than the material she's given as Melanie/Wanda. The star of Atonement and Hanna conveys more intelligence than her foolish dual roles call for.
Critic Score: 2/4

March 28, 2013 Full Review
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today

A sci-fi writer like Philip K. Dick ("Blade Runner") might have used this premise to explore notions of memory and identity. Meyer uses it to create a teen soap opera.
Critic Score: 1/4

March 28, 2013 Full Review
Rafer Guzman
Rafer Guzman
Newsday

An invasion of the body snatchers is preferable to realizing that the true horror perpetrated here is not on the characters but on the audience.
Critic Score: 1/4

March 28, 2013 Full Review
Connie Ogle
Miami Herald

We're treated to the bizarre spectacle of Ronan arguing with herself repeatedly over which guy to kiss. But since both are similarly bland, it barely matters.
Critic Score: 2/5

March 28, 2013 Full Review
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News

Meyer is undeniably canny at using genre to address the age-old struggles of adolescence, but at just over two hours, even "The Host's" air of guilty pleasure eventually subsides.

March 28, 2013 Full Review
Scott Foundas
Variety

The Host is born from the mother of all things Twilight, Stephenie Meyer, which is the next best - or worst - thing, depending on your point of view.
Critic Score: 1.5/4

March 28, 2013 Full Review
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone

There's something about novelist Stephenie Meyer that induces formerly interesting directors to suddenly make films that are slow, silly and soporific.

March 28, 2013 Full Review
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Hollywood Reporter

"The Host" is like a confused guest who stays too long - but at least it's good for a few laughs.
Critic Score: 1.5/4

March 28, 2013 Full Review
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times

The film may as well be titled "Stephenie Meyer's Waiting Around."
Critic Score: 1/4

March 28, 2013 Full Review
Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips
Chicago Tribune

"The Host" is top-heavy with profound, sonorous conversations, all tending to sound like farewells.
Critic Score: 2.5/4

March 28, 2013 Full Review
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times

Just kind of dumb.
Critic Score: 2/5

March 27, 2013 Full Review
Bill Goodykoontz
Bill Goodykoontz
Arizona Republic

If nothing else, the movie serves as an excellent substitute for the book: better art direction and a quarter of the adjectives.
Critic Score: 2.5/4

March 27, 2013 Full Review
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe

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