I know it is not fair to judge a film in comparison to book source material, but The Host leaves out crucial elements (a la "Walter" and the souls with the baby in the park - for those who have read the book). Therefore, it did not meet my expectations. That being said, standing alone it is a good movie. It starts off a bit slow (as does the book) but picks up speed about 15 minutes in to the film.
Despite the non-resemblance of the film characters to the book characters, I thought casting was brilliant. Basically, the production was smart enough to hire the best actors they could find. While Saorise Ronan was fantastic as Wanda (she missed the accent a few times as the voice of Melanie), it was William Hurt as "Jeb" and Chandler Canterbury as "Jamie" that stood out. In even the simplest of scenes, Hurt commands the dialogue in a way that is so natural and poignant. He connects in a way that everything he says is important and heartfelt. Canterbury nails the entire emotional range of "Jamie" and was quite the surprise; sensitive, caring and upbeat at times and yet tortured by the longing for his sister. I was amazed how he could move from tears of sadness to tears of joy almost instantly and really make you understand with just facial expressions. Another one to mention was Diane Kruger as "the seeker". She was not what I imagined the character to be at all. That being said, she sold it! Not evil but clearly inwardly conflicted.
The cinematography was just stunning. The score was good and certainly added to key moments. The script was okay. I felt the dialogue was a bit cheesy at times but the actors handled it well and were able to sell the material. It was difficult to get past the inner dialogue of Melanie talking to Wanda in the beginning of the film. I got used to it towards the middle and there were some (I believe intentionally) funny moments in the film with Wanda and Melanie going back and forth. As I said before, Melanie's Louisiana accent was a bit off at times which was a distraction for me.
All in all, it is a good film. Not great but good. I will certainly see it again when I can rent it on Redbox!
Despite the non-resemblance of the film characters to the book characters, I thought casting was brilliant. Basically, the production was smart enough to hire the best actors they could find. While Saorise Ronan was fantastic as Wanda (she missed the accent a few times as the voice of Melanie), it was William Hurt as "Jeb" and Chandler Canterbury as "Jamie" that stood out. In even the simplest of scenes, Hurt commands the dialogue in a way that is so natural and poignant. He connects in a way that everything he says is important and heartfelt. Canterbury nails the entire emotional range of "Jamie" and was quite the surprise; sensitive, caring and upbeat at times and yet tortured by the longing for his sister. I was amazed how he could move from tears of sadness to tears of joy almost instantly and really make you understand with just facial expressions. Another one to mention was Diane Kruger as "the seeker". She was not what I imagined the character to be at all. That being said, she sold it! Not evil but clearly inwardly conflicted.
The cinematography was just stunning. The score was good and certainly added to key moments. The script was okay. I felt the dialogue was a bit cheesy at times but the actors handled it well and were able to sell the material. It was difficult to get past the inner dialogue of Melanie talking to Wanda in the beginning of the film. I got used to it towards the middle and there were some (I believe intentionally) funny moments in the film with Wanda and Melanie going back and forth. As I said before, Melanie's Louisiana accent was a bit off at times which was a distraction for me.
All in all, it is a good film. Not great but good. I will certainly see it again when I can rent it on Redbox!