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Max Irons and Saoirse Ronan share a sensitive moment in “The Host,” based on the Stephenie Meyer novel. / ALAN MARKFIELD
Teenage girls seriously read this silliness? Film. The first non-“Twilight” Stephenie Meyer film is just as bizarre as the other ones. The works of Stephenie Meyer are written off, and not unfairly, as moony junk. But they’re weird. The “Twilight” novels take a turn for biological rebellion that would nauseate even David Cronenberg. One day semioticians will have a field day with Meyer’s “The Host,” which features a young teen’s lust literally suppressed, plus physical abuse and even a scene where our heroine begs her beloved to cut her. The talented Saoirse Ronan (“Atonement”) plays Melanie, a fierce teen captured during an alien invasion by glow-
ing cartoon octopi things. But her “soul” — named Wanderer — proves conveniently nice and weakwilled. Melanie can talk to her parasite, and guilt-trips her into escape. Most of “The Host” winds up taking place at a socialist commune, led by Melanie’s benevolent hippie dictator uncle (William Hurt), in a pimped-out cave that looks like the inside of an amusement-park dark ride. A dye-blond Aryan villain (Diane Kruger) obsessed with capturing Melanie/Wanderer provides a little bit of drive, but as with “Twilight,” most of the screentime is eaten up by mutual emo staring. The cave is populated by three bed-headed rent-ahunks; good luck telling them apart. One is Melanie’s old flame and another gets really into Wanderer, yielding not a love triangle but a love square. But sex, as in all of Mey-
Review ‘The Host’ Director. Andrew Niccol Stars. Saoirse Ronan, Diane Kruger Rating. PG-13 Grade. • • • • •
er’s works, is bad, and the few kisses (no tongue) lead to creepy violence. The real love, though, winds up being between host and parasite, which is original. Questionable but overqualified director Andrew Niccol (writer of “The Truman Show”) and Ronan give this more dedication than it deserves, but the film is irrepressibly nuts.
MATT PRIGGE
matt.prigge@metro.us
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