Another $1 purchase was THE HOST (2013). Yes – in a world where there is a perfectly well-regarded Korean monster movie with the same title from 2006 I choose to watch this misbegotten thing.
An adaptation of a novel by the author of the Twilight series this tale fooled me by being directed by a writer/director in whom I used to have solid faith. New Zealand native Andrew Niccol started his big screen career in the 1990’s as a creator of intelligent, thoughtful science fiction that I admired. From GATTACA (1997) through his non-SF film LORD OF WAR (2005) he was on a streak and I had him pegged as an interesting filmmaker to watch. But the six year break until his next film made me miss his next couple of efforts and I’m only now catching up.
Sadly, the bad word of mouth about THE HOST (2013) turns out to be well deserved. But oddly the credit for the film’s failure is only to a certain degree the weak source material that grafts an alien invasion plot onto a standard teenage love triangle story. Not that such a story can’t be done in an interesting way but in this case it always feels like its being used to generate interest in the target audience demographic rather than as a natural outgrowth of the tale being told. Lifting a core element from the various film versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers makes everything feel borrowed from the start. I suspect the target teen audience wouldn’t notice (or care) about this since everyone in the cast is suitably beautiful/gorgeous/handsome enough to make the eventual love triangle silliness vaguely plausible. But the weaknesses of the standard tropes of a YA novel’s story are compounded by what is usually a strength of the director.
What has often made Andrew Niccol’s science fiction films feel unique was the carefully detailed sense of a calm surface covering the roiling fears and anxieties of his characters. Those hidden inner conflicts are what drive the stories of GATTACA and the less admired S1M0NE (2002) making dangerous choices inevitable and the plot difficulties at least partially the fault of the protagonist. It is easy to see how Niccol would see this basic structure in THE HOST and think that he could use it well. But as a director he has a very arch style and his wonderfully detached form of storytelling is poorly suited to the needs of a tale whose conflict resolution rests on the spiky emotions of teen sexual angst. While perfect for observing adults hiding dangerous secrets from even their closest friends, when used to communicate lovelorn torment being experienced for the first time this directorial choice crushes any chance at believability. Worse, it renders many scenes in the film unintentionally silly and leaves an adult viewer seeing clearly the artificial structure of what is being done and resenting it. With the underlying emotional manipulation made clear it all falls apart with only the pretty people and fine cinematography left to keep you interested. The entire film ends up feeling like a waste of good resources and well-intentioned skill.
I have a vague memory of seeing Niccol’s 2018 film ANON but the fact I can barely recall it is telling. I might catch up with GOOD KILL (2014) to see how his reteaming with Ethan Hawk may have sparked something solid but I wonder if he hasn’t run out his string in Hollywood. I hope he has more good movies in him but I’m not sure if we’ll ever get to see him try again.
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