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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.
So... I watched The Host this afternoon. I wasn't gonna. After all, I haven't watched it in the theaters, figured it wasn't worth wasting P200 for. When I outgrew my Twilight phase and saw the light where I realized it was not a really good series (putting it mildly), I swore that I won't touch anything related to that anymore. And yes, you may call me a snob but that's just how it is. 

"Why now? Why this movie, then?" you ask. Well, to put it plainly, I was curious. Good old fashioned curiosity that humankind inherited from cats. I haven't read the book of course because of the vow.  But Saiorse Ronan was there whom I admired since she was in Atonement. Then there were Max Irons, goddamit son you look good, and Jake Abel whom I keep calling Luke Abel.

And you know what, it wasn't as painful as I imagined it would be. It was surprisingly good given that I am not a big fan of aliens. I don't know the original story so I haven't had the slightest clue why these aliens that like like glowing amoeba would suddenly come to our planet and possess people. They are beings without fleshly envelopes. How did they accomplish it? *shrugs* Who cares? I was still recovering from shouting at the jaeger pilots when I watched Pacific Rim earlier, so my curiosity was not as sharp as it would have been.

It was told in the most simple way possible and in its simplicity it focused on the subjects and not the why and how of things. Although I found Wanderer or Wanda too kind. Or maybe that was it... her species originally was. Peace-loving creatures that colonize worlds and possess their creatures to survive and make peace where they could all be unicorns and poop rainbows. But Wanderer (I like calling her that better) was just trying to make sense of the world and trying to live it and through Melanie's memories and her relationships with people she cared for, she began thinking a new thought  - whether or not there was a new way of peacefully coexisting with humans without anyone robbed of their free will.

There were many gaps, I tell you, since the movie showed just the slice of life that Wanda/Melanie at that point in time. Questions that I had when my curious side recovered from another set of aliens; like, were there other people who escaped from being possessed? Answered at the end of the movie. Were there other amoeba who didn't hijacked unwilling humans? Answered at the end of the movie. Peaceful but parasites? Not really answered. Why was the Seeker like that? Because she was really anti-peace and pro-war? Not fully explored character. Can an amoeba form a proper  romantic relationship with a human? Yes, after she possessed Violet Baudelaire, she and Luke Abel became a proper couple without Max Irons telling the guy o stay away from his possessed girlfriend. Win-win. But, hey, who wouldn't say no to being kissed by two hot guys?

In the end, Wanderer's kindness saved the day. It's not a bad thing. She even told Doc how to extract her fellow amoeba from hosts without hurting anyone. 

I did not expect anything quite as cinematic as those big sci-fi movies out there. I was only looking for something to watch on an afternoon. And while it was not as good a movie as a full blast blockbuster, it was not as bad as I thought it would be.
Will I read the book? Probably not.
Ayanami Faerudo

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