Movie Review: The Host

Ages ago I did a book review for Stephanie Meyers' book The Host and surprisingly it was a great book. It should have gotten the publicity that Twilight didn't deserve. Its a book I cannot shut up about.
Since it also had a film adaption I decided back when it first came out that I would watch it-despite my wariness. The movie Eragon has left deep scars on my soul.

First, I was not disappointed with the movie, it kept to the story line and I recognized various bits of dialogue from the book. But I also can see why it had already been knocked down to five dollars at Walmart. Besides Mel's quips it was very dry and slow moving. The in depth view we have to Wanda's emotions in the book couldn't be conveyed sufficiently in the film. Wanda/Mel had multiple scenes were they stared directly into the camera, it repeatedly seemed like they were breaching the fourth wall.

Several minor characters were cut such as Kyle's girlfriend and the soul who possesses her body. While I don't feel that the lack of these characters affected the overall plot I was disappointed not to see them. For a movie that ran a full two hours and some change I expected a little more detail.

Finally the last scene in the movie and in the book. It was so drastically different from what I imagined. I pictured the confrontation happening somewhere in the desert not in the middle of the city. I feel like that could be a fault on my part as a reader. I'll have to go back and read the book again to make sure I didn't overlook the setting. Somehow I know I did.

Still despite all that I'm still hoping for a sequel to the book and eventually the movie. I can't stand how open ended they both were. Twilight becomes a saga and The Host still remains a standalone? Nope. Not liking it.
 
Question: Does anyone else agree that an author's most successful book may not be their best work?

5 Reasons I'll Never Watch Cast Away Again

For the first time I watched Cast Away yesterday night and while I recognize that it was a critical success, I won’t be watching it again anytime soon. Here’s why:

1.      The Ending: I like happy endings. Anyone who has seen this movie knows that while the ending does leave the viewers hoping for a brighter future for Chuck, it is also heartbreaking. Kelly has moved on with her life and he just doesn’t have a role in it.

2.      Kelly: Generally, I like Helen Hunt in most movies and while there was nothing wrong with her performance here, I found it difficult to like her character. When she tells Chuck that he is the love of her life, I instantly hated her. If someone is truly the love of your life then you can never let him go. For her to say that, have an impromptu make out session with him and then go back inside to her family I found her to be very indecisive and mildly hypocritical. She knew he was alive but caved to peer pressure to move on with her life. I’m sorry but no. I would have accepted this plot if she hadn’t called him the love of her life and insisted that she knew he was alive. It was realistic until that point.

3.      The Box: I really wanted to know what was in the box marked with the angel wings. After all, it could have been something to help him escape the island or help him to survive. Since watching the movie I have browsed the web and realized that there are two theories. One being that there was a solar powered satellite phone in the box. To me this would have been great to put in the movie. A true face palm moment. However, it seems that the director was only joking when he mentioned that. Other sources say that based on the script there was some salsa and a note in the box. I’m fine with either answer but it bugs me to have the question truly left unanswered.

4.      Injury Count: It’s not unreasonable to get hurt as Chuck did while stranded on that island. I just have a problem with the frequency. Every time I looked at the screen, he seemed to be bleeding. From stepping on rocks, being cut on coral, and various other things. It just seemed over used to me.

5.      Kelly Again: I have one more detriment to this character. When Chuck was rescued and welcomed back officially, Kelly was asked to see him, and she agreed. But at the last minute, her husband walks into the room drops the bomb that Kelly has moved on with him and that this is incredibly emotional for her. That was low. She couldn’t even say that she was glad he was alive? Moreover, for the husband to speak for her just didn’t sit right with me. The scene was an irritation.

Okay there we have it in a numbered list. After reading through it again, I seriously doubt I’ll ever watch this again.

So question time! If you have seen this movie, do you like it or not and why? If you haven’t don’t let me discourage you from watching it. We all have to form our own opinions and despite only listing negative things, this movie did have some good stuff too. Nevertheless, for me the good outweighs the bad.