The Host (2013) Movie Review – Plot, Cast, Ending Explained

Film Purgatory Review: The Host (2013)

Directed by: Andrew Niccol

Based on: The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Max Irons, Jake Abel, Diane Kruger, William Hurt

Genre: Sci-Fi / Romance / Drama

Runtime: 125 minutes

Introduction

The Host (2013) exists in a strange cinematic limbo—fitting for a “Film Purgatory” label. Released in the shadow of Twilight, it carried the heavy baggage of Stephenie Meyer’s name while trying (and often struggling) to present itself as something more introspective and science-fiction driven. What emerges is a film with thoughtful ideas, uneven execution, and a tonal identity that never fully settles.

Story & Themes

The film imagines a near-future Earth overtaken by an alien species known as Souls, parasitic entities that enter human bodies and erase the host consciousness—at least, that’s the plan. When Melanie Stryder is captured, a Soul named Wanderer is implanted into her body. Unexpectedly, Melanie’s mind refuses to disappear, resulting in two consciousnesses sharing one body.

At its core, The Host explores:

Identity vs. control

Colonization disguised as peace

The persistence of memory and love

What it truly means to be human

These themes are genuinely compelling and more ambitious than the film’s YA-romance reputation suggests. Unfortunately, they’re often told rather than shown, diluting their impact.

Performances

Saoirse Ronan carries the film almost single-handedly. Tasked with playing two characters in one body, she differentiates Wanderer and Melanie through subtle shifts in posture, tone, and expression. Her performance adds emotional credibility to a script that sometimes lacks it.

Max Irons (Jared) struggles with flat delivery, weakening what should be the film’s emotional spine.

Jake Abel (Ian) fares better, offering warmth and genuine chemistry with Ronan.

Diane Kruger brings a quiet authority as The Seeker but is underutilized.

William Hurt provides grounded gravitas, even when the dialogue falters.

Direction & World-Building

Andrew Niccol, known for Gattaca and In Time, excels at conceptual sci-fi but stumbles with emotional pacing here. The world is clean, sterile, and eerily peaceful—an effective visual metaphor for benevolent tyranny. However, the film rushes through crucial world-building details while lingering too long on romantic subplots.

The desert resistance hideout is visually striking, but its internal logic and social dynamics feel underdeveloped, making the human rebellion less convincing than it should be.

Tone & Pacing

This is where The Host most clearly lands in purgatory.

Too slow for mainstream sci-fi fans

Too philosophical for romance-first audiences

Too romance-heavy for hard sci-fi lovers

The pacing drags in the middle act, and emotional beats repeat without escalation. The internal dialogue between Wanderer and Melanie—essential in the novel—often feels awkward on screen, breaking immersion instead of deepening it.

Strengths

Thought-provoking sci-fi premise

Strong lead performance by Saoirse Ronan

Clean, elegant visual design

Willingness to ask moral questions rather than rely on spectacle

Weaknesses

Uneven acting from supporting cast

Lack of emotional chemistry in key relationships

Over-explained themes

Identity crisis between YA romance and adult sci-fi

Final Verdict

The Host (2013) is not a bad film—it’s an unfulfilled one. It reaches for complex ideas about autonomy, coexistence, and love but never fully commits to any single vision. Caught between genres and audiences, it becomes a cinematic ghost: present, intriguing, but never fully alive.

For viewers willing to look past its flaws, The Host offers moments of quiet beauty and intellectual curiosity. For others, it may feel like a missed opportunity drifting endlessly between ambition and execution.

Rating: ★★½ / 5

Film Purgatory Status: Trapped between thoughtful sci-fi and diluted romance—worth visiting, but hard to recommend wholeheartedly.