The Host (2013 movie)

The Host is an American romantic science fiction film adapted from Stephenie Meyer s novel of the same name. Written and directed by Andrew Niccol, the film stars Saoirse Ronan, Max Irons, Jake Abel, William Hurt, and Diane Kruger. It was released on March 29, 2013. The film has been generally panned by critics and performed modestly in box office sales.Producers Nick Wechsler, Steve Schwartz, and Paula Mae Schwartz acquired the film rights to The Host in September 2009, but Open Road Films later acquired the film rights, and made Stephenie Meyer, Nick Wechsler, Steve Schwartz, and Paula Mae Schwartz the main producers. Andrew Niccol was hired to write the screenplay and to direct the film. In February 2011, Susanna White was hired to replace Niccol as director, but he later resumed the role in May 2011. Saoirse Ronan was also cast in May as Melanie Stryder/Wanderer. On June 27, the release date was set for the film for March 29, 2013, and it was also announced that principal photography would begin in February 2012, in Louisiana and New Mexico. The film received a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America for “some sensuality and violence. It was Open Road`s first film to receive a rating below the usual R. The Host has been panned by critics, currently holding a 9% `rotten` rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 112 reviews. The consensus states: Poorly scripted and dramatically ineffective, The Host is mostly stale and tedious, with moments of unintentional hilarity.CinemaScore polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was a B- on a scale of A to F. IGN gave it a mediocre score of 5/10, stating that the movie is unintentionally laughable and frustratingly absurd. Watch The Host for free was the penultimate film to be reviewed by film critic Roger Ebert before his death on April 4, 2013, and the last major movie to be published in his lifetime. He rated the film 2.5/4 stars, saying The Host is top-heavy with profound, sonorous conversations, all tending to sound like farewells. The movie is so consistently pitched at the same note, indeed, that the structure robs it of possibilities for dramatic tension .