The Host: Its brilliantly original because Stephenie Meyer “Wrote” it

Recipe: Take the original invasion of the body snatchers from the fifties, add the remake from the eighties, maybe even the Hidden from the late eighties a couple of bad remakes like the Invasion with Nicole Kidman, a couple of seasons of Stargate SG1 and a famous American author of twilight who no-one has the courage to say “by the way you’ve stolen every idea in your novel” too; and there you have The Host.

Don’t get me wrong The Host is not such a bad movie, actually I enjoyed it, but the fact that Stephenie Meyer got accolades for writing it instead of multiple law-suits is simply just appalling.  Yes I know she wrote the Twilight series (not very original either, ever heard of a film called the Lost Boys Stephenie?) but this doesn’t excuse completely misplaced pats on the back.

It kind of asks the question: is there any originality left in the United states? If you liked all of the films I have mentioned you will probably enjoy this one, even if it does steer a bit towards soppy teen romance at times. A very good performance from Irish/American actress Saoirse Ronan who many would remember from her rather chilling role in Hanna missing everyone’s heart..

You might wonder why my response to a film I admit enjoying is somewhat critical when its just a question of who wrote the thing, but the precise problem is that no one seems to be mentioning where the story was ripped from. What got my heckles up here was Meyer produced the film herself and not once mentioned the other classic films she borrowed from. Instead in her interviews we are treated to a George Lucas style lets-talk-about-me-and-how-talented-I-am as if she had just published Gone With the Wind.