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The Host

The Host

Action · Adventure · Science Fiction · 2013

A parasitic alien soul is injected into the body of Melanie Stryder. Instead of carrying out her race's mission of taking over the Earth, "Wanda" (as she comes to be called) forms a bond with her host and sets out to aid other free humans.

Movie details

The Host

“Choose to believe. Choose to fight. Choose to love.”

2013 Action · Adventure · Science Fiction 2h 6m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

5.8 / 10

121.5K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

10 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

35 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

6.3 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

A parasitic alien soul is injected into the body of Melanie Stryder. Instead of carrying out her race's mission of taking over the Earth, "Wanda" (as she comes to be called) forms a bond with her host and sets out to aid other free humans.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Host?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Andrew Niccol

Written by

Andrew Niccol

Saoirse Ronan

Saoirse Ronan

Melanie Stryder / Wanda

Diane Kruger

Diane Kruger

The Seeker / Lacey

Max Irons

Max Irons

Jared Howe

Jake Abel

Jake Abel

Ian O'Shea

William Hurt

William Hurt

Jeb Stryder

Frances Fisher

Frances Fisher

Maggie Stryder

Chandler Canterbury

Chandler Canterbury

Jamie Stryder

Court is in session

Put The Host on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.