It's kidnapping and kisses in these 10 new images from THE HOST

My relationship with Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Saga is like my relationship with cats. I know there are millions of people who love them , and I’ve even been known to chuckle at funny pictures of them on the internet, but physical contact usually results in an acute allergic reaction of breaking out in a rash, and my brain trying to leak out through my nose.

However, Meyer’s other work, the sci-fi body snatchers tale, The Host, filtered through the vision of writer-director Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, In Time), looks like it may be slightly -SLIGHTLY – kinder on my immune system. I mean, how bad could any movie featuring William Hurt brandishing a big rifle really be?

Hollywood.com has 10 new pics from the production, and here’s the synopsis for both the movie and the book it’s based on (as the book synopsis does a far better job actually explaining what the movie is about) to place them in context.

Movie synopsis:

Based on the best-selling novel by “Twilight Saga” author Stephenie Meyer, “The Host” is a riveting story about the survival of love and the human spirit in a time of war. Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact. Most of humanity has succumbed.

Book synopsis

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, didn’t expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer’s thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she’s never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human.

I dig the film’s sci-fi concepts, I’m a fan of some of the cast (especially the lead Saoirse Ronan) and there was definitely some interesting visuals in that first trailer, but then you get to the mushy love triangle bits and this seems to be vintage Meyer territory, or at least whatever the horrifically bad version of vintage is. Here’s hoping that the Andrew Niccol that gave us Gattaca – and to a lesser extent, that first 20 mins of In Time – shows up to the party.

Last Updated: December 7, 2012