'The Host' is an amazing movie. I went to see it today with my niece and she enjoyed it enormously too. We went not knowing what to expect. The reviews I'd read (all here on IMDb.com btw) seemed to be either full of praise or unsparingly critical. Also the novel is by Stephanie Meyer (of Twilight fame) - which, for me, being only Luke warm about any of the Twilight series, only added further to my feelings of trepidation. In the end I let the fact that I'm quite a fan of Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones/City of Ember) tip the balance. Well, I'm happy to say that, after seeing this film, I'm now an even greater fan of Ms Ronan than ever, AND that my admiration for Stephanie Meyers' storytelling ability has risen exponentially! Apart from those two, everything else about the film is pretty awesome as well. Cinematography is beautiful. Most of the characters invoked a fair measure of empathy in me - even to the point of my having to hold back tears (of both sadness and joy) from welling up on more than one occasion. There is also quite a lot of romance (especially for a science fiction film) - in fact I'd go so far as to say this film possibly has some of the tenderest and most beautiful kissing scenes of any film (even non sci-fi) that I can recall. Acting, directing, music and (most importantly) the screenplay, are all first rate. A highly original and thought provoking story which, although set in the future, may also be seen as having a certain relevance to present humanity. A worthy 8/10.