The Host

Saoirse Ronan, Max Irons, Jake Abel, Diane Kruger

Directed by Andrew Niccol

Based on the book by Stephanie Meyer

Faithfulness to the book: 9/10

Rating of movie: B

In Stephanie Meyer's sci-fi novel, Earth has been taken over by friendly aliens in the form of a silvery floating orb. These orbs are implanted in the spinal cord and take over human bodies. Earth no longer has wars, crime, or rude people. Sounds like Utopia, right? The humans who have managed to escape being taken over don't think so. Melanie (Ronan) fought tooth and nail not to be taken by the Seekers (humans taken over by aliens who search for those still truly human). Melanie's love for her brother and the group of survivors she hides with is what keeps her mind conscious despite having her body taken over.

Though Melanie can't speak for herself, she mentally fights the alien called "Wanderer" who has taken over her body. Wanderer helps the Seekers give up information on where Melanie's group of friends are hidden, but as Wanderer ends up finding the hidden place herself she learns these people are worth fighting to live for too. Only one Seeker (Kruger) won't give up looking and starts to show a little humanity as she grows desperate by firing a gun.

I think it might be a little generous to give "The Host" a "B" rating when the book, and movie adaptation, were both flat. One thing about Meyer's writing not just in the "Twilight" series but in "The Host" as well is that she has a way of making the worlds feel very realistic (despite vampires and aliens not being real). The group Wanderer sticks with are, for a majority of the film, in a cave. They only resort to violence against the Seekers when confronted and even that doesn't happen often. There is no real conflict, while Wanderer figures out a peaceful solution to their troubles and how to get Melanie back to her own body.

Looking at it from from a non-subjective perspective, it was a well-made movie. It leans more towards romance and is a little more mature (like "Breaking Dawn") than her usual audience is used to. I would recommend that anyone who enjoyed "Twilight" or young adult novels to watch and read "The Host". I have to admit that the movie is pretty faithful to the book which is refreshing since most adaptations are as faithful as keeping character names and setting but changing things around.

Mega Piranha

Paul Logan, Barry Williams, Tiffany

Directed by Eric Forsberg

Rating: 1 star

Mutant piranha's get unleashed in the amazon, swimming towards Florida. A group of scientists and military people try to stop them and figure out how to kill them.

Yep, that pretty much sums up this movie. It was THE worst sci-fi movie I have ever seen. It shouldn't have been made; the special effects were terrible, the cast couldn't act, the piranha were digitally added and completely laughable. Don't get me wrong, when you hear a title like Mega Piranha, you know it's got to be a horrible movie. I couldn't finish watching this movie because it was boring and the bad acting was unbearable. I would only recommend this movie to those who enjoy bad sci-fi films. Be warned: it is only fun to laugh at if you are watching this with a group of people. If you watch this alone, that will be 92 minutes of your life you will never get back.

I Am Number Four

Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Diana Agron, Callan McAuliffe

Directed by D. J. Caruso

Rating: 4 stars

I Am Number Four follows the story of a teenager who has abilities no human could have. John (Alex Pettyfer) has been used to moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), always on the run to keep from being noticed. There are very few people like John and enemies who have taken over his home planet are scavenging for the last of John's kind. So far they have killed the first three and as the title says, John is number four. In Ohio, John must learn how to use his powers to keep himself alive and battle those after him.

Overall, I Am Number Four was a pretty good movie. It had action generally throughout it and an interesting plot to keep you watching. John is used to being the new kid but when he moves to Ohio, he is tired of trying to keep a low profile. It's sort of hard when a girl, Sarah (Diana Agron), who carries a camera around school keeps taking photos of you. When the jocks pick on a smaller kid, John does his best to help Sam (Callan McAuliffe) which makes him the new target. What makes I Am Number Four good is the action and the cast was picked well so that helps. The end of the movie suggests a sequel and personally, I probably will go see it if it is made. Though the movie has a rating of PG-13, I don't think anyone younger then eight years-old should see it because it might have some scary scenes. Other then that, I think most people might enjoy this film if you enjoy action, thriller, or sci-fi kind of movies. I went into this movie with the mindset that it wouldn't be that great but left the theater feeling like it was money worth spent.

The Sea Beast

Corin Nemac, Mariam McDonald, Gary Hudson, Daniel Wisler

Directed by Paul Ziller

Rating: 2 stars

A man gets killed while out with his fishing crew during a rough storm. Everyone said it was because he simply fell overboard but Will McKenna (Corin Nemac) saw something grab him off board. He keeps it to himself until an innocent teenager gets killed by the Sea Beast on the dock. Sheriff Jay McKenna (Gary Hudson) (Will's brother), refuses to believe him, claiming it was something that came out of the woods. So all the macho-men go out into the woods and run into the Sea Beast. Will's daughter Carly (Mariam McDonald) went to a small island with her boyfriend and best friend. However, the Sea Beast kills Carly's friend and we find out that the Sea Beast has babies! The boat is gone and Carly is stranded with her boyfriend. The Sea Beast has dozens of little terrors that everyone is trying to kill off until Will, followed by Carly and her boyfriend destroy the whole egg nest in an abandoned ship.

The Sea Beast is a cheesy and dumb made-for-tv sci-fi (science-fiction for those who don't know) movie that should have never been made. However, this is a movie you should not watch alone, preferably with someone who can make you laugh along with it. This movie deserves two stars because it is just so bad. It deserves two instead of one star because at least you can laugh a little at how ridiculous it is. First of all, Sea Beast? This aquatic monster looks like a mix between the Creature from the Black Lagoon and a barracuda. Second, Carly definitely wears the pants in her relationship. She ended up saving herself and boyfriend a few times from the Sea Beast's babies. And third, her boyfriend is stupid. He tried to take a picture of the Sea Beast baby and it bit his hand... The bite later swells and then he tries to squeeze it. Definitely an ew factor when the pus comes out. Yeah, that movie went there. I would recommend this movie for people who enjoy bad sci-fi movies, like Frankenfish and Deep Blue Sea.