Netflix Just Quietly Added A Notorious Sci-Fi Flop You’ll Love To Hate

Netflix is the talk of the town right now. The big story, of course, is that the company is close to acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, one of Hollywood’s biggest studios that owns an extensive library of IP. Making a move of that magnitude shows that Netflix is serious about becoming one of the industry’s most prominent players and helping shape the future of entertainment. And all of this is happening at the same time that Netflix is releasing the final season of its biggest show of all time, Stranger Things. Season 5 Part I is already on the platform, and Part 2 will follow in a few weeks. But Netflix wants to make sure people stick around in the meantime.

Since Stranger Things is such a big draw for Netflix, the platform is loading up on as much science fiction content as it can get its hands on. Recently, it added a 12-year-old movie called The Host, based on the novel of the same name by Stephanie Meyer. When it came out, it was looking to capitalize on the success of the Twilight series, which also adapted Meyer’s work, but it didn’t find nearly as much success as its vampire cousin. No, it was panned by critics, earning only 10% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer.

The Host focuses on a young girl named Melanie, who is running from the alien parasites that are controlling nearly all of humanity. When a parasite takes control of a human, it erases their personality, but the “Spirit” that finds itself in Melanie can’t get the job done, and the two fight for control of the body. By the end of the movie, it seems like there’s room for more story, but it’s hard to focus on that because of all the laughable and head-scratching moments that come before. Fortunately, there’s one aspect of The Host that makes it worth watching.

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Saoirse Ronan Gives It Her All in The Host

These days, Saoirse Ronan is a household name, starring in critical darlings like The French Dispatch and Little Women. However, back in 2013, she was in a very different place in her career. Sure, she had earned an Academy Award nomination for her breakout role in Atonement, but she wasn’t established just yet. The Host offered her an oppurtunity to flex her acting muscles, and she didn’t miss, delivering an outstanding performance in an otherwise unremarkable movie.

Ronan got enough love for her work to earn a nomination at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards. Funnily enough, she lost her category to Kristen Stewart, who was hot off playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. Neither actress became a frequent attendee of the ceremony, but that wasn’t because they stopped working. Stewart and Ronan have become two of the biggest names in Hollywood, and Meyer deserves at least a little credit for that.

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