By now I can recognize that my taste in movies will vary year by year; every once in awhile I will experience something which impresses me strongly enough to declare a new favorite. In a culture which cherishes a diversity of intensely personal ideologies, one in which we can shop for someone’s opinion which matches our own for validation, it is difficult to promote one piece of art above the rest.
Nonetheless, my favorite movie of the day is now the 2013 movie, The Host. Not being abreast of pop culture, I was not aware that the original author also wrote the Twilight novels, placing this in the Young Adult category.
I suppose this proves that I am a bit of a sap when it comes to stories. I enjoyed reading Jane Austen, and am currently re-reading Wuthering Heights. Stories of love, honor, and sacrifice always grab my attention. If you want a change of scenery from the everyday blandness of violence, bigotry, deceit, wrath, and disillusionment which pervades our TV shows and movies, then you might enjoy it too.
Fundamentally, this is a love story with a scifi wrapper. Sometimes science fiction stories simply explore technology and the transcendance of the human condition; this, on the other hand, uses scifi as a foil to reflect the common decency and truth which surely underpins all of God’s creation. I would argue that the capability for the purest love truly resides in all of our souls; that this love is proof of the divine ancestry of our humanity.
Perusing a few reviews of this movie, I see that many people find this movie to be slow and underdeveloped in the romance category. However, it is more about the question, “What would you do for someone you love,” than about attempting to describe why or how two people come to love each other. Perhaps people are more entertained by the details of attraction and seduction than about considering the significance of true “agape” love, and the consequences.
In conclusion, this story stands out because of its depiction of unblinking honesty in its characters. Can you tell a story where people are not constantly lying to each other for selfish gain?
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. – 1 Corinthians 13:6-7
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