Whenever your favorite book hits the big screen, there’s always that anxiety that it won’t live up to you’re expectations.

The special effects used in “The Host” to create the aliens or “souls” was magical. They seemed to come to life on screen. This futuristic world is astonishing, and the perfectly geometrical buildings aside the platinum cars were stunning. The cinematography created a clean and pure setting, which was right on cue with the book. The caves in the desert were magnificent, adding to the realistic environment. Everything I imagined while reading the book looked exactly right.

The casting of the characters was my biggest worry. Andrew Niccol and Stephanie Meyer did an exceptional job at casting. Saoirse Ronon did a brilliant job playing Melanie Stryder and Wander; she could cross the sass Melanie was set to have and the kind innocence of Wanderer. Max Irons’ portrayal of Jared Howe was effortless, as all of the built up emotion and anger his character was supposed to have showed through. Chandler Canterbury, who played Melanie’s sweet little brother Jamie Stryder, brought tears to my eyes. Seeing his reaction to Melanie’s return really tugged at the viewer’s heart strings.

Most movies differ from the original book and usually don’t do it justice. Although it did leave out a few scenes and details from the book, it followed the story almost exactly. They did a very impressive job turning the 619 page book into a 125 minute movie.

Overall the movie was brilliant and made me want to watch it about five times that day. I definitely suggest this to everyone. Even if you hate Stephanie Meyer, give “The Host” a chance. You will not regret it, I promise.