Stephanie Meyer has done it again: she’s successfully brought another one of her fantasy romance novels to the big screen. Fortunately, “The Host” has a lot more to offer than “Twilight” ever could. For the first time, Stephanie Meyer has written something that is entertaining on both paper and on screen.

“The Host,” directed by Andrew Niccol, couldn’t be any more similar to “Twilight” except for the fact that it was actually well written and the translation from book to big-screen was well done.  It still includes the steamy love affairs between some inhuman race and humans (which is sure to start some kind of insane fan girl rivalry) as well as a fight for survival against a common enemy.

The main heroine, Melanie, portrayed by Saoirse Ronan, is a strong, independent character. Unlike the meek, and pathetic Bella Swan, Melanie’s character can take care of herself and does not need a sparkling vampire to “complete her.” After an alien race takes over Earth and implants their identities into human bodies, Melanie becomes part of a resistance trying to preserve the human race. She is later captured and her body is taken over, but because Melanie is strong willed, her memory and conscience is not fully erased. Throughout the movie she struggles to fight of the aliens as well as save the people she loves.

Of course it was not just the story line that made it good, but the acting was not bad. Saoirse Ronan did a great job of interpreting her role. From the range of roles she has acted in her career, this is probably one of, if not, her best roles. As for Ronan’s co-stars, Andrew Niccol did a good job of casting two hunks (Max Irons and Jake Abel) as Melanie’s love interests, only making the film all the more likeable.

As cliché as the plot may sound, it makes for a good story. There is only so much of a 500 page book that you can fit in a three hour time-slot, but the movie still managed to have slow-moving parts.  Although both the movie and book did drag on at times, it was rich in suspense and action, as well as romance. Both the setting and dialogue are realistic and fitting for the futuristic setting of the story, but they also bring “The Host” to life.

Nothing Stephanie Meyers writes is perfect, but if there is anything that comes even remotely close, it would have to “The Host.”