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The Invasion deserves a second chance on DVD. This ambitious sci-fi thriller represents a flawed yet worthy attempt to bring contemporary vitality to Jack Finney's classic science fiction novel, previously filmed as Don Siegel's 1956 classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Philip Kaufman's suspenseful 1978 remake, and Abel Ferrara's highly underrated Body Snatchers from 1994. And while those earlier films are superior in many respects, The Invasion is not without strengths of its own, particularly for those who prefer action and suspense. Unfortunately these strengths were compromised by the unpredictable misfortunes of production: Original director Oliver Hirschbiegel (hired on the strength of Downfall) was eventually replaced by James McTiegue (V for Vendetta), and the Wachowski Brothers (of Matrix trilogy fame) added high-octane action sequences to the original screenplay by David Kajganich. Perhaps the movie had a curse on it (star Nicole Kidman was almost seriously injured in a stunt-car mishap during last-minute re-shoots), but it's really just a matter of disparate ingredients that don't always fit together, resulting in a slick-looking film that can't decide if it's a sci-fi mystery, action thriller, or political allegory. It tries too hard to be all things at once.
Despite this, Kidman rises to the occasion with a solid performance as Carol, a Washington, D.C. psychiatrist who's convinced (with the help of costars Daniel Craig and Jeffrey Wright) that a flu-like virus is spreading throughout the population, its alien spores turning victims into soulless "pod people"... only in this case without the pods. The idea is that you'll be fine if you don't fall asleep, and especially if you don't let anyone sneeze or vomit on you. (There's a lot of vomiting; don't say you weren't warned.) With a crashing space shuttle to deliver the alien threat, cute tyke Jackson Bond as Carol's threatened son, and a nod to Kaufman's film with a small role for Veronica Cartwright, The Invasion will surely fare better on DVD than it did in theaters. If nothing else, it proves the timeless relevance of Finney's original premise, which continues to inspire a multitude of variations. --Jeff Shannon
Despite this, Kidman rises to the occasion with a solid performance as Carol, a Washington, D.C. psychiatrist who's convinced (with the help of costars Daniel Craig and Jeffrey Wright) that a flu-like virus is spreading throughout the population, its alien spores turning victims into soulless "pod people"... only in this case without the pods. The idea is that you'll be fine if you don't fall asleep, and especially if you don't let anyone sneeze or vomit on you. (There's a lot of vomiting; don't say you weren't warned.) With a crashing space shuttle to deliver the alien threat, cute tyke Jackson Bond as Carol's threatened son, and a nod to Kaufman's film with a small role for Veronica Cartwright, The Invasion will surely fare better on DVD than it did in theaters. If nothing else, it proves the timeless relevance of Finney's original premise, which continues to inspire a multitude of variations. --Jeff Shannon
DVD Description
The mysterious crash of a space shuttle leads to the terrifying discovery that there is something alien within the wreckage. Those who come in contact with it are changing in ominous and inexplicable ways. Soon Washington D.C. psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) and her colleague Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig) learn the shocking truth about the growing extraterrestrial epidemic: it attacks its victims while they sleep, leaving them physically unchanged but strangely unfeeling and inhuman. As the infection spreads, more and more people are altered and it becomes impossible to know who can be trusted. Now Carol's only hope is to stay awake long enough to find her young son, who may hold the key to stopping the devastating invasion.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
'The' Invasion?,
By Jon Shipton "Jon" (United kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Invasion [DVD] [2007] (DVD)
3rd remake of the original 1956 thriller Invasion of the BodySnatchers!
This is a slick looking movie, though an inconsistant story. A poor script (In places) doesn't help! But Kidman gives a good central performance if a little on the cool side. One has to ask; Why remake this then? With only a novel new 'Take-over' sequence and a slightly more focused look at the aliens being more benign towards each other, than humans are to each other. There is just not enough here to recommend this version over ANY of the others! Not a terrible film by any means, it just seems too ordinary for it's own good! A VERY AVERAGE MOVIE.
26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
dont fall asleep,
By stephen "s.x" (england) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Invasion [DVD] [2007] (DVD)
I couldnt make up my mind whether i was watching this film because the beautiful and talented N. Kidman was in it or because i thought it was a decent thriller. I preferred 1978 bodysnatchers with Donald Sutherland, but thats not to say this movie is bad just a little rushed in places.
Yes, their is a lot of irony in that the alien virus which renders all emotion obsolete is also seen as a good thing. No more war, people working together for the common good as a single entity. It raises some questions about the human being good and bad. But a world without people properly expressing themselves is a very dull one indeed. The ending is also slightly disappointing in that the 1978 version was darker and overall more depressing. Attempting to explain the appearance of the alien spores and how they work, also the possibility of a vaccine is all sandwiched in between Kidman running away from infected people. Scriptwriters obviously found they had a lot to squeeze into 90+ mins and found it a struggle. Its a shame because the movie ratchets up the tension pretty well to keep the viewer engrossed, and the performances are solid. Kidman and Craig work well together, and every scene with Kidman on the run is when the movie works best. Kidman really is a good actress and can make you feel the desperation she is going through, but without her the movie would have been flat. But for gods sake its time hollywood started to come up with original ideas, endless remakes and remakes of remakes are proving tiresome.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Invasion,
By peanut "PRD" (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Invasion [DVD] [2007] (DVD)
Somewhat lacking in tension etc. The original Bodysnatchers circa 1950's did a better job of keeping the terror alive until the final reel (The original Bodysnatchers movie was a kind of homage to paranoia in relation to "Reds under the bed" fears in relation to communism) Poor in the excitement/drama dept. Must do better messrs Kidman/Craig!
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