The Bottom Line
Had the film not been able to boast such an A-list cast, it would have undoubtedly headed straight to video or cable. Wait and catch it there and save yourself the horror of having to sit through this mishmash of styles in a theater. Better yet, check out any of the other Invasion of the Body Snatchers films and avoid this one all together.
- Daniel Craig looks great as does Nicole Kidman
- Shows all dogs are smarter than most humans
- There are a few moments when "The Invasion" is actually suspenseful
- Those suspenseful moments are surrounded by bland and boring filler
- Jump cutting back and forth to tell the story doesn’t work in this case
- The plot leaves a lot to be desired
- Doesn’t trust the audience to figure anything out on our own
Description
- Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel with uncredited work by the Wachowski Brothers
- Kidman and seven others were injured filming a stunt during the reshoot process
- R for language
- Theatrical Release Date: August 17, 2007
Guide Review - The Invasion Movie Review
The aliens that hitch a ride aboard a space shuttle definitely aren’t from the same planet as Spielberg’s ET and when the shuttle crashes, a pandemic of incredible proportions is unleashed. The spread of the extraterrestrials is quick, happening overnight to anyone who comes in contact with someone who’s been infected. Victims change into unemotional zombies who wander around looking for more people to infect.
Kidman plays psychiatrist Carol Bennell whose ex-husband (Jeremy Northam) is one of the first to be changed. Once she and her friend Ben Driscoll (Craig) begin to figure out what’s going on, it becomes a race to save her only child from her ex and his alien cohorts.
The Cast
Kidman plays it overly controlled and restrained so much so that when her character should be showing emotion (prior to the discovery of an alien invasion), she barely reacts to disturbing news and weird situations. Once it’s necessary for the character to withhold any displays of emotion in order to fit in, it’s not enough of a change from how she played the role at the beginning of the film. Craig provides moments of comic relief but unfortunately he’s just not around enough in The Invasion to contribute more than a few flashes of wit and personality to the story.
To Sum It Up
The saying ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ is entirely apropos here. The production troubles and reshoots made the news after Kidman was involved in an accident on set. But even if you go into The Invasion totally unaware of the difficulties with production, troubles with the film’s story and pacing are evident throughout the finished product.
This Invasion doesn’t add anything to the Invasion of the Body Snatchers story that would have warranted retelling the creepy tale of aliens taking over human bodies yet another time. File this one under been there/done that and forget it.
GRADE: D
