Invasion

By now you know the obvious, that this is a failed remake of a remarkable film.

You can read from others about the cinematic properties it lacks, the imprecision, the failed pace, lack of urgent focus... Its really bad. Films like this are their own sort of virus.

What I'd like to remark on is the lack of subtext. I'm not sure one needs such a thing in horror films of this conspiracy-invasion kind. But the original had it and it gave it great power. The context was the cold war and the suspicion that there were silent, secret sleeper cells. That what this (the cold war) was all about was some grand battle between good and evil, but that evil often had persuasion on its side. The "convinced" were effectively brainwashed and thus behaved like zombies.

We use things like this today. I saw a zombie movie (the one with the shopping mall) that clearly conflated Muslim extremists with the zombies, and the recent "Cloverfield" deliberately evoked 9-11.

I'm not sure how one would convey that today with this film and stick close to the original idea. This business of "don't go to sleep." The notion that ADD kids are the salvation of society, somehow the root of what it means to be American. The subtext that psychiatrists matter. The idea that a lowly technician in a local hospital could mobilize and lead a worldwide response. The massive amount of explanation we suffer, particularly at the end.

Kidman has had better days. It has a troubled production history with rewrites and massive reshoots. It shows.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

The stage curtains open ...

I am probably of the minority here, but I actually really enjoyed this latest re-make in the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" line of movies. I even liked it better than the black & white original, placing this at #2 behind the 1978 version (which was the best one IMO). Certainly hands above the rather plain and flat 1993 version. I really liked what Nicole Kidman brought to the table here - a fun film to watch.

This time around, our main protagonist is Carol Bennell (Kidman), a psychiatrist who is a single mother, who's ex-husband is a CDC agent who is heading the investigation into a space shuttle crash which has captured the attention of the world. Unknown to everyone involved, the shuttle brought with it to Earth's surface an unknown organism which starts off a chain of events that would change everyone's live. Bennell first notices it when one of her patients, Wendy (played by Veronica Cartwright who was also in the 1978 version), claims that her husband is not really her husband. Before Bennell knows it, she is running to save both herself and her son from an unspeakable end.

Of the four movies, this one was clearly the more action-packed version with foot races, car chase scenes, explosions, and helicopters. Yet, I felt it still delivered a healthy dose of tension and paranoia ... not really knowing who you can trust or who to run from. Nicole Kidman delivers a fine performance, and Jackson Bond was perfect as her son. All of our supporting actors were also very good here, with believable performances.

I highly recommend this one. It is anything but boring, and provides an adrenalin rush in addition to the fear of becoming an emotionless, empty shell of your former self. The angle is different here, but still effective. I give this one a solid 8 stars out of 10. I've watched it a few times over the years, and have enjoyed it just as much with each viewing. Stay tuned ... apparently, there is yet another re-make in the works!

We went to see this last night. After all of the horrific reviews, I was expecting a real P.O.S. I was pleasantly surprised. While not to say it was an AWESOME movie or anything. It was good Sci Fi fun. I get irritated when a lot of movie buffs are looking for every film to be a Gone with the Wind or something. This was just a fun, smooth, entertaining production. I've never been a real fan of Nicole kidman, but I must say, she was quite fetching in this movie. If you are looking for the 50's version of War of the Worlds..The forbidden planet..John Carpenter's the THING...etc..it doesn't qualify. If you are looking for a fun Sci Fi Thriller to watch, it does the job.

The 70s remake of this film succeeded because it was a chilling psychological thriller with little to no horror film elements and a biting ending that lingered with you for days.

This film starts out with the premise and setup, but quickly deviates into a different film -- a rehashing of 28 days later and outbreak with illogical, formulaic action sequences that are literally lifted straight from any zombie film. As usual with sub-par screenplays, the plot requires illogical and implausible events to move forward and provide thrills. In the end, it couldn't make up its mind whether it was an intellectually compelling, psychological thriller or yet another zombie action film? The ending was ... eh I don't even want to explain it.

'The Invasion' is by no means a perfect film but I enjoyed it. Part of the reason is due to the company I was surrounded with (my family loves these kind of movies). It is very much a typical Hollywood sci-fi horror that 'pretends' to deal with themes like overuse of antidepressants and the desire for a 'perfect' world where all humans live in harmony blah blah blah. With such films one can almost always expect plot holes and overdone stunts and 'The Invasion' is no different. But, it does manage to create an intense alien atmosphere. The use of washed out colours to portray New York is well done and the camera-work is good. Nicole Kidman is superb. I don't understand all this criticism against her and accusations of her being a wooden actress. In my humble opinion, she is one of the finest actresses who even manages to lift a film like 'The Invasion'. In addition she looks absolutely stunning and healthy. I prefer this look than the extremely skinny look. Daniel Craig and Jeremy Northam are alright, though clearly overshadowed by Kidman. Thus to conclude, Nicole Kidman alone brings the movie from below mediocre to above average.