L'invasion

I admit that I was hesitant about seeing "The Invasion" after reading some poor reviews and coming to this message board. I also was leery after learning that part of it was re-shot by different directors which is usually a very bad sign. Plus the fact that they give Kidman a kid in this film had me leery for I often grow weary of female leads in suspense/action/horror films having to protect children instead of other adults like male leads do especially if the kids are annoying.

So, I almost didn't see "The Invasion" after reading and hearing all of the complaints about no plot, no real character development, bad acting and poor directing/editing.

Yet, I finally agreed to just go with my gut and take a chance on a matinée show of "The Invasion." Boy, am I glad that I did, not only because I did not have to pay the outrageous full price of ten bucks but I actually liked this film.

Despite what some are saying this film does have a plot. People are actually doing things that lead to other plot points like the whole deal with Veronica Cartwright's character and Kidman's character leaving her son with the ex-husband. These two story lines lead to important discoveries and actions that happen later on in the film.

Also, there is character development. Kidman's character does develop because she's forced to change in order to survive and to protect herself and her son. The warm relationship between Kidman's character and her son and Ben also is established.

So beyond these relationships do we really need to dwell on the other characters for too long? After all this is a plot driven movie not a character driven movie. Besides, if they had taken time to thoroughly get into everyone else's back story people would be whining about the movie being too long. But I digress.

Also, I thought that all of the actors did a good job especially Kidman. She showed good range from being a caring psychiatrist, to a loving mother to a terrified woman to a desperate mother who would do anything to protect her child. I also like the mood and tone of this film. Granted the Pod People in the 1956 and 1978 versions were a tad bit creepier but I liked this film better than the 1978 version overall and I didn't miss that crazy scream. However, the 1956 version is definitely a classic.

Sure "The Invasion" is not perfect and it has it flaws and I feel that the studio probably should have left the original version alone. After all, the majority of the film is stronger than the last half which is obviously where the re-shoots took place. Still despite the unnecessary out of order time cuts, and a tad too many car crashes, the film still worked for me. I was definitely entertained.

Now that's saying a lot especially since I went in with low expectations.

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.

This fourth adaptation about vintage novel deals a space shuttle blows up and the fragments transfer an alien virus that recodes the human beings DNA. It creates an altering the human behaviour. Meanwhile a psychiatrist named Carol(Nicole Kidman) must to protect her son(Bond) who may hold the means to avoid the extraterrestrial invasion. The mysterious epidemic from outer space is spread her friends, ex-husband and Washington people, everybody are being take over by emotionless,cold behaving. Carol is helped by her good friend Doctor Driscoll(Daniel Craig) and scientific Doctor Stephen(Jeffrey Wright).

This scary Sci-Fi displays a tense screenplay based on Jack Finney novel titled ¨Body snatchers¨. Packs suspense,chills, thrills, spectacular car pursuits and pretty turns and twists. Good performances from Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Jeffrey Wright.Appears in secondary role Veronica Carwight as deranged wife, she acted in the second version by Philip Kauffman, besides cameo role by Jeff Wincott as a security agent,he's a B series star. The motion picture is professionally directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, though with no originality. His greatest hits were ¨The experiment¨ and ¨The downfall¨.

Another version about this known story are : the classic adaptation which emerged as a cinema classic directed by Donald Siegel(1956) with Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter, concerning about mysterious seeds duplicating people ; a magnificent semi-sequel which takes place in San Francisco directed by Phil Kauffman(78) with Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, and Leonard Nimoy; and inferior rendition by Abel Ferrara(1994) that takes place in a military base with Forrest Whitaker , Meg Tilly and Gabriella Anwar.

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!

Invasion!.. of the people without emotions. This is pretty much a re-telling of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" with a modern setting and look. Interesting concepts are presented, but it turns out to be your run-of-the-mill thriller entertainment with recognizable actors. Nothing bad. It just took the Hollywood direction. The suspense is great in some scenes, especially in the first half. When we get to the climax things start to become too convenient and even a little predictable. What the movie really utilize well are the main leads. The characters are like-able which is super important here because you have to care for them when they are on the run from the invaders. The antagonists are annoying in just the right way. Imagine someone you know loosing all of their emotions and becoming an outer shelf of what that person used to be. That's a pretty scary idea. The movie plays it safe. What it lacks is some extra emotional punch and we never truly get that. So, I think the filmmakers should have gone for something even riskier at the end. The impact would have been much better. We get the Hollywood finale. And I guess it works in some ways because less people will feel paranoid after watching it.

It's alright. You can put the movie on and be entertained by the suspense and seeing Nicole Kidman be chased by weird stale people. The look of the picture is pretty nice. The blue-ish color tint fits the movie well. You should probably stick to the original "Body Snatchers", but if you wanna go for something that's easier to process then check this one out.