The Invaders - The First Season
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: InvadersBrand: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 933 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-05-27
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount
Movie Reviews of The Invaders - The First Season
Movie Review: Half a Season of Classic Sci-Fi Television
Summary: 5 Stars
Though I enjoyed both seasons of THE INVADERS, Season One is my favorite. As with most first season shows, Season One of THE INVADERS is when the production team did some experimenting before it settled on a "formula." As such the beginning of the season is fresher and a little more raw than the series' second year run.
In the first season David Vincent bears the burden of his crusade against the alien invasion alone. Although each show adds additional witnesses to alien activity, Vincent is seemingly the only one dedicated enough to give up his personal life, employment, and reputation in the pursuit of the aliens. This is very different from Season Two where Vincent is a member of a larger organization of believers.
The plot: Aliens from another galaxy have landed on Earth slowly establishing their network. Their goal is to acquire the Earth as a replacment planet for their dying world. The aliens have taken human form both to survive in the oxygen rich environment and to infiltrate society. In the pilot episode "Beachhead" Architect David Vincent accidentally witnesses one of the alien landings and finds that no one believes him. Worse is that police treat him as a kook and the aliens are out to do away with him all together. Ultimately Vincent takes up his lonely pursuit of the aliens. Vincent is played by handsome blue-eyed Roy Thinnes. Thinnes had alreay appeared in several prior Quinn Martin television productions and ended up landing the starring role in THE INVADERS.
The pilot episode was a bit of a disappointment in that Vincent's initial encounter with the alien saucer is little more than what we are show during the beginning credits, theme music, and narration. In fact the beginning narration and credits of each episode show us the saucers traveling past the moon toward Earth, something that is never seen in the pilot. Still it was a fitting beginning to the series.
In terms of infiltration the Invaders are certainly successful in that aliens are already well established -- in most cases the story lines give them at least a year of tenure -- in law enforcment, industry, the military and government agencies. In terms of their appearance we are only treated to the Invaders in human form. We never see them in their original alien state.
There is no rhyme or reason for why the Invaders take one particular human form or another. You would think they would be best served appearing as strapping young healthy men and women. Instead the Invaders show up as young and elderly, heavy and petite, or any other common human form. Though the Invaders sometimes borrow the identity of a deceased individual it is more the case of identity theft than one-for-one replacment ala INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. In most cases the Invaders are experts at forging certificates, identification and other documents allowing them unimpeded access across the country.
One of the alien prime directives appears to be to prevent the general public from finding out about them. As such the Invaders generally restrict themselves to standard firearms and make use of Earth-bound technology such as radios and rotary phones -- though I am sure there were production budgetary reasons as well. When cornered the aliens will not hesitate to take their own lives to prevent their capture. Episode three is the first episode where witness the aliens incinerate when they are dying or badly wounded. Thus when the aliens die they leave no trace behind. Even the items they are carrying incinerate with them.
Each of the episodes are stand alone stories with conflict and resolution within each episode. Though the aliens schemes are normally foiled by Vincent, sometimes it is difficult to determine the victor. Season One has some great and very familiar guest stars, several who would appear again in Season Two as totally separate characters. Included in Season One are J.D. Cannon, Ellen Corby, Roddy McDowall, Suzanne Pleshette, William Windom, Jack Lord, Michael Rennie, James Whitmore, Burgess Meredith, Ralph Bellamy, Joseph Campenella, and others.
The DVD does feature a few special features such as audio commentary and optional introductions to each episode by a contemporary Roy Thinnes. In the Thinnes introductions there was a missed opportunity in that the introductions are limited to a short synopsis of the episode highlighting the appearance of a guest star. It would have been better to allow Thinnes to elaborate on behind the scenes aspects of each episode. Season One is also limited to 17 episodes. Remember that the first season of THE INVADERS was as a midseason replacement. The second year was a full 26-season season.
Summary of The Invaders - The First Season
David Vincent (Roy Thinnes) knows that The Invaders, alien beings from a dying planet, have arrived to take over the Earth! To make matters worse, the aliens know who he is, and most of the time where he is. Somehow he must convince a disbelieving world that the nightmare has already begun."If they're really after you, you're not paranoid" is a lesson The Invaders' David Vincent has learned all too well. Vincent (portrayed by Roy Thinnes) knows that aliens from a dying planet have come to Earth and are planning to take over; having lost his way and fallen asleep in his car in the remote woods one night, he saw their flying saucer land. What's worse, the invaders know he knows. And worst of all, the rest of the world is willfully oblivious, and little interested in the rantings of this madman. That's the premise of this series from producer Quinn (The Fugitive) Martin, and even if the 16 episodes from the show's first season (1967) don't always match the promise of the concept, this is still an intriguing, entertaining ride.
The aliens, crafty critters that they are, look exactly like us, save for a slight disfigurement of one finger; they also completely disintegrate when killed, a convenient little conceit that prevents anyone from figuring out who or what they really are. Their dastardly schemes for eliminating the Earthlings are many and varied, ranging from nuclear bombs, plagues of locusts (and carnivorous butterflies!), and manufactured hurricanes to brainwashing and mind control experiments. Standing against this implacable foe is just one man--an amateur (Vincent was an architect before all the craziness began) who works alone (the other true believers he encounters almost invariably end up dead) and is often stymied by his own impetuousness and lack of preparation. Admittedly, the concept doesn't hold up under close scrutiny; even if the aliens are trying to take over by stealth instead of one massive invasion, it doesn't make a lot of sense that they can't eliminate a guy who doesn't even own a gun. There is no series arc; each episode is stand-alone, so by the end of the season the invaders still have barely established a foothold. Moreover, while there are plenty of fistfights and chase sequences, the special effects are ludicrous, the alien technology looks like something out of a high school play, the stories are obvious, and the acting is melodramatic (notwithstanding guest appearances by the Jack Warden and familiar TV faces like Suzanne Pleshette, Arthur Hill, Joseph Campanella, Jack Lord, Ed Asner, and many others). Nevertheless, with the help of Dominic Frontiere's music and the portentous narration that begins and ends each episode, The Invaders manages to consistently maintain its paranoid, Kafka-esque vibe, and that alone makes it compellingly watchable. Thinnes' episode intros and a new interview with the actor are the main bonus features. --Sam Graham
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