The Invasion
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Movie Reviews of The Invasion
Movie Review: Pod People Need Love Too
Summary: 4 Stars
The Good Things
*A few good, well-placed special effects.
*Good, strong, vivid photography and filming style. At the very least, it is not too dull to watch.
*Still a valid and watchable story with strong themes about the dangers of society being invaded from the inside-out. Corresponds well to modern-day society by incorporating the shuttle disaster and including some mention of other world-wide events.
*The science behind the story is strong and clearly defined.
*Also has a strong sense of paranoia.
*Includes strong themes about human nature; the emotional, irrational, and sometimes violent aspects that differentiate us from anything inhuman. The dialogue and acting support this idea quite well.
*Characters, although not especially deep, are okay. I think Nicole Kidman had a few good, smart moments.
*Has a happy ending!
The Bad Things
*Some parts are intercut together in weird ways, and may seem convoluted (although this could also be a good thing, because its unique and stylish).
*It is pretty predictable.
*What is this, the fourth time this story's been made into a movie?!
Of all the renditions of the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" story, this one probably won't outdo the original 1950s or 1978 versions. But it is a well-made film with good photography and a pretty good cast. I particuarly like the fact that this version incorporates a stronger theme about what it means to be human (or perhaps inhuman).
The disc has smashing good video and audio quality, and contains four or five short featurettes.
Movie Review: Very Watchable
Summary: 4 Stars
I had no idea that this movie was a remake of the 1978 version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". That being said, I didn't see the original so I have nothing to compare this movie to.
The film opens with a very frantic Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) rummaging through the shelves of a pharmacy searching for sleep suppressants. We are then taken back in a recent past where a space shuttle crash lands into the countryside. From the moment that Bennell's ex-husband (Jeremy Northam) pricks his fingers on a foreign organism, life becomes a serious drag for the human species. Bennell, who is a psychiatrist, doesn't get it at first when one of her patients irately claims her husband isn't her husband. But it doesn't take long before Bennell figured out that all is not right.
This could have been an excellent film, but as is all too often the case these days, character development was not a priority. Beyond Kidman, character development was non-existent. How people are being snatched, also, is never adequately, not even remotely explained.
This was NOT a forgettable movie, rather quite memorable. Sure there was a bad ending, but my eyes were attached to the screen throughout the whole film. I didn't look at my watch once, and for me that gives this movie a big bonus.
Movie Review: Hollywood ending
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a huge fan of the 1978 version of the Bodysnatcher "series" and also liked 1994's offering (I expected it to be pure muck but it was the only action movie left in the store I hadn't seen at the time). I heard all the bad reviews about this before I watched it and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The claustrophobic atmosphere was created very well.. the subtle hints building to the point which is the scariest of all.. when the aliens needn't bother with stealth any more - that's when you know we're in trouble for sure!
BUT (isn't there always a but!) the film was too short. It didn't give enough time to keep the suspense going. But that's not a major detractor. What is a major detractor is the hollywood happy ending. Please please please can someone involved with this project get the director's/alternaive ending/collector's/blah blah version out there with a different ending! I'll buy it straight away! It was the only thing to mar an otherwise suspensful, well directed movie with acting which was far better than I expected. Overall a slick production and worth buying if you get it cheap.
Movie Review: Good popcorn flick
Summary: 4 Stars
I wavered between 3 and 4 stars and decided on 4 because I will be recommending this film to friends and family. It was never an Oscar contender or high art but in my Drive-in days, this would have been a winner. We've seen various iterations of Invasion of the Body Snatchers over the past 50 years so there's no suspense in the basic premise. This version quickly hones in on a mother and son caught up in this horror and their battle to survive. Their battle to survive is very suspenseful. The child actor does a nice job as the son and Nicole Kidman is convincingly fierce as his mother who will do anything to protect him. I'm reminded of Ripley in Aliens, going up against the monster to save the little girl. This film nicely captures the heebie-jeebie factor of being forced to blend in as humans suddenly becoming souless, emotionless killers, in a sense, as the aliens' quest is to take over Earth by killing the humanity inside of us. I liked the ending. And I like that the movie is not gory. Makes it easier to sleep.Movie Review: The Invasion-Good remake updated for the times
Summary: 4 Stars
The Invasion was a very enjoyable four star remake of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers. This particular Blue-Ray DVD appeared to be an exceptional video transfer on my large screen HDTV. The Invasion did not feature too many special effects but did open with some nice CGI animations of the space shuttle burning up during re-entry. Other very excellent computer animations of space-borne microbes and some exciting stunt and action shots did appear during the course of the film, but it was definitely not a special effects movie and aimed its greatest efforts at telling a fine story.
It told a good solid sci-fi tale open to many interpretations. I have watched all three productions, however, much as I liked the original felt this was somehow the best. Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig were both excellent. Nicole was beautiful and appears to grow more so with each passing year. Daniel (James Bond) Craig was very likeable and charming in his role and also helped make this film a hit with me.