DVD Review: The Invasion

Something terrifying has come to Earth, something that attacks us while we sleep and turns us into soulless replicants. The clock is ticking as Washington, DC psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) and her colleague Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig) embark on a heart-stopping journey into a nightmarish world where the only way to stay alive is to stay awake. No one can be trusted. No one is safe in producer Joel Silver’s bold new take on Jack Finney’s classic novel The Body Snatchers.

Don’t fall asleep! The Invasion is here.

Review:
The Invasion is the newest remake of a classic that takes a new bent more disposed to our technological advances and better understanding of microbial threats. In fact, the new delivery system of the alien invasion is more believable to the modern mind which makes the invasion that much more willing to accept. Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) leads us through the invasion with a paced believability along with her son Oliver (the convincing and adorable Jackson Bond) and friend Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig). Their good performances compensated for the sometimes odd cut-scenes director Oliver Hirschbiegel used which confused past, present and future in a moment, leaving me feeling like he was trying to rush the story along unnecessarily.

The fun of the movie is in the historical, political and philosophical context of the times it has been remade – this particular film being the third time. This is highlighted in an interesting though needlessly long-winded documentary in the Special Features, We’ve Been Snatched Before: Invasion in Media History which takes a look at the Red Scare and Communism as well as the SARS and Avian Flu epidemics.

Though oddly cut in places, The Invasion is definitely worth the DVD rental though I definitely won’t be running out to buy a copy.

Review by Emma Loggins

Grade: C+
Official site: http://theinvasionmovie.warnerbros.com/
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