The Invasion

August 24, 2007

Jays Rating:
Actors: /
Director: /

The sci-fi film, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, was made in 1956 and was a huge box office draw. A 1978 remake proved to be just as popular as the original, and Hollywood is making a third attempt with a shorter title, The Invasion. When the NASA space shuttle mysteriously crashes, people who rush to the scene and pick through the metal and debris begin changing. Washington, D.C. psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) is one of the first people to realize something is wrong. She becomes suspicious when her son Oliver (Jackson Bond) goes trick or treating and returns home with candy covered with a veiny looking substance stuck to it. She takes the candy to a friend of hers named Dr. Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig) who has it analyzed and realizes it’s a spore from outer space that attacks human DNA. The spores remain dormant until the human host falls into deep sleep, and then they begin to multiply at an alarming rate. Not surprisingly, our heroine Carol becomes infected and has to stay awake or she’ll turn into a zombie-like creature like everyone else. (I had a similar problem trying to stay awake during this mundane film and turning into an alien was the least of my worries.) As if staying awake isn’t stressful enough, Carol begins an intense search for Oliver while being chased either on foot or in a vehicle by aliens in human bodies. I had a feeling this film was in trouble when I learned that another director was brought in halfway through to reshoot some of the scenes. I don’t know if it helped or hurt but the pacing was awkward, the editing was choppy and for a thriller, it just wasn’t scary. (Okay, I was a little scared when the audience became bored and restless and I knew I wouldn’t be able to see them when they ran over me while scrambling for the exit.) The only thing I like in this film over the original is that this movie felt a little more realistic. Maybe that’s because there are more weirdo’s on the streets today than there were 30 or 40 years ago. I would recommend waiting until this film comes out on video and I’m giving it a C- rating.

This movie has been given a R rating by the MPAA

Although I am blind, I can appreciate a good movie as well as sighted individuals.
I rely more on a good story line than special effects.