A psychiatrist races to save her son from an alien
virus that has taken over most of the human population. HORROR/SCI-FI
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The Invasion (2007)Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel
Written by David Kajganich Starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeffrey Wright, Jackson Bond, Jeremy Northam, Veronica Cartwright, Josef Sommer, Celia Watson, Roger Rees, Eric Benjamin Remake of 1956's Invasion of the Body Snatchers Based on the novel The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney |
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is the ultimate tale of human paranoia gone berserk. From the alien organism that looks like anyone to the fact that it kills you in your sleep, this story is an enduring horror staple that will always be in Hollywood's back pocket just in case. This was obviously the case back in 2007, when they saw fit to remake it for the third time with hot commodities Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. With all the star power involved, you'd expect this modern-day retelling of a horror classic to be halfway decent. Unfortunately, the end result is a meandering and dull foray into the quite well known, with the aliens being portrayed more as a saving grace than the ruthless conquerors they usually are.
Nicole Kidman does a decent job with the repetitive and soulless script she was given, but Daniel Craig couldn't make his lack of interest clearer if he was wearing a t-shirt that read "I'm here for the paycheck." I never once buy into their supposed friendship-turned-romance that seems to happen more often in horror than you'd think. The only thing that keeps this film from being a complete mess is the way the body snatchers act. They are downright creepy, from the way they walk to the way they talk. Their emotionless eyes and slow-moving gait make for some terrifying villains, even if they are way easier to deal with than they have been in the past. With a tacked-on ending that completely misses the point of the story and no chemistry between the lead actors, The Invasion is just another pointless and fruitless horror remake of the 21st century that will one day be bundled in a 3-pack collection with Elm Street 2010 and The Fog 2005. It takes a story that uses alien body snatching as an allegory for communism and turns it into just another "zombies but not really zombies" horror thriller with a special kid and a concerned mom. I'm surprised this came from the same guy who gave us Downfall, but I guess it's ironic considering this movie was his. |
