Product Description

The Invasion tells the story of a mysterious epidemic that alters the behavior of human beings. When a Washington D.C. psychiatrist (Nicole Kidman) discovers the epidemics origins are extraterrestrial she must fight to protect her son who may hold the key to stopping the escalating invasion.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY/MONSTERS & MUTANTS UPC: 012569701380 Manufacturer No: 70138

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5029 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2008-01-29
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 99 minutes

Amazon.com
The Invasion deserves a second chance on DVD. This ambitious sci-fi thriller represents a flawed yet worthy attempt to bring contemporary vitality to Jack Finney's classic science fiction novel, previously filmed as Don Siegel's 1956 classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Philip Kaufman's suspenseful 1978 remake, and Abel Ferrara's highly underrated Body Snatchers from 1994. And while those earlier films are superior in many respects, The Invasion is not without strengths of its own, particularly for those who prefer action and suspense. Unfortunately these strengths were compromised by the unpredictable misfortunes of production: Original director Oliver Hirschbiegel (hired on the strength of Downfall) was eventually replaced by James McTiegue (V for Vendetta), and the Wachowski Brothers (of Matrix trilogy fame) added high-octane action sequences to the original screenplay by David Kajganich. Perhaps the movie had a curse on it (star Nicole Kidman was almost seriously injured in a stunt-car mishap during last-minute reshoots), but it's really just a matter of disparate ingredients that don't always fit together, resulting in a slick-looking film that can't decide if it's a sci-fi mystery, action thriller, or political allegory. It tries too hard to be all things at once.

Despite this, Kidman rises to the occasion with a solid performance as Carol, a Washington, D.C. psychiatrist who's convinced (with the help of costars Daniel Craig and Jeffrey Wright) that a flu-like virus is spreading throughout the population, its alien spores turning victims into soulless "pod people"... only in this case without the pods. The idea is that you'll be fine if you don't fall asleep, and especially if you don't let anyone sneeze or vomit on you. (There's a lot of vomiting; don't say you weren't warned.) With a crashing space shuttle to deliver the alien threat, cute tyke Jackson Bond as Carol's threatened son, and a nod to Kaufman's film with a small role for Veronica Cartwright, The Invasion will surely fare better on DVD than it did in theaters. If nothing else, it proves the timeless relevance of Finney's original premise, which continues to inspire a multitude of variations. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

BRING YOUR BARF BAG FOR THIS ONE !!!
I always wondered what big movie stars do on their summer vacations. Now i know. Kidman and Craig floated through this boring and sometimes laughable remake of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers which was made some time in the 50's.

In this remake the aliens run up to you and puke in your face turning you into another puking alien. I think the pukers were actually shown the daily rushes of this awful movie and then put in front of the camera.

In the 50's as you slept soundly in your bed, loved and trusted ones would come into your room and place an alien pod plant under your bed. Over the course of a few hours the pod would grow into a replica of you and the real you dies. The replica is void of emotion and has only one purpose. To conquer Earth. A much more terrifying concept than some screaming idiot running up and down the streets puking into faces.

Save your money and check out the original movie with Kevin McCarthy.

I give this movie one half bag of steaming alien puke.

Disappointing
I don't know about you, but when I'm up days at a time
trying to stay awake so that alien cooties are unable
to infect and take over my body, I get really dark circles
under my eyes and start acting a little bit punchy. But
that's just me. I'm not an "A-list" actress churning out
movie after movie to support a slavishly extravagant
lifestyle. The story held much potential, but the film
did not deliver. If you have an addiction to all things
Kidman, enjoy horror, and are not quite sick of
seeing her in almost every film that comes along, I
recommend The Others, which provides plenty of
shivers, an interesting plot, and decent acting.

Pod People Need Love Too
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.