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The
Invasion is the fourth adaptation
of Jack Finney's classic novel "The Body Snatchers". It
takes on a lot of the same structure and rhythms as Phillip Kauffman's
1978 re-telling Invasion
of the Body Snatchers, as a small group of people
(Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jackson Bond & Jeffrey Wright)
must contend with an alien virus as society (as they know it) crumbles
around them.
The movie begins interestingly enough with Kidman's psychiatrist
Dr. Carol Bennell frantically trying to stay awake by popping pills
while choking down Mountain Dew. It then backtracks with a space
shuttle mysteriously crash landing on Earth killing everyone on
board, but also bringing with it an alien organism which slowly
turns mankind into pod people.
Almost 30 years down the line , The Invasion draws upon many
of the same motivations (fear of authority, corrupt government,
unpopular war) as its 1970's predecessor, and the story has been
told so many times that there are hardly any surprises, only a change
of date. In a thought provoking twist, screenwriter Dave Kajganich
and director Oliver Hirschbiegel (who helmed the excellent 2004
war movie Downfall) provides an intriguing backdrop
as warring nations - all under the spell of the intergalactic virus
- sign peace treaties, insuring harmony around the world. It brings
up a number of interesting questions: to secure peace on Earth,
does one have to be less than human? Does free will stand in the
way of unity?
However, as quickly as these questions are asked, the film begins
to suffer under the strain of extensive re-shoots, as the films
producers (unhappy with Hirschbiegel's final cut) bring in V
for Vendetta combo James McTeigue and The Wachowski Brothers
to add more "excitement" to the proceedings. In turn,
the film becomes a jerky sci-fi thriller which unexpectedly switches
gears from drama, to action, to mystery, insuring a poor flow in
the process. There are some nice shocks to be had ( a scene involving
Kidman and a midnight caller is a highlight), but not enough to
stop me from falling asleep, which is ironic considering that staying
awake is an essential plot point for Kidman's character.
As mentioned before she plays a psychiatrist, who I find are not
the most sympathetic of characters due to their egotistical nature,
and Kidman plays the role with ice cold, inquisitive precision proving
that she is a great actress despite being box office poison. Kidman's
equally talented co-stars - Daniel Craig & Jeffrey Wright -
are wasted as neither are given enough screen time nor sufficient
material to provide compelling performances. Perhaps more focus
on their characters would have made for a much better film. The
casting of Veronica Cartwright only serves of a reminder of how
good Philip Kauffman's 1978 version was, and I suggest watching
that movie instead of this promising yet ultimately flat film. Hopefully
a director's cut will be much better.
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