THE INVASION
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel Stars: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northan, Jeffrey Wright, Jackson Bond, Veronica Cartwright, Josef Sommer, Celia Weston, Roger Rees
Reviewed by GREG KING
Yet another box office bomb for Nicole Kidman, who, despite her status and her ability to command multi-million dollar fees, seems to be racking up a string of flops lately (Bewitched, The Stepford Wives, Margot At The Wedding, etc).
Essentially The Invasion is yet another version of the classic sci-fi film The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, which has been effectively filmed several times in the past. In 1956 Don Siegel tapped into the paranoia of the era with its McCarthy-led Communist witch-hunts, and turned it into a subtle, intelligent parable of the fear gripping America at the time. His version is still widely regarded as the best. It was later remade by Phillip Kaufman in 1978 and again by Abel Ferrara in 1993. And Jack Sholder also loosely reworked elements of the plot for his underrated 1987 shocker The Hidden.
This version kicks off with the crash landing of the shuttle Patriot. The debris seems heavily contaminated by some sort of unidentified alien virus. Soon America is swept by a strange flu-like disease that renders the population into zombie-like shells of their former self. Unlike previous versions of this film, the disease here is passed on by bodily fluids, including mostly vomiting, and takes effect when the infected fall asleep.
Psychiatrist Claire Bowden (Kidman) starts noticing the strange, emotionless behaviour of people around her. One of those people trying to warn victims about the imminent threat is, ironically, played by Veronica Cartwright, who appeared in the 1978 version. With the help of doctor boyfriend Ben Driscoll (a pre-Bond Daniel Craig) and scientist Jeffrey Wright, she learns that her young son Oliver (Jackson Bond) is immune from the disease and sets out to protect him from her infected ex-husband (Jeremy Northam) and legions of brainwashed zombies. She also has to stop herself from falling asleep until she can get Oliver to safety at Fort Detrick, where a cure is being developed.
Kidman successfully brings a level of intensity to her performance that suits the dark and unsettling material, and, whatever the failings of the film, they cannot solely be contributed to her presence.
This is the first English language film for German director Oliver Hirschbiegel, who made the stunning Downfall, about Hitler’s last days. However, The Invasion has suffered heavily from post-production interference from studio executives, apparently unhappy with the original version, which was considered too slow and moody. They brought in the makers of The Matrix trilogy, Andy and Larry Wachowski, to beef up the action and add some car chases, and hired James McTiegue (V For Vendetta) to reshoot some scenes.
Because it received disastrous reviews in the States and tanked at the box office, it seemed as though The Invasion was destined to be released straight to DVD here. But this brief cinematic release will give audiences a chance to gauge its quality for themselves. And, while certainly not a great example of the genre, it’s not as bad as all the advance publicity would have led us to believe. And there is some immediacy to the film too as it suggests that one of the side effects of this virus is that the world could become a far more peaceful place, with an end to wars and violence.
**
Reviewed by PETER MALONE
Received poorly by public and critics, word came out that there was a change of directors for The Invasion, producers’ intervention and re-editing.
If one looks at the film without knowing anything about the original from the 1950s and the 1978 remake, it might pass as a moderately suspenseful science fiction. (Abel Ferrara also re-made the film in the 1990s.) But, most audiences who want to see the film will be well versed in the other films and will find this version wanting.
It is a pity because Nicole Kidman does her best and the original director, Oliver Hirschbiegel, made that impressive film about Hitler’s last days, Downfall. I presume he won’t be in a hurry to rush back to Hollywood after this experience.
This version takes place in a big city of personal anonymity rather than a small American town. There is frequent reference to today’s world troubles, especially Iraq and Afghanistan. When a spacecraft breaks up on return to earth, alien forces infiltrate earth and take possession of human beings who become conformist and emotionless pods. Nicole Kidman portrays a mother anxious to protect her son, especially from her infected former husband (Jeremy Northam), relying on the help of fellow-scientists (Jeffrey Wright and Daniel Craig, whom some critics – not without justification – said it is difficult to tell when he is possessed or not!).
Nicole has to keep awake so that the infection cannot take hold and much of the film has her eluding capture by pretending to be emotionless and trying to stay awake.
One of the main differences from the other versions is the hopeful ending. This time the process can be reversed and the point is made very strongly that while brainwashed conformism might bring about peace in the world, it is at the expense of free will and human error.