Review of The Invasion (2007) by Timothy S — 07 Jan 2012

I suppose the makers of "The Invasion" thought they had something new to add. This is the third (count it, third) remake of the 1956 film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", and there's just nothing left for this film to say.

I'm not going to say that the screenwriters didn't try because there are some interesting ideas here, presented in the film by way of a Russian ambassador. Director Oliver Hirschbiegel has a knack behind the camera, and there are some eerie and unsettling moments here. Unfortunately, all of the subtlety of the original and the even-better first remake, are all lost. This is essentially a chase movie with only a passing interest in complexity or social commentary.

Nicole Kidman continues her string of unwise film choices, and her joyless and two-dimensional performance is only one of the problems here. Her co-star Daniel Craig fares no better. His underwritten character isn't give much to do, and it's a big disappointment coming right on the heels of his star-making performance in "Casino Royale". The rest of the cast might as well not even exist for all they bring to the proceedings.

The entire set-up is as half-baked as the rest of the script. I guess we're supposed to believe that this alien virus is brought to the earth via a downed space shuttle, but that really isn't explored much. "The Invasion" is pretty but empty. It sure looks great, but there's not much going on in this completely redundant and unnecessary remake.