Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1744 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-02-25
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 95 minutes

Amazon.co.uk
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 re-shoots), 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

DVD Description
The mysterious crash of a space shuttle leads to the terrifying discovery that there is something alien within the wreckage. Those who come in contact with it are changing in ominous and inexplicable ways. Soon Washington D.C. psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) and her colleague Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig) learn the shocking truth about the growing extraterrestrial epidemic: it attacks its victims while they sleep, leaving them physically unchanged but strangely unfeeling and inhuman. As the infection spreads, more and more people are altered and it becomes impossible to know who can be trusted. Now Carol's only hope is to stay awake long enough to find her young son, who may hold the key to stopping the devastating invasion.

Synopsis
This slick sci-fi horror hybrid is the fourth screen adaptation of Jack Finney’s The Body Snatchers. Infused with modern details like text messaging and 24-hour cable news, The Invasion updates the classic story for today’'s tech-centric world. After the space shuttle Patriot crashes unexpectedly, people across America begin to exhibit strange behaviour. Psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman, Bewitched) begins to notice the change in those around her, including her ex-husband, Tucker Kaufman (Jeremy Northam, Gosford Park), who works at the CDC. Joined by her friend Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig, ), Carol attempts to unravel the mystery as she rescues her young son.

Customer Reviews

Good film with flaws
This film starts with a lot of promise. The cinematography is great, the lead actors are fantastic, and the initial stages of threat built upon the invasion scenario are well done.
Then it all seems to go wrong.
The transition between the covert invasion and the fight for survival is a bit too abrupt. There also seemed to be serious editing issues which give the film a slightly disjointed feel.
Whilst the film does have issues, I enjoyed it and I would recommend it to friends for some no-brainer sci-fi action.

Dull, dull, dull
A tedious mess, this botched rehash of the classic story is limp and unconvincing. No where near the standard odf Don Siegel's original, or Philip Kaufmann's 70s remake, or Abel Ferrara's 90s incarnation. No dramatic tension, no suspense or sense of fear or dread, no characterisation (except the always impressive Jeremy Northam) and a horrible cop-out ending. All you have is an even more than usually useless Nicole Kidman running around and squealing, while Daniel Craig is wasted, stuck with a redundant boyfriend role, there simply to prove Nicole is hetero (like girlfriend roles in hackneyed cliched Hollywood pap).

Avoid unless you're looking for a cure for insomnia.

I found this film quite exciting, not boring at all. 8/10
The whole film is nice since the start, but the ending part is a bit thin. may be it is because the film time is limited. over all good film!