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The Invasion
Directed by: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam, Jeffrey Wright, Veronica Cartwright
Synopsis: An alien microbe falls to earth which infiltrates and “re-programs” each infected human host turning them into emotionless automatons. Nicole Kidman’s character attempts to rescue and safeguard her son in an increasingly Alien city, while colleague and sometime flame Dr Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig) and colleague Galleano (Jeffery Wright) attempt to combat the alien in white coats. Review: I just love Alien movies! And I also love Zombie Type Movies. And as you can probably tell I love Action Movies, or else why would I be here writing for Flash Bang? And guess what, The Invasion, the fourth Hollywood adaptation of Jack Finney’s Classic Sci-Fi Horror tale ticks all three boxes admirably. There is a lot to live up to here, I felt as I unwrapped my DVD and loaded up. I mean, this is a lineage going back to the 1950’s. A lot of you are no doubt aware of the success and iconic status of the previous versions of this movie. The first version in 1956 directed by Don Siegal was absolutely remarkable (and still is!) and made a global impact. Then came Philip Kaufman’s 1978 version, with Donald Sutherland Brooke Adams and Leonard Nimoy. That was a truly creepy film which built the invasion with mounting dread and great atmosphere. Most recently Abel Ferrara had a stab at it in 1993 with what was probably the most unsuccessful and un-remarked version, despite having thrown state of the art (for the nineties) special effects and make up, and some attractive young, up and coming Hollywood types into the mix. Yes, a huge, distracting amount of history with this film. But I want to reassure you right now that you will enjoy this film whether or not you have ever even heard of the Body Snatchers, because it is an incredibly well made, engaging and exciting film.
The film opens with a fractured and jarring scene following Kidman’s Female Lead character Carole Burnell desperately ransacking a drugstore shelf for sleep inhibiting pharms then washing them down with high sugar energy drinks. Shots through her eyes let us know she is exhausted and disoriented. Shots of her eyes from outside, show us she is hunted. Then the speed kicks in and her vision clears. All the while, unseen people hammer on the other side of a locked door shouting at her to be let in. This is a vision of the future, when the situation is reaching critical. Now we are taken to the beginning to see the end of the world as it is brought about, with an American Space shuttle disintegrating and crashing back to earth over the continental U.S. From here in, the characters and their relationships to each other are swiftly and skilfully built. Due in no small part to an excellent cast working with a more than competent script. The conversations are smart and real and honest, and the relationships between the main characters are believable. But, I must point out that a lot of Sciency type stuff is spelled out in very big letters to smooth the way for how the Alien Virus behaves, and how Humans must behave in order to beat it. But this is the only jarring note. The plot moves swiftly, Director Hirschbiegel and Writer Kajganich have opted for racing calamity over nailbiting unease. The ‘action’ starts small, and is always unexpected. The first violent encounter is between a small boy and a neighbour’s pet dog. It builds steadily from there however and main characters are forced to acts of violence both physical and emotional which test them to extremes. Nicole Kidman proves herself to be a serious action heroine in more than one act of abrupt hard assedness of which you simply would not have thought her capable, and it complements the superior acting performance that she pulls off nicely. The Make-Up, and Effects are actually very low key and therefore work perfectly for this premise. Lastly I really want to make a mention of the costume design. A lot of the scenes and set pieces in this movie are shot in quite a distinctively ‘retro’ inspired way. Many scenes place the protagonists against the background of moving or often weirdly immobile people in a city street. Big wide angle full body shots reminiscent of fifties film making. And Jacqueline West’s costume design evokes the Era effortlessly. Kidman appears like a Hitchcock Femme Fatale. Daniel Craig could be borrowing James Stewart’s Corduroy. The heavy rich textures on a subtle palate of greys and blues in the clothes picks up and supports the Set Design and Cinematography so well it just cannot go unremarked. Verdict: This Film is an Entertainer. You will get Action, you will get Sci-Fi, you will get Horror. And it is well crafted at that. I can’t give it less than a 8 out of ten. And if you are wondering where the other two points are when I’ve pretty much raved about it? Go and see versions 1 through 3.
(Review by Sulako)
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