The Invasion

While not a franchise per se, the four films that make up the Invasion of the Body Snatchers tetralogy have a pretty stellar track record despite dabbling in B-movie territory.  The 1956 original is an unimpeachable classic, the 1978 version is even better and Abel Ferrara’s 1993 take on the material is better than it has any right to be.  Which brings us to the weakest link, 2007’s The Invasion, a pre-pandemic sci-fi action thriller that tries to be so many things at once it whiffs on all of them.

 Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) is a respected psychologist who suspects something is amiss when one of her patients insists her husband is not her husband.  Meanwhile, Bennell’s ex, a stuffy CDC administrator is busy cleaning up after the crash of a U.S. space shuttle carrying a mysterious supervirus.  He’s soon clumsily infected and plans on inducting his young son, Oliver, into the same creepy cult that is sweeping the nation, turning everyone’s loved ones into vomit spewing doppelgangers intent on conquering the earth.

 

Any serious sci-fi fan – and most casual ones – are already familiar with the story.  So director Oliver Hirschbiegel’s challenge is telling it in a unique and different way.  His choices – or perhaps those of nervous studio executives who demanded significant reshoots – involve a dead-end love interest (Daniel Craig), preposterous immunity angle and flat-out embarrassing final car chase that would be more at home in a Bad Boys sequel.  Invasion’s best moments are those lifted straight from the previous films, flashes of paranoia and sleep deprivation that are terrifying without the need for audience upselling.  The film found itself a strong protagonist in lead actor Nicole Kidman who attacks the role with her usual confidence, a trait the movie itself ironically lacks to a fatal degree.

 

But Invasion completist might want to pick up Arrow’s new 4K UHD anyway, if not just for the visual upgrade (the film looks terrific in Dolby Vision) but wealth of new extras tacked on to the previous archival stuff.  A brand-new audio commentary is paired up with two visual essays that cover the history of the “franchise” and the predictive pandemic plotline that runs throughout the new film.  The package also includes a fold-out poster, reversible sleeve and illustrated collector’s booklet.

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