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Grade
Content Grade:
B
Sound Grade:
A-
Extras Grade:
C
Picture Grade:
A
Specs
Warner Brothers 1080p 16x9 1:85.1 widescreen Dolby True HD-English 5.1, French 5.1,Spanish 5.1 Subtitles in English, French, Spanish 99 minutes, color, 2007
Review
"The Invasion" is a modern update to the classic sci-fi films "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" made in 1958 and 1972. Stars Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig make this update much more of an action flick and the the story has been updated while the concept remains the same.
The space shuttle crashes over a 200 square mile path and brings back in its debris a space spore organism which inhabits the infected body of humans after they experience REM sleep. The infected become emotionless and venom spitting, which infects others. Their quest in life seems to be to find others who are not infected and infect them, while going about their normal lives, sans emotions. While a good one third of the film deals with the infection of the population and the believable scenario of voluntary innoculations against a "flu", we also get to know about the chief characters, their families and friends as people slowly begin to change. The ending, without giving any spoilers, is much too brief and is basically explained away in a 5 minute newscast scenario. While this update did have some worthy and enjoyable segments, it can't touch the originals. Veronica Cartwright, who was in the 1972 remake has a small but significant role in this remake as well.
Picture and Sound
The blu-ray picture is a worthy upgrade and Nicole Kidman never looked better. I did find the picture to have a yellowish cast and was a bit over saturated in some scenes but the images were very sharp and detailed. Sound is this kind of film is crucial and the Dolby HD 5.1 sound was perfect for the film. I think Warner should be incorporating some other sound options, such as DTS and the lossless formats in action flicks such as this.
Extras
Other than a few short featurettes on the film; "The Invasion: A New Story, On The Set, and The Invasion: Snatched, the discs only other feature is entitled We've Been Snatched Before: Invasion In Media History is a potentially interesting feature that disappoints as it doesn't include any clips from the original films. KInd of makes the whole feature pointless.
Summary
"The Invasion" has star appeal in Kidman and Craig and is a classic sci-fi tale updated. Including a lot of action sequences, this remake hits on some interesting scenarios but in the end can't compare with the original. People not familiar with the original will enjoy the film more. Picture quality on blu-ray is excellent and sound in Dolby HD 5.1 is great for the action sequences. Extras are short and disappointing in content. A slight recommendation for sci-fi fans and action flick lovers.
