The Invasion
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: August 17, 2007
7.0
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 153 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
91
Mixed:
36
Negative:
26
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
5
AdamASep 19, 2008
The next generation's remake of an already tired, tired story. The same politics used to make it fresh make it dated.
1 of 1 users found this helpful
6
KentC.Jan 15, 2008
Watchable. Nothing brilliant or spectacular. I found it very funny that people barfed to infect others.
0 of 1 users found this helpful
6
BrendaM.Feb 2, 2008
Very good movie, kept you on your seat, but nothing scary scary
0 of 1 users found this helpful
4
KivaJun 12, 2013
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The movie was not good. Though the plot ant the actors were good the result was bad. I expected a big twist and a good ending. Well there was nothing like that. The problem was the lack of suspense and action,too. They easily survived from these creatures. Too bad… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
All this user's reviews
5
JudyTFeb 27, 2008
Pretty good remake that's ruined with a contrived, feel good ending.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
ChadS.Aug 18, 2007
There's no duplicate body. I miss the duplicate body. What else do I miss? Build-up. "The Invasion" cuts to the chase in the first scene(Nicole Kidman needs drugs to stay awake). The latest remake of the fifties sci-fi classic(this is There's no duplicate body. I miss the duplicate body. What else do I miss? Build-up. "The Invasion" cuts to the chase in the first scene(Nicole Kidman needs drugs to stay awake). The latest remake of the fifties sci-fi classic(this is not an improvement on Abel Ferrera's "Body Snatchers") moves too quickly, and in doing so, denying newbies the building of tension that was tantamount to making the original 1956(and 1978) versions successful. Directed by Phillip Kaufman, the latter placed Donald Sutherland on his feet when he was pursued by the human replacements. In this version, Nicole Kidman makes her getaway by car. That's not scary. That's an action film. I want to see Dr. Benell(Kidman) with an ax, hacking away at a duplicate body.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
ChrisCAug 15, 2007
Another 'update' of a classic film. ('Update' being critic-ese for 'mangling'.) Writers need to stop rehashing their old ideas with modern effects and start remembering originality, subtlety, and nuance were Another 'update' of a classic film. ('Update' being critic-ese for 'mangling'.) Writers need to stop rehashing their old ideas with modern effects and start remembering originality, subtlety, and nuance were once valued.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
LindaC.Aug 17, 2007
Great chase scenes, boring dialog, lacklustre performances from Craig and Kidman.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
JonathanP.Aug 29, 2007
Most is not that bad, mannn. Just strange beginning and idiot endding.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
MatanSep 16, 2007
This Zombie Tense-Thriller promises to be smart and scary. To say something about society and make us jump in our seats. It falls short of its goals mainly because of the contrast between the two genres the film aims at: An A-grade B-movie. This Zombie Tense-Thriller promises to be smart and scary. To say something about society and make us jump in our seats. It falls short of its goals mainly because of the contrast between the two genres the film aims at: An A-grade B-movie. The scary parts aren't scary, and the boring Flaming Car scene could be a classic in the hands of a more imaginative director. The smart parts raise some interesting questions, and the Dinner Party scene is obviously the intellectual highlight of the writers, but these questions get lost in order of giving us a great happy ending we don't get enough from Hollywood nowadays. Nicole Kidman is an intelligent actress with a taste for disappointments. Daniel Craig is wasted as Ben. Everyone else could be anyone else, and we wouldn't the difference. A So-So Movie: So much Potential, So much disappointment.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
SpangleOct 3, 2016
While not a truly horrific film, Warner Bros.' remake of the 1956 classic is simply bereft of anything that made the original so good while offering a truly fractured and tonally awkward film in its place. Originally directed by OliverWhile not a truly horrific film, Warner Bros.' remake of the 1956 classic is simply bereft of anything that made the original so good while offering a truly fractured and tonally awkward film in its place. Originally directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel and written by Dave Kajganich, this troubled film was sent back for action movie and twist ending reshoots with director James McTeigue and The Wachowskis writing. This disjointed nature is truly evident as this film offers the occasional look at the paranoia and terror only to then abandon everything over-and-over again in favor of long action sequences.

The original was great because of the paranoia, the hopelessness, and the isolation inherent in its storyline. Taking place in a small out-of-the-way town, you knew there was no way help would ever arrive. The characters had to piece things together on their own and fight back. The Invasion takes this isolated premise, puts it in Washington DC and in the modern world where we are always connected. Interesting idea to update everything in this regard, but it ruins the aforementioned areas in which the original excelled. This could be okay if there was something offered up to help bolster the film up. Some true horror.

Luckily, there are a few scenes of panic. The film has interesting action set pieces with a few moments that really get your heart pumping along the way. These may be few and far between while entirely tacked on, but hey, they are there all the same. However, the problem is that these feel weightless. The entire time this one feel incredibly rehashed and "been there done that" to the point that nothing feels unique. I get the plot is not original, but it could have brought the original story to the modern day with some new elements while still bringing forth the horror of the original. Yet, this one is like every other political science fiction thriller on the market nowadays.

The worst way in which it updates it is with immunity and Dr. Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig) guessing within 30 seconds what illness would have made somebody immune to the invasion. To state it again, the original had this hopelessness and this endless feeling to it, bolstered by the fact that we never see the invasion take any losses. It is undefeated in the original. For The Invasion, however, it is clear the studio determined that modern audiences could not handle such dread or anything nearly as bleak as the original. Rather, we must fight back because "for better or worse" we are human. Classic Hollywood. Nothing too dark, only the lightest possible conclusions are acceptable. While the opening is incredibly tense and well handled, the second the immunity is revealed, the film nosedives hard and not just turns into an action movie, but turns into a film unwilling to take chances, which is a terrible thing to be.

That said, on the positive end, the acting is good. I love Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, and Jeffrey Wright. As is expected, the trio do the movie more justice than it truly deserves. The first half is also very well done and shows considerable promise, in regards to delivering on this sense of mystery, dread, and horror, while also not just treading on the same plotline as the original. Though some of the same characters exist, the updates and changed roles are a welcome addition to make this one feel even fresher than just its setting.

The Invasion is a largely misguided remake that simply misses the essence of the original. It was not action movie. Rather, it was a terrifically executed political film that executed the science fiction part even better. Filled with dread, bleakness, and hopelessness, it underscored this in the way in which the film ended. Though humans were just figuring out what was happening, there was no way to know how to fight back. Here, Nicole Kidman makes breakfast for Daniel Craig and her, now, two sons while they play happy family.

Also, did anyone get 1984 vibes from this one? Essentially, this one argues that to be human, there must be war, anger, and hatred. Sounds a lot like "War is peace" to me, just saying...… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
6
FilipeNetoNov 29, 2021
Well, I know this movie didn't appeal to a lot of people, but I can only speak for myself and from my perspective. Only now, after some reading, I realized the existence of an older movie, that this one ends up being the remake. I will seeWell, I know this movie didn't appeal to a lot of people, but I can only speak for myself and from my perspective. Only now, after some reading, I realized the existence of an older movie, that this one ends up being the remake. I will see him as soon as possible, I was curious, but for now I can't compare them. For me, this film was quite pleasant, fulfilled its role of entertainment with panache and even seems to me a current and pertinent film, considering that a pandemic is, in fact, a more present theme in our lives today than when the movie was released (unfortunately).

The film has an interesting script, although I may eventually raise questions that mainly hinder its credibility and verisimilitude: an almost instantaneous transmission of a virus that leaves us altered during sleep and allows an invasion by an alien consciousness…? It sounds strange, unbelievable, and there are times when logic is put at great risk, but I ended up putting that into perspective. Harder to ignore were the cliché or theatrical moments, as well as the general lack of quality of the dialogue.

The cast is led by two strong, well-known actors… despite their talent, the actors' overall performance was hampered, in my opinion, by the undemanding direction of Oliver Hirschbiegel. Nicole Kidman needs no introduction and is very talented, but this film is not one of her best works and I felt that the material she was given didn't give the actress anything challenging… the result is a performance perhaps too comfortable, lazy. At his side, Daniel Craig, still in a pre-007 phase of his career, but already showing strength and commitment. The two are helped by a vast supporting cast that includes names like Jeffrey Wright or Veronica Cartwright, but neither has the space nor opportunity to do more.

Technically, it's a movie with a lot of pros and cons. The cinematography is really great, elegant, with excellent colors and an intelligent mastery of shadows and light to create the right ambience for each scene. Special effects, visuals and sound are an essential part of this movie, which has a strong sci-fi component. There is a large investment in these effects, but the result achieved is frankly good. On the other hand, the film has a soundtrack that doesn't stay in the ear and seems weak, the editing seems to have been done in a hurry and the film is very long and could have been cut or shortened in several places without prejudice to what we're going to appreciate.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
4
JLauSep 27, 2020
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Alien virus causes people to join their collective when they fall asleep but a divorced, single-mother psychiatrist stays awake.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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