Pre-Owned Invasion

This slick sci-fi horror hybrid is the fourth adaptation of Jack Finney's THE BODY SNATCHERS to land on screens. 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 behavior. 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, CASINO ROYALE), Carol attempts to unravel the mystery as she rescues her young son.THE INVASION gives Kidman a chance to act the part of an action hero. She runs in heels, crashes cars, and shoots guns, but she looks more like a Hitchcockian blonde than a latter-day heroine. Clad in steely grays, she perfectly matches the film's sober palette of neutrals. Genre veteran Veronica Cartright gives a good performance as one of Carol's patients, who suspects that her husband isn't himself. Cartright has appeared in sci-fi classics such as THE X-FILES and ALIEN, but she also starred in Philip Kaufman's 1978 version of the story. Unlike WAR OF THE WORLDS or SIGNS, the invaders here don't arrive in UFOs or appear as little green (or gray) men. Instead, the threat in THE INVASION is so creepy because the aliens look just like everyone else.