It’s Contemporary — The Invasion
It’s contemporary — The Invasion
Genre: Sci-fi
Director: Oliver Hircschbiegel
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeffery Wright, Jeremy Northam
Storyline: An alien virus goes on a human cloning spree.
Bottomline: Don’t go to sleep.
Considering it’s the third remake based on Jack Finney’s book, and hence, no more novel, ‘Downfall’ director Oliver Hircschbiegel decides to give ‘The Invasion’ (the Bodysnatchers now played down) a sensibility tha
t’s modern and, even if so slightly, changes the genre from the in-your-face horror to a spooky sci-fi thriller with a few visuals of gore thrown up here and here.
But then, the function of a remake nearly three decades after the acclaimed remake is to make the subject matter more relatable to the present day audience and not necessarily better the original and the first remake.
Purely from that point of view, ‘The Invasion’ works. It’s not a role for James Bond, but Daniel Craig probably signed this before his 007 assignments. So here, Craig plays second fiddle and Bond Boy to Nosey Parker Nicole Kidman, a shrink who gets increasingly intrigued by her patients unable to relate to their loved ones.The culprit: The alien virus, that’s got itself under the skin of manyunsuspecting Americans, produces human clones by forcibly infecting its victims and hence, the title. Like all the good old movies, there are a few plausibility issues with the main plot, some of which Oliver supersedes by staying clear of the B-movie feel associated with the original subject matter and keeping it tight and racy.
And there’s the ever-reliable Nicole Kidman to keep you glued to the screen with her electric presence more than making up for the absence of character depth.
What the film lacks, however, is the emotional core that the 1978 version was applauded for. The makers needn’t have bothered with the ‘Do not fall asleep’ (tag line of the film) plea. The audience will stay up just fine.
SUDHISH KAMATH
Hindu On Net