Since Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, there has been an adaptation of Jack Finney’s horror sci-fi novella every two decades or thereabout. In 1978 it was Phillip Kauffman’s version with Donald Sutherland. In 1993 it was Abel Ferrara’s version with Gabrielle Anwar. Finally, in 2007 Oliver Hirschbiegel’s version with Nicole Kidman.
The concept/plot remains the same. After a spacecraft lands on the earth a very strange occurrence begins to happen. People begin to change. Angry people become docile. Someone once lively has become sedated as though put into a dopamine spell. People begin to realize something is going on. An invasion but not one of violence but one of compliance and peace. Though they are no longer themselves.
Hirschbiegel’s film, even thirteen years before a global pandemic would become an actuality, takes a viral pandemic approach to the material. The result is not a waking nightmare of the inevitable but a racing clock narrative. The Invasion does show, adroitly albeit very briefly, the argument that the aliens taking over are quickly creating a society of peace. The thesis of individuality vs loss of will to the hive mentality is never fully explored. Instead, The Invasion is about jauntily-shot but well-executed action scenes and Nicole Kidman looking scared and sweaty in terse situations. One can feel the hand of studio interference with David Kajganich’s script being gutting and what was initially a project more akin to Hirschbiegel’s brilliantly insidious Downfall a terse thriller and slow-burn examination of society.
The Invasion wants none of those intrusive and dark thoughts. It finds itself in the Outbreak model of viral thrillers. A ticking clock narrative and race against time to not just find a cure, thank you to the brief but effective appearance by Jeffrey Wright as a virologist, but to find Kidman’s son in the hopes he’s not been turned. When they do find her son we know exactly where this film is heading and all but takes any narrative drive. Even when Kidman’s character shoots Daniel Craig – it’s not a headshot, it’s in the knee – because we know he has to come back for that happy ending.
It gives us that ending. A de-toothed happily ever after solution doesn’t again rub against its central conceit – individuality vs loss of will to the hive mentality – to make it at the very least mildly thought-provoking. The Invasion would rather say that we’re all safe back to our individuality. Just don’t think about the cost or what was presented. It’s all good. Daniel Craig survived and lives happily ever after with Nicole Kidman.
If you’re looking for a middling sci-fi viral thriller that’s beautifully shot and staged, The Invasion will be your jam. If you’re looking for something truly affecting and brilliant biting commentary stay with Siegel’s version or Kauffman’s haunted take. Or this reviewer’s personal favorite, the defiantly punk rock very Abel Ferrara remix version.
The Transfer
The 4K transfer has been restored by Arrow Films and presented in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) and is a jaw-dropping stunner. The movie was filmed in 35mm at the tail end of the format’s use by the studio (it would be around this time that they would move over to digital workflow much to Christopher Nolan’s chagrin). I mention this because the image is unrivaled in clarity, color reproduction, contrast, and black levels. I have watched the film four different times on three different 4K monitors and one 4K projector and the results were all the same… perfection. There is nary a scratch, defect, or artifact present on the image. Arrow has given The Invasion a reference quality transfer, full stop, no further explanation needed.
The Extras
They include the following;
Brand new audio commentary by film critics Andrea Subissati and Alexandra West, co-hosts of The Faculty of Horror podcast
Body Snatchers and Beyond
That Bug That’s Going Around
We’ve Been Snatched Before
The Invasion: A New Story
The Invasion: On the Set
The Invasion: Snatched
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
The all-new audio commentary by film critics Andrea Subissati and Alexandra West, co-hosts of The Faculty of Horror podcast opens with their bonafides and admits the messiness of the film but how this adds to the rewatchablity of the film. Some of the details include what separates this from other adaptations – including the “lack of pods” and what that means for the entirety of the film and its themes; a discussion of the performances, writing, and character of Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, and Jeremy Northam; the appearance of Veronica Cartwright and discussion of the themes of women seeking help; a great discussion of the anti-medication theme in the film – and how this rises in our society after this; the appearance of Jeffery Wright; the work of the Wachowski – who were brought in during the reshoots to rewrite the script; a larger discussion of the coded themes in the film – including a discussion of feminism within the film; a larger discussion about the various actors that appear in the film; a larger discussion of the trouble of the production, the reshoots, the original ending, the action reshoots, the “messiness” they often refer to; and much more. Subissati and West provide an entertaining, fun, and ultimately informative commentary track about the film.
Body Snatchers and Beyond (23:53) – is an all-new visual essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas not only discusses the 2007 version but goes back to the original source material and discusses in detail the various versions (1953, 1978, and 1993) and the contextual themes the filmmakers of each of those films used to create a film of their era and concerns. Heller-Nicolas does a great job of also discussing the homages, imitators, rip-offs, et. al. that filled both the literary and film landscape (Who Goes There?, The Day of the Triffids, The Thing from Another Planet, John Carpenter’s The Thing, etc.). The primary focus is the 2007 version what makes this entry so unique to its time (the rise of social media, invasion of the Middle East, strong anti-vaxing themes, anti-women themes, abuse of women, et. al.). The essay is excellently written by Heller-Nicolas and put together by editor Rebecca Rubie and produced by Neil Snowdon.
That Bug That’s Going Around (16:17) – is an all-new visual essay exploring The Invasion as a pandemic prophecy by film scholar Josh Nelson. Setting the table of how viewing habits during the COVID pandemic went to films like Outbreak and Contingent and why that possibly was Nelson takes a deep dive into The Invasion and its look at a world headed into a pandemic thirteen years before the actual pandemic. Nelson looks at how the film has risen in esteem because of some of the prophetic / accuracy in which reality slams against the film’s imagery and themes, now living in a post-pandemic world. Things like the rise in anti-women, the politicized nature of the pandemic, and much more. The essay is sharply written by Nelson and put together by editor William Allum and produced by Neil Snowdon and Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.
We’ve Been Snatched Before (18:56) – is an archival featurette that is interestingly enough about pandemics. As we have all been through a viral global pandemic and are pretty prophetic with interviews with real-world experts. This featurette does go into more “what each version is saying about the culture at the time”. Many will find this being … wrong in some respects and very right in other aspects.
Behind the Scenes – under this submenu are three additional archival featurettes.
The Invasion: A New Story (2:59) – is an archival featurette focusing on what makes this newest adaptation of The Body Snatchers different. Featuring cast and crew interviews and a healthy amount of b-roll behind-the-scenes footage.
The Invasion: On the Set (3:25) – is an archival featurette focusing on the making of the film and various aspects of on-set production and looking at what director Oliver Hirschbiegel brings to the film. Featuring cast and crew (including an all-too-brief appearance by Joel Silver) interviews and a healthy amount of b-roll behind-the-scenes footage.
The Invasion: Snatched (3:17) – is an archival featurette focusing on the making of the film and various aspects of on-set production and looking at the mythology behind the story and how they approached this aspect of the film. Featuring cast and crew (including another all-to-brief appearance by Joel Silver) interviews and a healthy amount of b-roll behind-the-scenes footage.
Theatrical trailer (2:00)
Image gallery – the gallery consists of 38 production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and poster art. The gallery can be navigated by using the next and back chapter stop buttons on your remote.
The Final Thought
If you’re a fan of The Invasion, Arrow Video has given the film a truly revelatory transfer and wonderfully researched extra features.
Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig star in The Invasion – the fourth adaptation of the sci-fi classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Arrow Video’s 4K UHD is loaded with a stunning transfer and a wealth of extras.
The Film
Since Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, there has been an adaptation of Jack Finney’s horror sci-fi novella every two decades or thereabout. In 1978 it was Phillip Kauffman’s version with Donald Sutherland. In 1993 it was Abel Ferrara’s version with Gabrielle Anwar. Finally, in 2007 Oliver Hirschbiegel’s version with Nicole Kidman.
The concept/plot remains the same. After a spacecraft lands on the earth a very strange occurrence begins to happen. People begin to change. Angry people become docile. Someone once lively has become sedated as though put into a dopamine spell. People begin to realize something is going on. An invasion but not one of violence but one of compliance and peace. Though they are no longer themselves.
Hirschbiegel’s film, even thirteen years before a global pandemic would become an actuality, takes a viral pandemic approach to the material. The result is not a waking nightmare of the inevitable but a racing clock narrative. The Invasion does show, adroitly albeit very briefly, the argument that the aliens taking over are quickly creating a society of peace. The thesis of individuality vs loss of will to the hive mentality is never fully explored. Instead, The Invasion is about jauntily-shot but well-executed action scenes and Nicole Kidman looking scared and sweaty in terse situations. One can feel the hand of studio interference with David Kajganich’s script being gutting and what was initially a project more akin to Hirschbiegel’s brilliantly insidious Downfall a terse thriller and slow-burn examination of society.
The Invasion wants none of those intrusive and dark thoughts. It finds itself in the Outbreak model of viral thrillers. A ticking clock narrative and race against time to not just find a cure, thank you to the brief but effective appearance by Jeffrey Wright as a virologist, but to find Kidman’s son in the hopes he’s not been turned. When they do find her son we know exactly where this film is heading and all but takes any narrative drive. Even when Kidman’s character shoots Daniel Craig – it’s not a headshot, it’s in the knee – because we know he has to come back for that happy ending.
It gives us that ending. A de-toothed happily ever after solution doesn’t again rub against its central conceit – individuality vs loss of will to the hive mentality – to make it at the very least mildly thought-provoking. The Invasion would rather say that we’re all safe back to our individuality. Just don’t think about the cost or what was presented. It’s all good. Daniel Craig survived and lives happily ever after with Nicole Kidman.
If you’re looking for a middling sci-fi viral thriller that’s beautifully shot and staged, The Invasion will be your jam. If you’re looking for something truly affecting and brilliant biting commentary stay with Siegel’s version or Kauffman’s haunted take. Or this reviewer’s personal favorite, the defiantly punk rock very Abel Ferrara remix version.
The Transfer
The 4K transfer has been restored by Arrow Films and presented in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) and is a jaw-dropping stunner. The movie was filmed in 35mm at the tail end of the format’s use by the studio (it would be around this time that they would move over to digital workflow much to Christopher Nolan’s chagrin). I mention this because the image is unrivaled in clarity, color reproduction, contrast, and black levels. I have watched the film four different times on three different 4K monitors and one 4K projector and the results were all the same… perfection. There is nary a scratch, defect, or artifact present on the image. Arrow has given The Invasion a reference quality transfer, full stop, no further explanation needed.
The Extras
They include the following;
The all-new audio commentary by film critics Andrea Subissati and Alexandra West, co-hosts of The Faculty of Horror podcast opens with their bonafides and admits the messiness of the film but how this adds to the rewatchablity of the film. Some of the details include what separates this from other adaptations – including the “lack of pods” and what that means for the entirety of the film and its themes; a discussion of the performances, writing, and character of Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, and Jeremy Northam; the appearance of Veronica Cartwright and discussion of the themes of women seeking help; a great discussion of the anti-medication theme in the film – and how this rises in our society after this; the appearance of Jeffery Wright; the work of the Wachowski – who were brought in during the reshoots to rewrite the script; a larger discussion of the coded themes in the film – including a discussion of feminism within the film; a larger discussion about the various actors that appear in the film; a larger discussion of the trouble of the production, the reshoots, the original ending, the action reshoots, the “messiness” they often refer to; and much more. Subissati and West provide an entertaining, fun, and ultimately informative commentary track about the film.
Body Snatchers and Beyond (23:53) – is an all-new visual essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas not only discusses the 2007 version but goes back to the original source material and discusses in detail the various versions (1953, 1978, and 1993) and the contextual themes the filmmakers of each of those films used to create a film of their era and concerns. Heller-Nicolas does a great job of also discussing the homages, imitators, rip-offs, et. al. that filled both the literary and film landscape (Who Goes There?, The Day of the Triffids, The Thing from Another Planet, John Carpenter’s The Thing, etc.). The primary focus is the 2007 version what makes this entry so unique to its time (the rise of social media, invasion of the Middle East, strong anti-vaxing themes, anti-women themes, abuse of women, et. al.). The essay is excellently written by Heller-Nicolas and put together by editor Rebecca Rubie and produced by Neil Snowdon.
That Bug That’s Going Around (16:17) – is an all-new visual essay exploring The Invasion as a pandemic prophecy by film scholar Josh Nelson. Setting the table of how viewing habits during the COVID pandemic went to films like Outbreak and Contingent and why that possibly was Nelson takes a deep dive into The Invasion and its look at a world headed into a pandemic thirteen years before the actual pandemic. Nelson looks at how the film has risen in esteem because of some of the prophetic / accuracy in which reality slams against the film’s imagery and themes, now living in a post-pandemic world. Things like the rise in anti-women, the politicized nature of the pandemic, and much more. The essay is sharply written by Nelson and put together by editor William Allum and produced by Neil Snowdon and Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.
We’ve Been Snatched Before (18:56) – is an archival featurette that is interestingly enough about pandemics. As we have all been through a viral global pandemic and are pretty prophetic with interviews with real-world experts. This featurette does go into more “what each version is saying about the culture at the time”. Many will find this being … wrong in some respects and very right in other aspects.
Behind the Scenes – under this submenu are three additional archival featurettes.
Theatrical trailer (2:00)
Image gallery – the gallery consists of 38 production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and poster art. The gallery can be navigated by using the next and back chapter stop buttons on your remote.
The Final Thought
If you’re a fan of The Invasion, Arrow Video has given the film a truly revelatory transfer and wonderfully researched extra features.
Arrow Video’s 4K UHD Edition of The Invasion is out now
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