“The Invasion” -- Been there, done that science fiction

If you have the creeping feeling of “been there, done that” while watching this movie, its because you have. “The Invasion” is the fourth movie version of the original 1956 film “Invasion of the Bodysnatchers.” Include in your consideration, other alien virus or sci-fi paranoia films in the last twenty-five years - which owe a lot to earlier incarnations of the “Bodysnatchers” theme - and you end up with a tired re-tread of a story that has been told before. While Nicole Kidman does her best with the material she is given - playing a psychologist who is in over her head when the epidemic starts - she can not carry a lackluster film.

In this version of the story, a space shuttle’s re-entry and subsequent explosion, causes contaminated debris to fall to Earth. The U.S. government tries to handle the situation, but their attempted containment is insufficient and the alien infection quietly spreads. Kidman’s ex-husband (Jeremy Northam; “Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius”) works for the government and is one of the early people exposed to the alien contaminant. Kidman starts to notice people acting strangely, but is too caught up in her own personal life with her son and a colleague’s (Daniel Craig; “Casino Royale”) romantic advances, to appropriately react before the situation becomes dire.

There is some tension and excitement as people start being “replaced” and the conspiracy becomes more obvious and bold. However, the few heroic characters react too late and without enough enthusiasm to give humanity a fighting chance. In this version, “being replaced” is almost too easy, without anyone realistically having a chance to survive. Craig and Kidman do create some sensual heat between their characters, but this aspect is focused upon too much in the context of a science fiction story. And then -all of a sudden - the movie is over. “The Invasion” is mildly entertaining for those who enjoy sci-fi thrillers, but it does not advance the genre and will fade out of your memory until its next re-creation.

Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and terror.