The Invasion (2007)

The first thirty minutes of this movie are some of the worst first thirty minutes of any movie; I almost stopped watching. That said, the last hour is actually pretty good, and I guess you could say that I ended up enjoying the film. The Invasion is a remake starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig that is mildly reminiscent of War of the Worlds (the book, not the movie). The Earth is invaded by an extraterrestrial parasite that takes over human bodies, and it is up to Nicole Kidman and her son to save the day. It was really hard to get into this movie and had it not had some big names in it, I doubt I would have continued watching. I found Nicole Kidman's performance to be pretty lacking. It may have been the character more than her, but I did not find that there was any depth to her portrayal; an actress of her caliber can do a lot better. I like Daniel Craig in almost every movie that I've seen him in, and this one did not disappoint. His dry British, Clive Owen-esque voice is perfect for almost any role; I thought he was phenomenal. This movie tries to make a philosophical point, making the world seem like a better place when it was run by the invaders. There are no wars, poverty, crime, etc., but it tries too hard to push a point that is shallow and fails to take into account the depth of human consciousness. I did like the way The Invasion ended. It was fast-paced with some decent action scenes and a good bit of suspense. It really changed this film from a crappy remake to something that in the end, I did not mind seeing. My wife wanted to see this with me, but only because of the cast, and after seeing it myself, I have dissuaded her. It was not a total loss, and in terms of bad movie, it is not actually that horrible. I will not be watching it again, but I give The Invasion 2 and a half stars.