Invasion Earth (1998) User Reviews

A fab Sci-Fi Series if you can over look the bad ending!

[Rachael-Harper · 7/10 · 14 July 2012]

I remember watching this when I was 9 years old in the Uk (Yes I understand I was way below the legal age limit but my dad watched it with me). I really enjoyed this interesting original story which in my opinion had good acting and fantastic special effects (if you consider the year in which it was made). Having looked at some of the other reviews I can understand people's frustration with the ending of this series, I myself even as a 9 year old felt very disappointed that no real answers was given. The reason for this was that there was originally going to be a second series but then BBC went over the budget and were forced to cut down in the next year, I do think that they made a huge mistake in axing this well loved series but any attempts now to revive it would be a taint of it's memory. I would recommend fans of Sci-fi who are looking for something alien and original to watch this although you may have to take the bad ending with a pinch of salt.

Quite good...

[tindalos13 · 7/10 · 16 February 2011]

Living in the States requires my constant search or decent programing (Be thankful for being spared the constant barrage of 'reality television'.). This what 'the underground' long for. Too few are programs such as 'Fringe' or defunct programs like 'Freaky Links' or anything else with any bloody thought behind it.

Plus, Fred Ward being involved, never hurts, in MHO. (sorry for the text speak...) So, RUN AWAY!!!! Find 'Torchwood', 'Doctor Who', 'Jekyll' and then, if necessary find old episodes of 'Space 1999' or, Hells, even 'Odyssey 5'.

Bloody Hell the viewing public is, for the most part DAFT!!!

Dated execution, but the script is worth a remake

[Gentzen · 6/10 · 26 October 2022]

As a rule these days, movies or series excel in effects and cinematography but are betrayed by scripts that either go nowhere or have more plot holes than swiss cheese.

This series bucks the trend. Low budget clearly shows its limitations and it won't get marks for directing. Yet, there's something about it that kept me watching, even when I cringed at the cheesy dialogue or gasped at the stilted scene composition. The script is quite original: a higher dimensional species projecting itself on a 3D world, the concept of a completely organic and biotech technology, the conflict with other alien civs and the idea or taking over worlds and farming planets, all are ideas that form part of high sci-fi literature. Here they are honestly explored to a decent extent, without any blinding contradictions or absurdities. The ending, with the strategic conundrum it presents humanity, is top notch.

Is the series dated? Without a doubt. Acting is often under- or over-cooked, there are plenty of places where the plot sags and drags, or the obvious or the commonplace is pompously stated to fill the time. Rather poor special effects (even for its time) and cheap production values betray a modest budget. The interest the script generates, though, goes a long way to balancing out these defects and keeps the viewer eager to find out the end. The ideas in the script, in fact, scream for a modern remake that will remedy the glaring defects in special effects, direction and production value. I do hope Netflix or somebody else (other than the NDs) is listening.

A great science fiction miniseries

[JG2001 · 5 October 1999]

Invasion: Earth in my opinion should have been up for an Emmy in several categories. The plot, though it used alien abduction, is very original in most other aspects. The special effects look believable. The characters are all well rounded. The finale of the (I won't give it away) was one of the great, non-Hollywood endings that leave you wondering.

dreadful show!

[swanjac · 1/10 · 7 March 2011]

This had soooo much promise! I remember all those years back, looking forward to a new sci-fi show...my hopes shattered within 4 minutes! A cassette player in a phantom jet? a RAF pilot who disobeys at least 4 direct orders? all in the first few minutes? As for the plot,two sets of aliens? "special effects" that were anything but, and as for the performances..my god i am surprised all the actors ever worked again! I came here, via "Outcasts", another turgid BBC waste of time and money.Seems nothing was learned from Invasion in the last 20 years. glad to get that off my chest.don't bother with the DVD, this show was truly truly AWFUL!

Good or bad? I don't know...

[Muffy-5 · 8/10 · 29 August 2000]

I'd be lying if I said I was satisfied with the ending. I appreciate what they were trying to do with it -- show the absolute desperation of the battle, and the need to use whatever means necessary to stay alive, even if it means sacrificing innocent people (or yourself). That was a theme that went through the entire series.

But still, too many things were left unresolved for me to fully appreciate the point...particularly the fate of the communications guy with the dreadlocks, and of the sacrificed townspeople, and -- let's face it -- the fate of the entire world!

Everything was very, very well set up. The actual series was spectacular in many ways...the special effects, the focus switching from development to development, the overall confusion of humankind dealing with an alien intelligence (though I did find that some of the characters were a bit TOO intuitive..."Wow, a strange swirling yellow portal...I wonder if we're dealing with aliens from another dimension?).

I think they struck a fine balance between tense (and often gory) action, uneasy suspense, and development of the characters. I don't think I've ever seen such well-developed character interactions in such a short series.

All in all, it unfolded much the way I imagine this sort of thing really WOULD unfold -- lots of confusion, anger, anguish, guilt, drama, and fear -- but I do wish there had been a BIT more direction to the process. It was almost TOO lifelike to be ultimately entertaining for me. How often, in a TV series, do you hear a mother admit to her child that she's terrified of what might happen next, and that she doesn't know if she'll be able to come home again? Or a desperate general decide that total destruction is the most preferable course of action -- and have it actually be TRUE?

The whole thing gave me the shivers, and I don't really sure that's a good thing.

Portal dull

[Prismark10 · 2/10 · 10 June 2014]

I can see the BBC bosses salivating at the prospect of Invasion Earth. A US/UK co-production with state of the art graphics, a script from a rising star writer and a big movie star as part of the cast. That show those disgruntled Doctor Who fans that we can do real sci fi the Beeb executives must have muttered to themselves.

Here is a story of aliens coming through another dimension via a portal and the armed forces have no way to stop them. Every attempt to destroy them is futile. At the end the the only way to destroy the aliens is to blow up the planet which is a rather bleak prospect.

However despite the polished production the series was dull, tedious and overlong. Its story could be told in half the time instead it was stretched over six episodes as we had a slow moving story with slow moving flashbacks.

In a sense it was good that the series ended the way it did so there would be no second series.

Shame there was no second series

[Astradyne · 8/10 · 25 October 2000]

Recently saw this again on Sci-Fi channel in the UK. Just to clear up the comments from the other poster about "no follow-up" - Invasion: Earth was not actually a movie, but a series made by the BBC in the UK. There should have been a second series, but the BBC pulled the plug and a second series was never made. It's a real shame, as I think it was a great programme.

Not as good as it should have been

[michelleeb · 1/10 · 1 January 2006]

I'm not one of those sci-fi fans who believe science fiction should be all action and no drama. I think good science fiction should be character driven, and besides, this was one of the very few sci-fi dramas the UK has produced. I thought it'd be good. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The script is clichéd and awkward. It felt like someone copying American sci-fi, instead of coming up with an original idea of their own. Surprisingly, given the standard of actors in it, the acting was awful, and the direction dire. The whole thing made me wince all the way through the first episode, and I never got round to watching the rest. If you want really good, British, character driven sci-fi, go for Dr Who. Don't bother with this. You won't be able to get through the first hour.

Great mini series a cult must see

[Drugstore-Cowboy · 2 June 2003]

I Really enjoyed the way the story turned out. Another series would have ruined it.I liked the way the aliens came from another dimention and not in spaceships or carrying laser weapons like the stereo typical E.T. "al a independence day" alien does.

I liked the way the only American involvement was Fred Ward's US NATO commander investigating the Pilot Vincent Regan. The thing i liked the most about this series was how every attempt to destroy the aliens was futile and in the end the only way to win was to destroy (ourselves) the land and sacrifice the innocent people which just goes to show how desperate things were getting for us humans.

This was a really well thought out and intellegent show and the action and script racheted up the tension as everything they tried to do eventually failed and the frustration that they felt knowing this.

I thought the ending was great, everything they had tried failed, the only thing they had left was to nuke the ND's and themselves. The implications of this are horrific for mankind and the characters knew this.

I see lots of people across the atlantic slated this because they were expecting the good guys to win and the ND's to lose and didn't understand why it ended so abruptly with the humans nuking themselves. I think that it would probably be more realistic and has a much greater impact on me the viewer then if we beat the ND's and lived in a much safer united world "al a independance day".

But then in America, you hardly ever see a film or TV program where the

good guys lose and the bad guys win.

Can't wait to see it again in a re-run and might even get it on DVD A great piece of Cult British Sci Fi and ranks along side Quatermass.

"Your Honour, I rest my Case....." Drugstore-Cowboy 03

An ending so bad, you'll swear they just ran out of money

[X-the-Unknown · 3/10 · 7 September 2000]

I'm not going to give away the ending, but I must say this is the worst ending of any film or mini-series I have ever seen. Even worse than the 2-hour "Twin Peaks" movie (the European movie version)... but the "Twin Peaks" movie ending was probably intentionally bad. What makes the "Invasion Earth" ending so bad is that I really enjoyed, oh, the first 98% of the mini-series. Then came the horribly lame "end." I may be harshing too much on it... maybe it was originally planned as a series and was cancelled, so they tacked on an ending to "wrap it up." I cannot express forcefully enough the total lack of catharsis in this mini-series... when the credits roll, you will be jaw-dropping shocked... "surely it can't be over?" Sadly and disappointingly, you will realize that it is finis.

Not as bad as everybody makes out

[lord_abaddon · 8/10 · 4 May 2003]

Lots of people have made this series out to be truly awful, and the bad press made sure that it was never given a second series, which is a shame because I really wanted to know what was going to happen next. It wasn't brilliant definately, but it had something compelling which made me tune in week after week. About as good as post-Mulder X-Files, 8/10

Truly Awful

[Theo Robertson · 3/10 · 28 June 2002]

This starts out with an alien spaceship being found during the blizt , a homage to QUATERMASS AND THE PIT no doubt but as the series progresses it comes more as an insult than a homage. I rate Nigel Kneale as television`s greatest ever writer and QUATERMASS AND THE PIT as the greatest drama ever to have been transmitted under the telefantasy banner and to have INVASION EARTH pay homage in this way is an obscenity . INVASION EARTH is possibly the worst telefantasy series ever made by the BBC . It is truly awful

The script is responsible , the opening episode features so many coincidences in order to bring the characters together it looses all credibility , but after the first episode it gets worse , concepts like the NDs ( They`re the bad guys from another dimension I think ) polluting the water supply and kidnapping humans in order to carry out experiments on them are underdeveloped and badly explained while entire episodes are padded out with the subplot of a Second world war army officer`s journey through the galaxy with a race of good aliens . All this is unnecessary to the plot , at least I think it is because I`m not sure what the plot is , describing the plot of INVASION EARTH is like describing the plot of a James Bond film , lots of things happen but none of it adds up to much. In which case I`ll say in INVASION EARTH not much happens and none of it makes much sense. Truly awful

I wish a sequel was in the works!

[lorrjob · 10/10 · 16 April 2001]

I really loved this show. It appeared on the Space Channel here in Canada. I've seen it 3 times and get something new out of it every time I watch it. I found it very entertaining, in that typical dry, British way. The Brits really know how to do Sci-Fi, totally unforgiving. The last scene was incredibly haunting and I really wish that there was a sequel underway. The acting was incredible, the characters believable and likeable (and not so likeable) and the plotline profound. I would watch it again in a heartbeat!

Makes 'War of the Worlds' look like Winnie-the-Pooh

[edlin-1 · 9/10 · 1 October 2005]

This is a gritty first class mini-series. Excellent characterization, even down to relatively minor characters. The plot is chillingly believable, and reminds me of John Wyndham's 1960s novels of which 'The Day of the Triffids' is the best known, where there isn't a happy ending, or indeed a conventional ending at all. Invasion Earth goes even farther with the fate of most of the main characters left in limbo. Even the special effects are very good. The only better SciFi mini-series I have seen is 'Taken' - which also has a somewhat open ended finale. Because this is a very realistic story, the tension is very great. Anything can happen. We are so used to watching packaged productions where the aliens conveniently catch the common cold, or are allergic to water in the final reel, and humanity is saved. Prophetically this 1998 production belongs more to the post 9/11 era, when apparently insoluble nightmares do become the stuff of daily life.

Clever and original

[cherwanger-ball · 8/10 · 8 January 2007]

What an ending. I don't think people realise how good the ending was. The ND's manipulated life as a tool. And they manipulated the echos to destroy themselves just as they manipulated us to destroy ourselves. There was no sequel to be had. We lost, we done exactly what they wanted from the start. We killed Terrell, then sacrificed the towns folks. Then sacrificed our own planet.

It is a really good brit sci-fi. Dark and dank and miserable.

The acting was a wee bit on the dodgy side, apart from Fred Ward who I will alays have as soft spot for after Tremors.

All in all pretty good stuff.

Clearly not a made-in-Hollywood film

[Gin-ster · 10/10 · 4 January 2009]

This series grew on me, although at first I had a lot of doubts. There was a lot of seemingly irrational behavior (i.e. haven't they seen enough sci fi movies to know you can't just shoot at aliens who have super-duper technology and expect to destroy them out that way?). There were also clichéd, corny touches that made me think "Oh no, not another Hollywood film." For example, the scientist bringing her little daughter to the military post seemed to be a setup for "We've got to rescue a kid/child in peril"; there was the usual "Nobody believes the scientists," as well as other manufactured internal conflicts; and, in the "mother of all clichés," initially the aliens were shown to be of the low-budget sort, humans with faces painted white. However (SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER) it ultimately turned every cliché on its head. The aliens were inscrutable and unfathomable, and ultimately there was no way to defeat them, despite the various self-sacrifices and heroics which, in a Hollywood flick, would've saved the day just in the nick of time. No such luck here - SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER - with the brilliant and quirky computer guy's attempt to communicate turning him into alien lunch (or whatever it was they were doing with humans); the pilot's act of derring-do just bringing on another alien "planet shatterer"; the self-sacrificing scientist, morphing into an alien hybrid and offering herself as a guinea pig for deciphering the alien's science, just dying for nothing. Ultimately it was the stuff of nightmares achieved with a minimum of gratuitous gore. I salute it for its unrelenting repudiation of standard Hollywood sci fi clichés.

Aliens invade with VERY long-term planning......

[DraculX · 8/10 · 6 November 2014]

Alien invasions are old hat, but the manner of this one is very unique. The aliens have a very long-term plan, and humanity is in a lot of trouble because they do not find out until nearly 50 years after the invasion plans have begun. Well worth watching, but be warned - the show seems to be cut short because the series was not carried over for a second season by the BBC, and is fairly dark in nature. It made hallmarks in the use of real British Military units and the extensive use of CGI for much of the effects. The real military troops really help sell the story, and the CGI is(for the time)VERY good for a T.V. production. There is none of the 'odd' or 'strange' humor often associated with British T.V. or films, and the story is very good. For those interested in the series, try reading John Ringo's 'Looking Glass' science fiction series - the aliens there are very similar to the ones in this movie. Be warned though - the series is also considered military (science)fiction written by a military veteran.

Our time could have been better spent...

[AdamCamp · 4 January 1999]

A group of 4 of us watched for 6 hours. The acting was acceptable and the plot had potential. Our greatest problem with this mini-series is that it was unresolved at the end. If this were a pilot for a series, or the first part of a multi-part story, it would have been acceptable. As a stand-alone, however, we found ourselves frustrated and "let-down".

Moving, intelligent drama; exceeds sci-fi genre expectations (w/SPOILERS)

[lynkh · 9/10 · 23 July 2014]

As an American, I was spell-bound. Here in the USA, we have been spoon-fed into expecting warm & fuzzy resolutions to all media presentations. Not this one.

Produced in Scotland in 1998, Invasion Earth was clearly made on a low budget. Yet that does not affect the complications of the plot nor its development. The show begins in b&w during the London blitz & swiftly moves to "present day." We are then presented w/the shock of the existence of aliens, not 1 alien society, but 2. Refusal to believe & then to convince others is presented in what feels like real time. Similarly, this show takes time in presenting its characters development of scientific & military antidotes. Invasion Earth veers high above sci-fi into the realm of excellent, intelligent drama when the antidotes don't work. As hard as the characters struggle to develop a way to fight the 2nd invader (the 1st had sadly & bravely succumbed), the drama builds & builds as, just as would happen in real life, the various solutions (SPOILER) fail. The pace remains realistic as we hope, our hopes are dashed, we hope again, and our hopes are dashed again.

I understand that initially a 2nd season had been envisioned. The end IS sudden. It is left to the audience to struggle w/its meaning & to then understand. There was no need for a 2nd season. One of the last lines (SPOILER) is (approximately), "We'll show them that we will fight. If every blade of grass must be destroyed, they'll see that we won't give up." It is left to the viewer to realize that (ULTIMATE SPOILER) this is exactly what is going to happen. Why? Because the Nd's (the enemy) won't "see". It isn't an alien intelligence. It's an alien -- biological -- life form that seeks other life forms & consumes them as fuel. It has no self-conscious intelligence. It has figured out how to harvest; like modern man's evolution from hunting & gathering to rudimentary farming: that's about the level this life form is at. Fighting will do no good. Nor will poisons. Nor will doing nothing. This thing will only move on when it has consumed all life here & only die when it has consumed all life everywhere. We, like the many places w/any sort of life it has already consumed, are simply fuel & cannot win. It's a daunting realization. I've never seen a piece of science fiction like it.

The only reason I gave it a 9 is that I feel the romance between 2 of the main characters doesn't work. It feels obligatory. But for the rest, Invasion Earth far exceeds its genre. I highly recommend it. A real find.

Well Worth the Watch

[infocyde · 8/10 · 9 May 2010]

This was one of the few shows ever that have taken place in an English countryside that contains elements of romance that I could stomach.

Of course this series wasn't about some messed up broke aristocrat trying to choose between the boring Duke or the good looking pool guy. This series is about an Alien Invasion. That always helps :) I caught this Invasion Earth about 8 years ago and I thought it was really good. I thought the way the Military acted was fairly credible, which is usually not the case in SciFi series, so that scored points with me. The alien adversary hadn't at the time was very unique, so more points. I also liked the ending, though it would have been great if a second mini series had been made. It would be great now, twelve years later, if a second mini series were made, with the battle continuing.

I caught the series again on Net Flicks, and this time I could see a few more plot gaps. A few reviewers have remarked that they thought Fred Ward did was bad being cast as the American NATO general, I can see where this criticism comes from, but the acting isn't so much Ward's fault as some of his dialogue was weak. His character, though realistic in the situation, I think was written in later so the American's would have someone to identify with, and his lines could have been polished up a bit more I think. Acting wise Ward did a fine job IMHO.

If you are a SciFi fan, you will like this series. It isn't 10 stars, but there are many unique aspects of the miniseries that make it worth the watch, and for those who are sci fi fans, concepts presented in this mini-series I'm sure will reinforce and add to kind of the body of lore that SciFi writers draw from when the make new stories. Good stuff.

If you are not a SciFi fan, you will be bored with this series. I bet the negative reviews here pretty much pan every scifi offering.

Very good: potential for sequel or series

[a84cx · 15 June 2002]

I saw this on the Sci Fi Channel as a 3 part mini-series. The plot is excellent, the writing fairly good (avoiding many of the typical cliches), the acting generally competent except for Fred Ward being badly miscast as a NATO general. The atmosphere created by the writer was dark, grim, and often depressing - a kind of sci-fi film noir. This added to the obviously intended idea that humanity was in a fight it couldn't possibly win. The ending was, of course, disappointing from the standpoint of "what happens next?", but it's also obvious that some kind of continuation or sequel was originally intended. The Sci- Fi Channel (or some other interested party) would do well to look into reviving the premise and doing a follow up. Perhaps an international production with segments being made by producers in several countries all over the world and shown in sequence. Difficult to do, but with the proper coordination...

A really bad mini-series.

[TheDvDFan · 12 December 1998]

I was so happy when this movie was coming on tv. I was just counting the days for it. I thought it would be better than "V".

Boy, I was dead wrong. This movie was so stretched out. This movie was more like a drama film instead of a sci-fi movie. The movie had only three or four action scenes. So all of this lead up to: the movie was so boring go out and rent much better sci-fi flicks like "Starship Troopers" and/or "V".

Good enough plot, but what a rotten ending.

[mdbjmb · 10 June 1999]

I stayed up three nights waiting to see how we'd beat the NDs, how Amanda was going to get better, and then she's blown to bits by an atomic bomb, and the series ends?

I came away totally disappointed. The Sci-fi channel has the series on every so often, this is the first time I've watched it, and it will definitely be the last.