"Invasion" Pilot (2005)

Director:

Thomas Schlamme

Writers:

Shaun Cassidy (creator) and
Shaun Cassidy (writer)

TV Series:

"Invasion" (2005)

Original Air Date:

21 September 2005 (Season 1, Episode 1)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

A hurricane is quickly approaching a small town in Florida leaving the residents little time to prepare...

Plot Keywords:

Florida | Park Ranger | Hurricane | Water | Action Hero

Cast

William Fichtner	...	Sheriff Tom Underlay
Eddie Cibrian	...	Russell Varon
Kari Matchett	...	Dr. Mariel Underlay
Lisa Sheridan	...	Larkin Groves
Tyler Labine	...	Dave Groves
Alexis Dziena	...	Kira Underlay
Evan Peters	...	Jesse Varon
Ariel Gade	...	Rose Varon
Aisha Hinds	...	Mona Gomez
Jeannetta Arnette	...	Ruth
Holmes Osborne	...	Mayor Littles
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bryan Anthony	...	Guardsman
Phe Caplan	...	Young Woman
Bella Carlson	...	Baby Faith
Chloe Carlson	...	Baby Faith
John Everlove	...	Policeman
Amy Honey	...	Miss Gilroy (as Amy Watt)
Ryan Honey	...	Navigator
Aramis Knight	...	Hispanic Boy
Lorena Mena	...	Hispanic Woman
Gwen Mihok	...	Weather Officer
Juan Ramírez	...	Hispanic Man
Mesan Richardson	...	Dropsonde Operator
Rich Skidmore	...	Anchorman
Robert Standley	...	Pilot

Runtime:

Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Netherlands:12

Good characters, cast and direction ; great production and refreshing universe ; intriguing story with plenty of twisted events to enjoy

Body Snatchers is one my favorite science-fiction film so when I read Invasion's synopsis I quickly checked my neck for a Puppet Master. Its pilot should both appeal to newcomers and die hard sci-fi fans. Most of the ingredients of a good sci-fi production are there.

First the characters are smoothly introduced in the very first minutes and you quickly understand their complex relationships. Eddie Cibrian as Russell Varon is really the perfect ranger next door. Beautiful Lisa Sheridan plays her wife, Larkin Groves. Even if I found her character lacked charisma and that she looked too much like the perfect girlfriend, her job as a news reporter is quite interesting as her scenes make the story more dynamic and believable. There's also Kari Matchett (Cube 2 : Hypercube) as Doctor Mariel Underlay. Her blonde hair sort of mirror Larkin's one and the smoking purity that emanates from Kari's acting makes her character quite intriguing. Tyler Labine as Dave Groves did also a decent job even if I found his lines weren't original. It's like if he already knew what will happen when he's not supposed to. But I still think he's a good supporting character and should appeal to most geeks, conspiracy theorists or alien hunters. The only characters who didn't really convince me are the children but as I already watched the whole season back in 2006 I already know their profiles are not as boring as they seem. In fact there's one special scene I strongly recommend you to pay attention to, the one between the girl and Larkin about the news. Last but not least after all these years I still remember how amazed I was when I saw William Fichtner as Sheriff Tom Underlay. The actor's charisma is very impressive and confirmed the first great impression I had in Prison Break as Alexander Mahone. Moreover his character is definitely the most intriguing one of the story.

Beside the casting and characters I also really enjoyed the direction and production. For example some of the Sheriff scenes are filmed in a way which makes the character even more mysterious. Eddie and Lisa also makes the perfect couple and I'm sure they had a great chemistry on the set. Moreover there're numerous settings so you'll definitely feel like if you were there. In fact I found there little town of Florida quite homey and I specially liked the outdoor scenes in the wild. And the very first minutes you definitely feel a hurricane is on its way as most people are running like little ants in the rain. The wind blows, objects are flying everywhere and most visual effects are good. My only complain would be that some scenes are too short and I wish the editing had been smoother.

As for the story I found it intriguing but not fascinating because I have already seen films and read novels about the topics covered : Alien invasion, conspiracy theory… Otherwise even the first time I saw it I remember that I really wanted to know what would happen. Many questions were asked and most events should definitely invite you to pursue the experience further. For example I remember laughing at the Sheriff because I noticed something funny about him, it would definitely make a good trivia. An other scene really scared me as I wasn't expecting it. Of course it's still too family friendly for my taste but the universe is heterogeneous enough to appeal most viewers. Everyone should also find numerous references to their favorite cultural works so there're many rock solid elements to enjoy. Or should I have written water liquid instead ?