The Invasion (2007)

As a Washington, D.C. psychiatrist unearths the origin of an alien epidemic, she also discovers her son might be the only way it can be stopped.

Directors:

Oliver Hirschbiegel, James McTeigue (uncredited)

Writers:

David Kajganich (screenplay), Jack Finney (novel)

Stars:

Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicole Kidman	...	Carol Bennell
Daniel Craig	...	Ben Driscoll
Jeremy Northam	...	Tucker Kaufman
Jackson Bond	...	Oliver
Jeffrey Wright	...	Dr. Stephen Galeano
Veronica Cartwright	...	Wendy Lenk
Josef Sommer	...	Dr. Henryk Belicec
Celia Weston	...	Ludmilla Belicec
Roger Rees	...	Yorish
Eric Benjamin	...	Gene
Susan Floyd	...	Pam
Stephanie Berry	...	Carly
Alexis Raben	...	Belicec's Aide
Adam LeFevre	...	Richard Lenk
Joanna Merlin	...	Joan Kaufman

Storyline

While returning to Earth, the space shuttle explodes and the fragments bring an alien virus that recodes the human DNA. In Washington, the psychiatrist Carol Bennell observes the modification of the behavior of one of her clients first, then in her former husband and finally in the population in general. Together with her friend Dr. Ben Driscoll the researcher Dr. Stephen Galeano, they discover that the extraterrestrial epidemic affects human beings while sleeping and that her son Ollie, who had chickenpox when he was a baby, is immune to the disease and may save mankind from the outbreak.

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Plot Keywords:

psychiatrist | emotionlessness | alien invasion | alien | alien organism | 

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Taglines:

Do not trust anyone. Do not show emotion. Do not fall asleep.

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Genres:

Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and terror

Did You Know?

Trivia

While filming at the Chilean Embassy in Washington, D.C., Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig were to drive a white SUV to the entrance, stop the car, and allow valets to park it. Kidman forgot to place the SUV in park, and as she got out, it began to roll down the hill. Craig swooped in from the passenger side and dove at the SUV, hitting the parking brake, and stopping the disaster from proceeding. This happened during heavy rain effects.

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Goofs

When Carol receives a call in Ben's Jaguar after escaping the pharmacy, we see the cellphone in the foot well; it's Carol's Nokia 'candy bar' shaped phone. However, she says "that's Ben's phone". Next, we see her talking into Ben's flip phone. For the rest of the scene, she's using her own Nokia phone.

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Quotes

[first lines]
News Announcer: [off-screen] Tragic news tonight as the space shuttle "Patriot" explodes during an unscheduled landing attempt.

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Connections

References Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

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Soundtracks

String Quartet No. 26 in D Major
Written by Joseph Haydn (as Franz Joseph Hayden)
Performed by Kodaly Quartet (as The Kodaly Quartet)
Courtesy of Naxos
By Arrangement with Source/Q

User Reviews

Taunt and Smart, Kidman shines here.

First of all, this is not a scary movie. Instead, there is an atmosphere of tenseness, especially when Kidman and Craig's characters must pretend to have already changed in order to survive. Kidman easily carries this film, and she makes you believe the plot line that another actress would have easily made ludicrous. I have read some critical reviews questioning the casting of Kidman in this role, mostly due to the fact that her icy demeanor is seemingly miscast in a role that calls for emotion. However, I believe that it is this very demeanor that allows her to be believable in this film. She plays an extremely smart psychologist who catches on to the situation fast. She is an analyzer, and it is her lack of deep emotion that allows for her to think quickly and critically, without it, she would have easily succumbed to the body snatchers and there would have been no movie. There is indeed a liberal undercurrent through this movie. It questions our role in Iraq but more importantly, it questions our actions as a species, our emotions, our anger, our selfishness, and their effects on our society. To create a world in which everyone is equal, rational, no war, no disease, no famine, no inequality is what the body snatchers are offering...and for this movie goer, there was at least one point in the film in which I found myself asking whether that would be so bad. Sure, the ending was a little too quick and tidy, but overall, this was a great movie.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

17 August 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Filming Locations:

Union Station/Columbus Circle, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,951,409, 19 August 2007

Gross USA:

$15,074,191

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$40,170,558

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures, Silver Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1