The Invasion

The Invasion This movie, apparently a more positive remake of the 1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers,  has several things in its favor for the general, female audience. Both Daniel Craig and Jeremy Northam give passable performances (acting in a film full of stepford-zombies is a tricky proposition for anyone), and Nicole Kidman gets in on the indomitable mother-love fun. Always a crowd-pleaser.

Truthfully, though, the film resonated unpleasantness from the nasty brain-eating slasher previews to the distrust and misery in the final pseudo happy-ending scene. Nicole Kidman's acting was better than, say, the opening third of Australia, but worse than her playful Moulin Rouge. Boys may enjoy an early scene in which Kidman does a Meg Ryan/catwalk strut commando under her pyjamas. I found it a little nauseating. I suppose my socio-economic background calls for granny-panties. The strut is probably what irritated me. I don't like Meg Ryan either.

A few nit-picky points include unrealistic marksmanship (Kidman, while holding a gov-issue glock in one hand and without seeming to aim at all, manages to pick off five antagonists with as many kill shots, and hit Craig squarely on the knee), bitter and disappointed politics permeating the background, and the virus spreading through some truly unpleasant vomiting into other people's drinks (and mouths. EW!).

Moments of the movie truly frightened (more than just the germophobes, I mean), and the post-modern in medias res beginning and subsequent bouncing around did help keep up the tension and suspense. The only real issue I have with the camera work was how frustrated I became after the fifty-seventh Kidman Close-up in a row. Some variety would have been nice. (I know - maybe I'm just bitter because I'm ugly). Anyway, at least her hair followed a realistic timeline.

If you like this genre, I'd say spend some time and analyze it yourself. If you're a girlfriend looking to survive a cozy evening, though, steer your boy towards something a little more palatable, like Silence of the Lambs.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lost in Austen

Image
My co-worker warned me about Lost in Austen . She said it was cheesy, and from the few clips forced on me by a very fanatically-inclined little sister, I would have completely agreed. In context, though, I think it all sort of fit, although it's not exactly Emmy material. I really liked what they did to this story, but my reasoning is a bit complex. I have read Pride and Prejudice perhaps seven times. The only books I have read more often are Heart of Darkness (8) and The Book of Mormon (?). That doesn't mean that I like the work, just that my professors did. I admit, I liked the book very well the first three times. The romance was classic and endearing, and the language was fluid and fun. Then came Austenmania, and I jumped ship. Jane Austen wrote some enjoyable stories, but I wouldn't rank her any higher than Georgette Heyer (this coming from the same person who ranks Shakespeare with Steven Spielberg). And at this point, having seen every version of P&P ever fil...
Read more

Salt

Image
This film had all the elements of a classic cold-war spy thriller in much the same way State of Play reprised journalism drama. Both Liev Schreiber and Angelina Jolie played very well, especially off each-other, and although this film must essentially showcase stunts and physical effects, the plot and ending work quite well too, without becoming too belabored or falling into too many cliche traps. Salt is ultimately exciting and fun, but don't try to wrangle a classic out of it.
Read more

The Fountain

Image
This film should only be watched once. As a second-time viewer, I knew approximately how it ended, and how the three epic stories tied together, but it wasn't pleasant to watch. It wasn't pleasant the first time, but at least the images were striking, and felt like some kind of voyage of discovery. Watching this again was a bit like watching The Sixth Sense for the fourth time. The impact had disappeared. For most of the film, the camera moved toward those truly frustrating close-up, poser shots that so irritated me about Master and Commander . I understand that these are pretty people, and they earn the money, and so they get close-ups, but when it doesn't enhance the plot or the artistic composition as a whole - when it doesn't create unity, then it has no place. Actors should understand that, and have a serious heart-to-heart with their directors about it. I usually enjoy watching Rachel Weisz, but in this film she seemed flat, passive, and enervated. To be fa...
Read more