Having established an effectively creepy mood in the first half, the film eventually degenerates into a muddled mess, with Nicole and Daniel Craig dodging zombies while popping amphetamines in a desperate effort to stay awake. We know how they feel.
The Invasion (2007)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:154
Fresh:30
Rotten:124
Average Rating:4.3/10
Consensus: The Invasion is slickly made, but it lacks psychological insight and thrills.
Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for violence, disturbing images and terror.
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:12-10-2007
Synopsis: Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman ("The Hours") and Daniel Craig ("Casino Royale") star in the science fiction action thriller "The Invasion," a nightmarish journey into a world where the only way... Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman ("The Hours") and Daniel Craig ("Casino Royale") star in the science fiction action thriller "The Invasion," a nightmarish journey into a world where the only way to stay alive is to stay awake. The mysterious crash of the space shuttle leads to the terrifying discovery that there is something alien within the wreckage. Those who come in contact with it are changing in ominous and inexplicable ways. Soon Washington, DC psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) and her friend, Dr. Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig), learn the shocking truth about the growing extraterrestrial epidemic: it attacks its victims while they sleep, leaving them physically unchanged but strangely unfeeling and inhuman. As the infection spreads, more and more people are altered and it becomes impossible to know who can be trusted. Now Carol's only hope is to stay awake long enough to find her young son, who may hold the key to stopping the devastating invasion. "The Invasion" also stars Jeremy Northam ("The Tudors," "Gosford Park") and Jeffrey Wright ("Casino Royale," "Angels in America"). The film is directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel ("Downfall") from a screenplay by David Kajganich, based on the novel The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney. Joel Silver (the "Matrix" trilogy) produced the film, with Roy Lee, Doug Davison, Susan Downey, Steve Richards, Ronald G. Smith and Bruce Berman executive producing. The behind-the-scenes creative team was lead by director of photography Rainer Klausmann, production designer Jack Fisk, editors Joel Negron and Hans Funck, costume designer Jacqueline West and composer John Ottman. "The Invasion" is a Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, of a Silver Pictures Production, in association with Vertigo Entertainment. "The Invasion" has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for "violence, disturbing images and terror." --© Warner Bros. [More]
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam, Jackson Bond
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam, Jackson Bond, Roger Rees, Jeffrey Wright, Susan Floyd, John M. Jackson, Josef Sommer, Robert Stanton, Celia Weston, Jeff Wincott
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Screenwriter: Dave Kajganich
Producer: Joel Silver
Composer: John Ottman
Studio: Warner Bros.
Reviews for The Invasion
If not a train-wreck, this is certainly more than a fender-bender. In a world overflowing with targets for a satirical pasting, we needed something a lot sharper than this.
A strong, proven premise, drained of almost all feeling and personality. Hirschbiegel’s Hollywood debut sporadically grips – but like Kidman and Craig’s characters, you’ll most likely end up battling to stay awake.
Novelist Jack Finney's body snatchers have appeared in some fine movies, but the only disturbing-looking thing here is what they've done to Nicole Kidman's lips.
Kidman gives her most personality-free performance as a psychiatrist whose estranged husband (Jeremy Northam) starts behaving suspiciously by becoming a better father to his son (Jackson Bond). How spooky is that? The answer is: not even slightly.
Hirschbiegel's troubled remake has several good scenes and is by no means a disaster but it's ultimately disappointing thanks to poor editing and clumsy writing.
Like the three movies before it, the only way our heroes can survive is by staying awake. Odds on you won’t.
This is a by the numbers production, made with about as much emotion and passion as one of the alien made clones.
Don't join The Hive. Don't become part of The Universal Mind. Stay a violent human with your own selfish agenda.
Essentially, The Invasion has already joined the pod people collective.
This is the first alien invasion I can remember in which I actually found myself rooting for the aliens.
After three successful cinematic renditions of Jack Finney's 1955 sci-fi novel "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (the 1978 version with Donald Sutherland being my favourite), they've finally managed to mangle it up.
'The Invasion': Oliver Hirschbiegel's take on Jack Finney's classic story is subtly political, commenting ever so slyly on the apathy and indifference - and the lack of empathy and compassion - that have taken over since 9/11, as well as the sense of enti
Treat yourself to the Donald Sutherland version, plus, his perm is more frightening than anything that happens in Invasion.
With her line-free mask of a face and unflappable demeanor, Nicole Kidman is an odd standard-bearer for the messy imperfection of the human race; even so, this fourth movie incarnation of Jack Finney's novel is hardly a disaster...
This current update is a competent, sufficiently creepy version with an A-list cast that dwarfs its B-movie predecessors by comparison.
The mismatched blending of Hirschbiegel's low-key horror and the Wachowski Brothers' anything-but-low-key action sequences results in a cinematic dud.
Fails to live up to its own aspirations, undermined by misguided attempts to enliven the action with car wrecks and explosions.
Latest News for The Invasion
September 15, 2008:
Kidman Tops Forbes Overpaid Celebrities List ![]()
Who's the most overpaid celebrity in Hollywood? According to Forbes, it's Nicole Kidman, whose films earn just a dollar for each dollar she's paid. More...
December 06, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Golden Compass Sets Course For #1 Debut
New Line hopes to breathe some life into the North American box office with the launch of its pricey adventure film The Golden Compass which stands as the frame's only new wide... More...
October 10, 2007:
Warner Bros. Responds to "No More Female Films" Rumors
It seems that reports of Warner Bros. president of production Jeff Robinov's misogyny were greatly exaggerated. More...
September 03, 2007:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Halloween Cuts Up Record $31M Labor Day Opening
A record summer box office ended on a high note with a record Labor Day weekend led by Rob Zombie's new take on the horror classic Halloween which scored the biggest opening... More...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 67% 67% | Public Enemies |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 95% 95% | The Cove |
| 85% 85% | World's Greatest Dad |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- The Invasion at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Invasion at IGN
- The Invasion at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

