Oliver Hirschbiegel's THE INVASION

Movie Review by Dennis D. McDonald

Taught, well acted, creepy, and fast-paced. The “invisible aliens among us” story has been done many times before. This one focuses less on wild histrionics than continually escalating terror. Washington DC is the location and this is actually done reasonable well without most of the crazy geographically mixed-up physical details of so many other films.

Nicole Kidman is quite convincing and interesting to watch. She plays an intelligent mom pursuing truth and safety as she searches for her son. While not as spectacularly produced as Flightplan, another movie about a smart mom fighting for the safety of her child, Invasion makes the most of simple and sometimes subtle and uneasy effects — knocks on the door late at night, strangers standing around listless on the street, normal people trying to hide their terror while blending in with a world increasingly under unseen alien control. Very unsettling and a really good popcorn flick, especially now due to worldwide pandemic fears.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Dennis D. McDonald