Invasion Review
by
AP's movie critic has taken a few shots at the latest incarnation of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this iteration staring Nicole Kidman, and having been written by the guys responsible for bringing us The Matrix. I'm a huge critic of remaking movies for any reason, but when they do it for no reason at all, that's pretty much throwing money in a toilet as far as I'm concerned. Think about the casualty here. Had the studio that created The Matrix not taken a chance on the original material, the Wachowski brothers wouldn't have been around to work on this very film.
Now that they are a commodity, they've set to work on a movie that, as Christy Lemire has pointed out, is now the fourth version of this story to be told in the theaters. Imagine how many things like The Matrix that never saw the light of day because a studio would rather remake the same movie four times than take a risk with something new. Now ponder the irony that if not for one studio taking a risk, the guys working here wouldn't be working at all.
While it's impossible as a viewer to tell where one person's work ends and another's begins, it's clear that all those voices and influences have resulted in a film that feels truncated, rushed, unfocused and -- worst of all -- not the slightest bit scary or suspenseful.
And on top of wasting time and money on a yet another remake, they didn't even do a good job. I guess that's a reason to do a fifth, and some executive is bound to come up with the bright idea while sitting in his or her office late a night, throwing darts at scripts: "we didn't say all that needed to be said with the fourth one, and audiences are eating up sequels this summer. I SMELL ANOTHER INVASION COMING ON!"
Yes, audiences are eating up some sequels, ones to films that are actually good. But then again, it's not like audiences have any say in the matter. When all you are fed by your parents is dog food, eventually, you're going to have to eat it.
Am I calling this version of Invasion dog food? No. If I've learned anything, it's that a lot of people certainly busted their asses working on this film, a lot of people will like it, and I'm sure some people are very proud of it. That doesn't mean it's any good, but their effort does deserve some respect.
The invader comes not in alien form but as a microorganism that attaches itself to the space shuttle as it explodes over Earth, shattering into a million little pieces.
Never mind.
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