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Do all good things come in fours? Apparently not. Knowing that final cut was taken away from Oliver Hirschbiegel, (director of Downfall) I am hoping a directors cut will be released and it will be a completely different film. Much tighter and smarter, but the truth is I have no idea what was added or taken away from the film. The end product I saw could very well be close to what Hirschbiegel created, so I must take the film as it is.

From the beginning, The Invasion is an utter mess of a film. To much happens to fast. The beauty of the 1956 Don Siegel version (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, one of my favorite films) is it's pacing. It has a big exciting opening, but than relaxes and slowly builds into some sort of masterpiece. All 4 film have the same basic idea, and all deal with the problems of their time. In The Invasion it's the war in Iraq. And yet this time it doesn't really say anything important.

One of the biggest problems with the film for me is the acting. I was wondering if the zombie like state had affected the cast from the beginning of the film. This gives me reason to fear that Hirschbiegel is a bit more to blame than I want to.  The plot line was so predictable. Even though I know the story from the three other films, they failed to keep it interesting. The final straw for me was the ending. I can't go into it, but.....seriously. What the hell?

All in all The Invasion is not a Terrible film. There are far worse movies you could go out and watch right now, but it is a completely uninspired and dull story that maybe should just not be told again. At least we have the fantastic 1956 & 1978 versions to revisit and experience real tension and real terror.

You know, I just don't like these movies. I was bored by all of the action. Not a very strong story, and a lame ending. I wouldn't call it a bad film, and some sequences were well done, but I do not understand all the hype.

Being a huge fan of King Kong (1933), I had to check this one out. It was evident that Cooper was going for the same effect as Kong. Our protagonist set off in search of a legend, The Flame of Life". Unexpected turns bring them to a undiscovered world located deep within a mountain where ( just as in Kong) a Big Door is the gateway to a very powerful secret. There are some sequences taken right out of King Kong, and the excitement that I felt while watching The Most Dangerous Game (filmed by Cooper at the exact time as Kong, on the same sets, and using the same actors!) was in the air, but as the story unfolds I began to see some disappointment heading my way. There was no real danger. There was no real special. There was no real story. There finally was a sequence toward the end where natives where about to sacrifice a young girl (sound familiar?) where some very interesting direction was used, but by that time I was just done with the whole thing.