Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam, Jackson Bond

I am a big sci-fi fan. And an even bigger Nicole Kidman fan. For me, there’s nothing more entertaining than seeing a sci-fi film. And there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing moving images of Nicole Kidman (die Keith Urban, die! nah, I love Keith, too) projected on the big screen. So imagine how ecstatic I was feeling yesterday when I was just about to watch “The Invasion,” the third remake of the 1956 film “The Invasion of Body Snatchers.” And when I finally did, ah, it was just heaven. I felt like leaving Earth for an hour and a half and felt happier upon coming out of the theatre.

A lot of people might throw rocks at me now. The movie is not perceived by many as good. In fact, they say it’s horrible. Seeing these reviews, I might be the only one in this planet who actually liked this film. But I really did. It is not the best film of the year, but it’s good.

There are several reasons I liked this film so much. When I entered the theatre, I left my film-graduate-self outside and just enjoyed the movie as much as I could. That’s how I watch sci-fi/thriller flicks. I don’t really focus much on the technical aspect but on its entertainment value. And I really think that it succeeded in taking the audience to a different world of paranoia. I was really uneasy watching it because I felt paranoid for the characters, too. For a moment there, I even thought Ayn (the friend I watched it with) had become one of the aliens.

And puhlease, stop comparing this to the original version (although I know it can’t be helped). They say that the first film is scarier and creepier. Of course! That was Jurassic period! Back then the idea of aliens freaks the shit out of everyone. These days, extra-terrestrial life is not frightening anymore. Thanks to Steven Spielberg. This version has deviated from being a horror-sci-fi-thriller to a plain sci-fi-thriller. And don’t tell me you weren’t thrilled when you saw this. Coz if you weren’t, you’re just as emotionless as the pod-people in the film.

Most people think that Nicole Kidman was a miscast here, and that she was not able to give what was expected of her. What?! Are you kidding me?! She was very good DIVINE. (And I’m not talking about the scene where she was wearing those thin clothes and all I could say was “more, more.”) The great thing about my Nicole Kidman was that even without saying a thing, just by the graceful movements of her eyeballs and the slight way her lips protruded, I felt what her character was feeling. Or maybe that’s just me. Hehe. Gawd, I’m such a fan.

As I’ve said, I didn’t really pay much attention to the technical aspect so I can’t say anything about it. The only thing I remember is that the cinematography and editing are great and very effective. But Daniel Craig and Jeremy Northam looked great, too. Ahihihi.

But if there’s one thing I didn’t like about this movie, it’s that it is a little preachy. As far as I am concerned, sci-fi movies are social commentaries in thin disguise. But this film — no disguise at all.

You see, I’m so affected by the bad reviews I’ve been reading, I can’t even write this damn crappy entry properly.

3.5

Picture courtesy of aolcdn.com and imdb.com

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