Third remake of a 1956 classic (spoilers)

Me and the Mrs. went out to catch "Invasion" yesterday afternoon. This is the second [major] remake of the classic "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" which was an allegory for communist infiltration. (Hey, 1956? What would you expect?) In the original, star Kevin McCarthy is fleeing the alien invaders at film's end -- invaders who've "replaced" humans, taking over their bodies. A depressing ending to be sure as humanity's days are clearly numbered.

The 1978 remake starring Donald Sutherland is even darker. Like the original, the aliens are "plant-like"; they duplicate a human's features leaving the human to die, and the replicas are essentially devoid of emotion. That is how Sutherland and the other remaining humans in San Francisco are able to live among the alien duplicates for a time. The ending of the remake, like the original's, is dark and somber as the aliens appear victorious. Co-star Veronica Cartwright has successfully managed to survive among the invaders, and when she glimpses Sutherland walking down the street, she summons him. Oops. Don has been taken over, and he lets out a hideous alien scream to warn his brethren that he's discovered a human.

"Invasion" veers as Nicole Kidman takes the lead role. (By the way, I am not very partial to blondes and especially redheads, but Kidman is SMOKIN' in this flick! She has now colored her hair blond.) A space shuttle has crashed and appears infected with some sort of alien virus. (This to me was a clear nod to "The Andromeda Strain.") Unfortunately, the head of the US CDC is among the first to be infected, and he promptly infects his closest confidantes. Thus, they're able to trick the public into getting "innoculations" against the virus -- but it's actually the infection itself! The aliens are not plant-based this time; they're actually an intelligent "macro-virus" that uses human brain tissue to take over its host. Kidman and new 007 star Daniel Craig have a buddy who discovers just this, and they quickly seek protective shelter where they can study the virus further. It turns out that Kidman's son and cameo-appearance star Veronica Cartwright (from the 1978 version) who is a patient of Kidman's have a special type of antibody in their system which gives them immunity. This leads to a cure, and unlike the first two versions of the film, this one ends with the aliens being defeated, and those who were infected, cured.

In an interesting twist, while the original movie dealt with the Red Scare and subsequent paranoia, the new one features a Russian ambassador who lectures Kidman, Craig and others at a dinner about the "chaos" that is the world, -- how civilization can crumble at any time when it's convenient. Of course, the US in particular is reprimanded: the ambassador (played by Roger Rees, better known as "Cheers'" Robin Colcord) mentions Iraq and New Orleans. This -- from a Russian.

The irony of all the films is peculiar, too. The only way peace on the planet can actually be achieved is by letting the aliens win. Since they essentially have a hive-mind, individuality is no more and everyone's goals are the same. One of "Invasion's" funnier moments is when we glimpse on a TV a news bulletin announcing a "US-Venezuela Peace Pact," and a [obviously CGI-doctored] scene where President Bush and Hugo Chávez are hugging one another.

Speaking of being lectured, two previews of upcoming films demonstrate that anti-Americanism in modern film surely is not on the wane. Richard Gere is starring in "The Hunting Party" about war press correspondents, and -- surprise -- uncovers news where the US is supporting a Bosnian war criminal. George Clooney is the main guy in another soon-to-be released flick, "Michael Clayton," this time dealing with corporate/government intrigue where -- surprise -- corporations kill people and the government seemingly doesn't care.

Posted by Hube at August 21, 2007 04:51 PM | TrackBack