If you liked 1956 and 1978 versions of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, you’ll be sorely disappointed, depressed and even a little demented after watching The Invasion.

The movie is the fourth version of Jack Finney’s novel The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. There’s only so much twist and masala you can add to a crumbling story to make it look good, and the film is anything but edible.
Think of the script as a connect-the-dots kids’ narrative.

A space shuttle brings home a virus that possesses humans when they sleep. One by one, the homo sapiens relinquish their humanity and become emotionless zombies.

When this virus threatens to infect her son, psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Kidman) must do all she can, along with help from the obscure Ben Driscoll (Craig), to fight off the mellow gray invaders. Scary? I think not.

Granted there have been umpteen alien mind control movies, but the chilling horror in films like Night of the Living Dead made them watchable.

The horror in The Invasion, however, is saddeningly deadpan. The script by David Kajganich gets incredibly boring at times — watch out for the scene where Carol drones on and on about the evolution of man.

At others, it gets extremely weird, especially when she leaves a note to her ten-year-old son asking him not to sleep ever, or when she and Ben drive a flaming car while evading zombies. Which one is more dangerous is anyone’s guess.

The only saving grace of the movie is Kidman, whose nervous, angst-ridden face brings out some drama. If you’re not afraid of being infected by a horrible screenplay and gloomy cinematography, go watch The Invasion.