The Invasion [Limited Edition] 4K Ultra HD Review

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

The Invasion is the 2007 sci-fi thriller from director Oliver Hirschbiegel that was the fourth feature film adaptation of the 1954 serialized novel The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney. The film ran into studio politics, with the original cut being rejected by the studio, The Wachowskis being hired for additional writing along with James McTeigue to re-shoot some of the scenes. So, the final cut of the film is ironically a Frankentein’s monster.

Like the 1993 adaptation Body Snatchers from Abel Ferrara, The Invasion reworks the protagonist into a female, but this one leans heavily into post-modern feminism, creating a world where the men, in particular, become violent and abusive towards the female characters. Here, the concept of the “pod people” as aliens invade the Earth and people transform inside pods into uncanny clones of themselves, is done away with entirely. Now, the aliens are a virus spread through an infection, in line with some of the pandemic thrillers of the era, like Contagion or Outbreak. The removal of the pod people also makes this film feel eerily similar to The Thing from Another World (1951), itself remade in 1982 by John Carpenter as The Thing.

Nicole Kidman as Dr. Carol Bennell (the surname remaining the same from previous adaptations), racing to save her son whom she discovers is infected by the alien virus but may be immune, making him a target for the aliens who want a complete takeover of humanity, is good in the role even as the story lacks focus. The Invasion does not know if it wants to be social commentary on contemporary feminism, a pandemic horror, or sci-fi thriller. It vacillates and some of the special effects used to flashback and move through the timeline only serve to confuse matters more. That said, the film is visually striking, which is one of the things that keeps viewers engaged and glued to the screen. This adaptation of the 1950s novel is not up to the task, however, and slips in tied for fourth place with the Abel Ferrara adaptation.

Purchase The Invasion [Limited Edition] 4K Ultra HD on Amazon.com

The Video

The Invasion was originally shot on 35mm on Arriflex cameras and lenses and Panavision Panaflex Platinum cameras with Panavision Primo lenses. Arrow was supplied the 2K DI master by Warner Bros. and restored and graded the film in 4K resolution at Duplitech.

The Invasion is presented in 1.85:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) Dolby Vision. Could this had been better if it were completely redone with a 4K scan? Possibly, but then the VFX would have to be redone I as well assume. The image looks about as good as it gets, upscale from 2K to 4K notwithstanding. There are not many deleterious effects of this coming from a 2K master. Instead, there is a clean and crisp look with excellent textures. The Dolby Vison grading adds superb nuance in the shadow gradients and pop in the highlights. The film’s cool palette really benefits from this making it seem even icier and unsettling.

The Audio

The Invasion on 4K Ultra HD comes with lossless English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 stereo audio mixes. I listened to the 5.1 as my reference and sampled the 2.0. The 5.1 mix is excellent. It has a good mastering level that did not require me to bump up the levels beyond my normal listening levels. The aggressive mix places plenty of foley effects in the surrounds as well as a balance of the score and atmospherics. Dialogue is full and clean.

The Supplements

Arrow spares nothing with the bonus features for this release, including a new audio commentary and two new visual essays plus archival featurettes and other collectibles like fold-out poster and reversible sleeve. The illustrated booklet has two new essays.

Limited Edition Contents:

• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by film critics William Bibbiani and Sally Christie
• Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket
• Double-sided fold out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket

Bonus Features:

• New audio commentary by film critics Andrea Subisati and Alexandra West, co-hosts of The Faculty of Horror podcast. Recorded exclusively for Arrow Video in 2024.
• Body Snatchers and Beyond (1080p; 00:23:53) – A new visual essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. Recorded exclusively for Arrow Video in 2024.
• The Bug That’s Going Around (1080p; 00:16:17) – A new visual essay exploring The Invasion as pandemic prophecy by film scholar Josh Nelson. Recorded exclusively for Arrow Video in 2024.
• We’ve Been Snatched Before (2007) (1080p; 00:18:56) — An archive featurette looking at the scientific understanding of infectious diseases and their connection to the fictional events of the film.
• Behind the Scenes (2007) (1080p/60):
  • The Invasion: A New Story (00:02:59)
  • The Invasion: On the Set (00:03:25)
  • The Invasion: Snatched (00:03:17)
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 00:02:00)
• Image Gallery (4K)

The Final Assessment

The Invasion gained new audiences and picked up some traction during the 2020 Covid lockdowns as people streamed it, seeing it more as a pandemic thriller than an alien invasion horror film. The sleek production and solid performance from Kidman keep it afloat, but as for adaptations of this source material, nothing really beats the first two films, 1956’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers from director Don Siegel and 1978’s film of the same name from Philip Kaufman.

The Invasion [Limited Edition] is out on 4K Ultra HD November 12, 2024 from Arrow Video

Purchase The Invasion [Limited Edition] 4K Ultra HD on Amazon.com

• Rating Certificate: PG-13 (for violence, disturbing images and terror)
• Studios & Distributors: Warner Bros. | Village Roadshow Pictures | Silver Pictures | Vertigo Entertainment | Arrow Video
• Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
• Written By: David Kajganich (screenplay) | Jack Finney (original novel The Body Snatchers)
• Run Time: 99 Mins.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Video Format: HEVC 2160p (4K UHD)
• HDR Format: Dolby Vision (HDR10 Compatible)
• HDR10 Metadata:
  • MaxLL: 699 nits
  • MaxFALL: 390 nits
  • Max. Luminance: 1000 nits
  • Min. Luminance: 0.0001 nits
• Primary Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
• Secondary Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo
• Subtitles: English SDH
• Street Date: 12 November 2024