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After a source novel, two prior direct cinematic adaptations and countless knockoffs (not to mention the current barrage of advertising), by now most everyone should be familiar with the basic story of The Invasion. But, just in case: an alien invasion comes to Earth not in the form of little green men but instead a spore/virus/infestation that transforms unsuspecting humans into emotionless drones overnight, and our heroes (this time around, Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig) are then forced to a find a way to elude the overwhelming ranks of the infested while fending off the seemingly inevitable change in themselves. The far more unfamiliar tale here is what went on behind the scenes.

The Invasion was originally shot back in 2005, and planned for release in the summer of 2006. But upon viewing the finished film, producer Joel Silver and Warner Brothers executives decided that German director Oliver Hirschbiegel's take was just too artsy and, well, boring. After sitting on the shelf for a while, Silver handed the project over to his pals the Wachowskis for a rewrite. They were charged with punching up the action and turning it into something more appealing to the mainstream. After the script work was done, the enigmatic brothers brought in their directing buddy James McTeigue (helmer of the amazingly overrated V for Vendetta) to handle the reshoots, since by this time they were busy prepping the now-shooting Speed Racer. Gossip sites around the ‘Net have claimed a range of reworking perpetrated by this subsequent team of filmmakers; estimates run the gamut from "just a few action scenes" to a massive two-thirds of the finished film coming from the do-over.

Surprisingly, while watching the film unfold it isn't all that easy to tell which parts were written and directed by whom. Whether that means barely any of Hirschibiegel's version remains or just that the Wachowskis/McTeigue were skilled at melding their new stuff with the old is something we’ll probably never know. But whoever directed what, they all managed to succeed in making this oft-told tale feel relatively original. This is due in no small part to a confident pace and surprisingly retro feel; The Invasion is almost Hitchcock-ian in the way it handles suspense. A superb score also creates tension with its understated string section, making this horror/action hybrid feel at times more like a character driven suspense thriller throwback.

Unfortunately, as the film progresses it manages to gradually run more and more off track. For the first part of the film, there is a real sense of mystery about what's going on (for the characters at least). The extent of the invasion slowly and sublimely reveals itself – but just like that, at about the halfway point of the film, a scientist blows the whole mood by explaining everything verbatim. Jeffrey Wright’s character is transformed into "Mr. Exposition", and from there on out the movie, like its characters, slowly transforms into...something else. Something similar, but not quite the same. What began as a confidently paced thriller veers into full blown Die Hard action mode; at one point Nicole Kidman is actually evading her pursuers whilst driving a flaming car through the streets of Washington, D.C.

The Invasion really loses its way when the aliens have overtaken the vast majority of society; with no mystery left to solve the characters are left with little to do except run, scream and fight. A political lesson that was no doubt intended to contemporize the tale becomes so heavy handed that it ironically does the opposite, making the film more reminiscent of a lazily written Outer Limits or Twilight Zone episode than a subtle commentary on today’s society. There are many moments in the film that work well, and the build up of everything is excellent, but by the time the credits roll The Invasion has come apart in such an unsatisfactory way that it's impossible to call the finished product anything more than disappointing.

Grade: C

- Jeff Latta