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The Movie: The other big sci-fi series (see also: "Surface") that was brought to a halt after one season, "Invasion" had the benefit of a prime slot right after "Lost", but was hurt by a couple of lengthy breaks that allowed audiences to tune out and drained tension from the ongoing story. "Invasion" is similar to "Surface" in some ways, but certainly different in others. "Invasion" opens with a hurricane bearing down on Florida, with the show focusing more specifically on how residents of the small town of Homestead are trying to cope. A local park ranger named Russell (Eddie Cibrian) argues with his ex-wife Mariel (Kari Matchett) before racing to find his missing daughter as the storm approaches. After the hurricane devastates the town, it becomes apparent that many members of the community are missing. Mariel was found alive at the edge of the local lake, naked, but without a mark on her, despite having been through a hurricane. Others are found in similarly strange ways and some are found with specific wounds. Some claim to have seen weird lights in the sky during the storm. Russell's conspiracy-freak brother, Dave (Tyler Labine) pulls a strange skeleton out of the water. While the community tries to get back to normal, it becomes apparent that those who were "found", including Mariel, aren't exactly acting like their usual selves, with Mariel and Russell's daughter, Rose, the first to suspect that her mother is not herself. The sheriff (William Fichtner) plans a quarantine. It'd be best not to reveal anything more and leave the show's surprises fresh. While "Invasion" is more subtle than "Surface" (where "Surface" can be compared to something more epic in scale along the lines of "The Abyss", "Invasion" feels more like a season-long "X-Files" episode), it still provides a good deal of surprises and plenty of creepy (often thanks to Fichtner's eerie performance) moments. The family drama aspects are rather familiar at times and the series takes a little while to get into (I found it easier to get into the series on DVD than I did on TV), but once it starts rolling, it often (there's a few slow stretches here-and-there, but the show's worth sticking with) provides an enjoyable and mysterious mix of sci-fi and drama that kept my interest. Unfortunately, as with "Surface", "Invasion" does not wrap things up with its final episode. While there was some discussion of bringing the series back, the "Complete Series" banner on the DVD pretty much makes that unlikely. Still, as with "Surface", while it doesn't come to a conclusion, the ride to the end point is still quite entertaining. 1. 1- 1 21 Sep 05 Pilot 2. 1- 2 28 Sep 05 Lights Out 3. 1- 3 5 Oct 05 Watershed 4. 1- 4 12 Oct 05 Alpha Male 5. 1- 5 19 Oct 05 Unnatural Selection 6. 1- 6 26 Oct 05 The Hunt 7. 1- 7 9 Nov 05 Fish Story 8. 1- 8 16 Nov 05 The Cradle 9. 1- 9 23 Nov 05 The Dredge 10. 1-10 30 Nov 05 Origin of Species 11. 1-11 11 Jan 06 Us or Them 12. 1-12 18 Jan 06 Power 13. 1-13 25 Jan 06 Redemption 14. 1-14 8 Feb 06 All God's Creatures 15. 1-15 15 Feb 06 The Nest 16. 1-16 8 Mar 06 The Fittest 17. 1-17 15 Mar 06 The Key 18. 1-18 19 Apr 06 Re-Evolution 19. 1-19 26 Apr 06 The Son Also Rises 20. 1-20 3 May 06 Run and Gun 21. 1-21 10 May 06 Round Up 22. 1-22 17 May 06 The Last Wave Goodbye The DVD VIDEO: "Invasion" is presented by Warner Brothers in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, with episodes spread out across 6 dual-layered DVDs. The presentation quality is excellent, as sharpness and detail looked consistently solid and flaws - the occasional presence of some light shimmer and a couple of minor instances of artifacting - were kept to a minimum. Colors remained rich and vibrant, with nice saturation and no smearing. SOUND: The show's Dolby 2.0 soundtrack provided crisp, clear dialogue, effects and music. EXTRAS: A featurette on creator Shaun Cassidy, gag reel and deleted scenes from some of the episodes. Final Thoughts: "Invasion" offers excellent acting, an involving story, good twists, solid production values and...it was cancelled. While excellence shouldn't lead to cancellation, "Invasion" is another in an increasingly long line of shows that just aren't being given a chance. "Surface" and "Invasion" may have a similar overall story, but they're both strong shows that are different enough to enjoy on their own. Recommended. |