Just released in theaters and soon to invade a DVD bin near you...

The roles that A-list movie stars pick often bewilder me. Nicole Kidman, owning three Golden Globes and an Oscar in her resume, could probably have her pick of any role she chooses. Yet she's come up with a couple of real stinkers in the past such as The Stepford Wives and Bewitched. One could say she isn't cut out for mainstream movies, but I'm quite a fan of her other thrillers The Peacemaker and The Interpreter. And truth be told, I liked her in Days of Thunder. But after watching The Invasion this weekend, I'm left scratching my head again as to why such a talented and beautiful actress with such Hollywood clout would devote her efforts to another mediocre film.

I guess money could be a reason--she reportedly became the highest paid actress in the world currently by receiving $17 million for her role as Dr. Carol Bennell, a Washington D.C. psychiatrist who uncovers an alien disease taking over the world and turning the human race into zombies. Working with an up and coming director Oliver Hirschbiegel and a stellar back-up cast with the likes of Daniel Craig and Jeffrey Wright doesn't hurt either. Rumor prior to its release, too, buzzed about the script for this fourth remake of The Body Snatchers as being a completely fresh take on the science fiction thriller genre with a timely allegory to the current political climate of the world. This movie, however, never quite achieved that lofty goal. Bad early test screenings forced Warner Bros. to rework the entire movie (bringing in the uncredited Wachowski Brothers of The Matrix fame, no less), and delayed its premiere by a whole year. Interestingly, you can sort of tell. Something about the flow of The Invasion is just a little disjointed at times. Perhaps this was to reflect the disjointed personalities of humans infected by the alien germ, but whatever the case, it doesn't quite work.

Nicole Kidman is quite easy on the eyes and her allure keeps you drawn into the movie. Her acting is quite up to par to most of her previous work, but otherwise this wasn't that memorable of a film. What suspense exists never really had me on the edge of my seat, and the final act to wrap the whole thing up doesn't satisfy. The film throws in a blatant monologue of a speech by some Russian at a dinner party about our innate nature for conflict to really try and beat it over your head that this movie was supposed to be something much deeper than your typical zombie movie. And perhaps, in its original incarnation it was. You can tease out a few signs of artistry and moodiness early on. Maybe a great film is hidden in here somewhere. Too bad nobody found it.