Invasion (1965)

One in a series of low budgeted, virtually forgotten science fiction thrillers released in the UK in the mid 1960s, including THE EARTH DIES SCREAMING, this is a sombre, intellectual look at an extraterrestrial visit upon earth. Set in one location, a small village, the action is played out slowly and eerily over the short running time, with the emphasis on a creepy atmosphere instead of special effects. In fact, there are virtually no SFX in the film, apart from a wobbly rocket take off at the end. The budget was obviously the reason for this, but it forced the writers to deliver a more literate script than we might have had otherwise (just take a look at films today like VOLCANO, where the writers don't really bother anymore).The cast is full of virtual unknowns, with only a couple of familiar faces. Saying that, the acting is still all to a high standard. Edward Judd (ISLAND OF TERROR) is the big name, and once again he plays the square-jawed action hero who spends most of the time running around in the sewers and basically being an all round pillar of the community. Cult fans will also notice Fu Manchu's daughter, Tsai Chin, in the film as a nurse. There is little action in the film, but instead a strange kind of siege, in which the doctors and nurses discover they are surrounded by an impenetrable force field (shown in one clever moment where a guy's car runs into an invisible brick wall and smashes up), with the alien visitors closing in. The tension here is quite high, and the film uses NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT's trick of having the temperature constantly increasing, both an ominous sign and a factor which quickly affects tempers and makes it difficult to think.The eeriest moments are of aliens wandering around in the forests, watching and waiting, or when a man has a heart attack after two alien girls approach him. There is some fun to be had from the conflict between the doctors and the local military (always an ongoing conflict of interests in these films), and the scenes involving the alien at the hospital, which can only speak after touching a human. Quite clever when you think about it. The only bad thing about the film I would say is the rushed twist ending, which leaves the viewer a bit confused and should have been slowed down a bit. Still, this doesn't detract from a nicely engaging tale.

I always thought this was a particularly odd little film. It seems to be filled with the most ill- mannered cast of any movie I have ever seen. It opens with the Royal Artillery survey unit on Salisbury Plain ignoring a arrival of the UFO. The officer protests and the NCO ignores him and carries on reading his magazine. The officer stomps off in disgust. The action then moves to a cottage hospital where all the staff are permanently at daggers drawn: "I'm in charge here!!.... Mind your own business, etc etc." "How dare you!!!" I couldn't help thinking there was some emotional back-story that had ended up on the cutting room floor. That might account for the way everybody kept overreacting at the slightest provocation. Or have I got it all wrong and that's how British people behaved in the mid 1960s. The aliens must have thought they had landed in an insane asylum.

The 60s was probably Britain's finest hour for well-made, believable science fiction and "Invasion" is no exception.This tense, moody little masterpiece is a joy to watch. No wobbly sets, laughable aliens or flying saucers on strings. Just lots of moody set pieces enhanced by little incidental music and some stark lighting effects.Co-scripted by Robert Holmes of "Doctor Who" fame, this film bears more than a little resemblance to Jon Pertwee's debut DW story "Spearhead from Space" - also scripted by Holmes. However, what do not have here is any of DW's trademark bad points: wobbly sets, bad acting and cardboard monsters!Catch this if you can. A real must see for early, British sci-fi fans.

One night in Britain, electronic devices stop working briefly and a strange fog. A man returning from a party hits a strangely dressed man on the road. When he is taken to hospital they find he may not be totally human. With two more aliens on the loose the hospital finds itself under siege inside a force field. The captured alien tells stories of prisoners and a cruel society - however which of the aliens are really the threat?This is a very simple sci-fi film. To set it in context I watched it with Species 2. Now Species 2 had a huge budget and plenty of special effects, whereas this didn't have any - it's aliens are basically Asian actors and actresses rather than big rubbery effects. The story is very effective and it manages it by never fully playing all it's cards. We're told several stories from the different aliens and it's not right until the end that the truth is revealed. It's not fantastic, but it's a quite good story that gets more dramatic when the hospital is encased in a force field.The main reason the film succeeds is it's production and direction. The direction draws menace from shadows and innocent everyday items and adds a great tone to the film that special effects wouldn't have done. The production adds to this - the use of music is excellent - for example near the start a military unit is watching a radar screen with dramatic music, when the radar cuts off so does the music - the silence being eerily effective.The weaknesses are mainly around the aliens - they're not great actors and it shows when they have to do any length of talking. Other than that it's perhaps a little too slow and simplistic for modern audiences.Overall it's a very atmospheric thriller that makes up in mood what it lacks in special effects.