We're Only Human...Or ARE We?

I've been thinking about being taken over by an alien lately. It would take some of the responsibility of life off my shoulders, you know? The "horror" film The Invasion, starring Kidman and Craig, is more horrific for its plotting and acting than for anything depicted onscreen. However, there is one incredible thing about this film, making it worth the 99 minutes you'll wish you had back. The "invaders" in this umpteenth remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), overtake their human hosts and turn them into...wait for it...good people.

Now, don't misunderstand...Kidman will never be as good as Dr. Claire Lewicki, who nursed Cole Trickle back to health in Days of Thunder. But human nature in its truest sense is on display in The Invasion. The body-snatched are respectful, calm, and incredulous as to why the rest of the populace isn't embracing this revolution. They say things like, "This is what you always said you wanted." But we, the uninfected, know something is not right with everyone acting so nicely all the time.

An hour and a half of unintentionally hilarious dialogue later, we learn that humanity is winning the war against the invasion because people are starting to loot, rob, and steal again. The final line, delivered by a slumming Jeffrey Wright, is "For better or worse, we're human again." Amen, Jeffrey. Now use your acting talent for good, instead of evil.

We're quick to say, "Hey, I'm only human" (Human League) when we make mistakes. No one says, "Well, I am human" when congratulated. The Invasion, of all things, correctly diagnoses the human condition, and suggests, correctly, that an invasion from an outside force is required to make us good. Luckily for us, the change comes by way of Jesus Christ, and not by some cosmic (and from the looks of it) terrible kiss.