Invasion, The

When a space shuttle mysteriously crashes to Earth, a terrifying discovery is soon revealed—something alien is living within the wreckage. Washington DC psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Kidman) and her friend Dr. Ben Driscoll (Craig) discover the shocking truth about the growing extraterrestrial epidemic: it attacks its victims while they sleep, leaving them physically unchanged but feeling strangely alien. Carol's only hope is to stay awake long enough to find her young son, who may hold the key to halting The Invasion. Based on the novel by Jack Finney. (Stacey Pendry)

Special features are the same as on the DVD and include up-front previews and four featurettes: We've Been Snatched Before: Invasion In Media History (19 minutes), The Invasion: A New Story (three minutes), The Invasion: On The Set (three minutes), and The Invasion: Snatched (three minutes).

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78:1 DVD shows good resolution, with natural details even in the finest textures. Fleshtones generally have a waxy look, though, with details in the skin looking soft and under-defined. Black levels can be very milky, especially in night scenes, where black levels are so high it can be somewhat of a distraction. Shadow delineation can be hampered by these blacks as well, making the darker portions of the screen look flat. Pixel breakup can be recognized, especially in longer shots, and edge enhancement, while not distracting, can be recognized from time to time. The VC-1-encoded Blu-ray Disc shows good resolution, with fairly impressive depth of field and good shadow delineation. Colors are nicely balanced, with impressive vibrancy and boldness. There are times when the picture can look overly noisy, however. (Danny Richelieu)

The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack can be fully engaging, with impressive phantom imaging, especially in the surround field. Dialogue doesn't have the intelligibility of the best releases, but it is generally acceptable. The noise floor is low, which, when combined with the good dynamic range, helps create a natural-sounding experience. The mix can be very expansive, creating a stage that seems to extend well beyond the physical limitations of the room and loudspeaker positions. There are times when the soundtrack can collapse to the center channel, but in general it is very enveloping. Fidelity is good but not great, and the soundtrack is generally impressive. The lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1-channel encoding delivers the same engaging mix, with an increase in fidelity that helps add a layer of realism to the soundtrack. Some clipping distortion can be heard at times, but it isn't overly distracting. Dialogue occasionally sounds hollow as well. (Danny Richelieu)