'Invasion - The Complete Series'
(William Fichtner, Eddie Cibrian, Kari Matchett, Lisa Sheridan, et al / 6-Disc DVD / NR / (2005) 2006 / Warner Home Video)
Overview: In the aftermath of a hurricane, a Florida Park Ranger and his family deal with strange occurrences, including luminescent creatures in the water and people that somehow seem to have changed after surviving the night of the disaster out in the open.
DVD Verdict: Of the several shows that have tried to launch off of the LOST lead-in, this one was probably the best. Only just barely related to INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (in the sense of human bodies being replaced by alien replicas), the series revolved around a small Florida town in which a segment of the population had turned alien during a hurricane. This premise allowed for alot of promising drama as families and friends had to deal with certain of their members being turned while others remained human. To add suspense to the mix, the sheriff of the town was revealed from the get-go to be one of the lead aliens, along with his wife, while her EX-husband and family (including two children) remained human. Furthermore, as the series unfolded, we learned that there were competing factions among the aliens, some peaceful and concerned for their safety from other aliens AND the military, while the other segment was violent and bent on world-domination (usually resulting in self-destructive behavior). As for the rest of the drama and the many plot-points that arose along the way, you'll just have to watch to see for yourself. Just bear in mind that this is the one and ONLY season the show will ever have (unless another network picks it up, which is unlikely). INVASION sadly got off to a slow start but by the time the mid-season finale was reached, everything was moving along nicely and the actors were beginning to fill their roles very nicely. Early on, the sheriff and his wife established themselves as the anchor-actors and characters of the show, and they were the reason I came back and stayed faithful to the show for its second half. But by the time the finale came, I had grown fond of ALL the actors and the characters they played. It's just too bad that they won't get a second chance to carry on the story, because they had sown many seeds for a promising second season. What did the show in was not being able to capture the audience right away. I myself didn't get past the first episode, but tuned in at about episode 10, and by then things had gotten VERY exciting - but most people never gave the show a second chance. Let that be a lesson - taking your time with a story is a wonderful thing but you have to kick things off with enough of a bang to lock viewers in BEFORE you slow things down. But hopefully, shows like LOST and INVASION will open the door for more series of the like that take their time and slow people down a bit. By the way - if you liked the show and are interested in trying to get it renewed on ABC or another network, buy the DVD set! This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.40:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:
22 episodes on six discs
Missing Scenes
"Invading the Mind of Shaun Cassidy" featurette
Gag Reel
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