Invasion (1965) User Reviews

Small but perfectly formed

[henry-girling · 7/10 · 18 March 2003]

This British film is a good example of how intelligence and care can be very adequate substitutes for big budgets and endless CGI. It was made in the sixties but I can watch it again and again while bloated modern sci-fi films are seen and soon forgotten.

It is a low key film and the people in, in the face of something alien, get on with their jobs as best they can. This makes them more like real people than a lot of films do. Each one is fallible and anxious, trying to cope with the unknown. Edward Judd is his usual morose self but is a plausible doctor. Valerie Gearon as another doctor is great. The scene where she is discovered sprawling on the carpet, reading a text book and listening to music makes you warm to her instantly. She was an under used actor in British films.

The plot is simple; a strange man in a rubbery suit is knocked down in the road, taken to hospital and discovered to be an alien. Meanwhile two other aliens are searching for him. And that's it. The atmosphere of suspense is quietly conveyed by the lighting and the black and white photography.

At one point a force field is established around the hospital. There is no CGI to show this but car stops dead and kills the driver, the temperature goes up, the hospital workers react. One believes in that force field without a penny being spent on a special effect. That is good film making. There are many such interesting British films of the fifties and sixties that need re-appraisal and will be worth looking at again when we have tired of over blown under nourishing block busters

Intellectual sci fi

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 6 August 2016]

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.

Modest Yet Effective

[wilsonstuart-32346 · 7/10 · 26 May 2018]

I was very young when I saw Invasion on TV many, many years ago. The dead man lying on floor, fire poker beside him, two rather attractive female aliens standing impassively over him, somehow stayed in my mind (for some reason) for a long time. Shortly afterwards, there Invasion was referenced in a beloved compendium of B Movie sci-fi I bought in a church jumble sale. Childhood, eh?

Anyway, I watched Invasion again a few weeks ago on a cable channel. It is a product of British science fiction period from the late Fifties to mid Sixties, taking its cue from the likes of Quatermass or Village of Damned; maybe not in the same league as those classics, but still enjoyably effective nonetheless.

I don't think I need to repeat the plot and, yes, there are a few holes (what happend to the second alien? Did they kill the nurse?), and rushed ending, but when most of today's low budget sci-fi and horror revolves around CGI, found footage, gore and zombies rehashing, Invasion is a reminder of the quiet powers of understatement.

Understated British Sci-Fi

[JTJ-2 · 1 October 1999]

This is one of a cycle of low-key British Sci-Fi movies of the early to mid 1960s (see also UNEARTHLY STRANGER, NIGHT CALLER FROM OUTER SPACE and NIGHT OF THE EAGLE for other examples) which are technically unspectacular, but which establish and maintain an effectively eerie atmosphere. Its setting is a remote hospital under siege by humanoid aliens whose motives are initially unknown. The morning after I first saw it (on TV in the middle of the night), I thought I had dreamt it. An unheralded gem.

Weird overacting

[andrew-lamb-542-716618 · 4/10 · 16 August 2010]

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.

Well-made Sci-Fi B Movie

[jongibbo · 7/10 · 26 December 2019]

I first saw this film on it's release in 1966, when it played as support to a Tony Randall comedy-thriller, Our Man in Marrakesh, however I thought that Invasion was much the more interesting of the two films. It is made on a minimal budget, with almost no special effects, but is, nevertheless well-directed and succeeds in putting it's story across. It just shows what can be done with a little imagination.

Barely tolerable.

[alexanderdavies-99382 · 5/10 · 1 December 2018]

Nothing new here but a familiar scenario about a group of characters who are under siege and cut off from the rest of society. In this case, it is down to some aliens who have landed on Earth and not far from the main setting of the film (it just so happens!). Edward Judd - perhaps unfairly forgotten in today's world - takes the lead as a hospital doctor. The brief running time makes for a useful bonus. Very routine and predictable but it is digestible, somehow.

Not bad but not among the best

[ebeckstr-1 · 6/10 · 22 September 2021]

Invasion is not a bad movie, but neither is it particularly good. I think the enthusiastic reviews are reaching. I will say, it is an awfully strange movie. The protagonists can't figure out whether the aliens are "Chinese" or "Japanese." All they know, or think they know, is that they are - "Asian" - and that apparently there is an alien Asian invasion. It seems like this component of the movie is supposed to lend some kind of air of mystery or exoticism, or perhaps mere novelty, to the story. It's muddled so you really can't ever tell what the filmmaker's intentions were. I would love to read an interview to hear what they were thinking.

In any case, as other reviewers have noted, the movie is atmospheric, has some nice B&W cinematography, and an effective, understated score. Unfortunately the heroic act of Edward Judd toward the end relies on a very weird stroke of luck, which is reflects the unevenness of the script, which is fine in parts but nonsensical in other parts. (Funnily, Judd is just as grim and sweaty in Invasion as he was in The Day the Earth Caught Fire, a far superior movie from a few years earlier.)

Being a fan of 1950s and '60s British sci-fi, it was very much worth the money. While I can't see myself watching it repeatedly the way I do classics like Village of the Damned, Day the Earth Caught Fire, and the Quatermass productions, it is worth tracking down if you like the particular temperament of the classical era of Brit sci-fi.

Fyi: I couldn't find this movie streaming anywhere so I bought a region 2 DVD for 12 bucks, including shipping, from Amazon. It's the Studiocanal edition. (I've included a few photos so you can make sure you're ordering the addition you want to order or so if you get the wrong version you can justifiably return it.) The picture is properly letterboxed at 1:66, which was the standard UK aspect ratio of the time. The picture is surprisingly good, with no blurring of grays and blacks, sharp lines between tones, with the blacks being surprisingly deep. The DVD includes a trailer, which, oddly, is narrated by the guy with an American accent, as well as the smallest photo gallery I've ever seen on a DVD, maybe six or seven pictures. Frankly, it's amazing this movie got a DVD release, so beggars can't be choosers.

"Wandering around the road in a rubber suit. What does it mean?"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 7/10 · 17 October 2020]

A little gem of a small budget British 1960's science fiction film. Not spectacular but with an eerie atmosphere and a straight forward narrative. Mainly a low key movie but there are some startling moments like the car crashing against the force field and a stabbing with some scissors, both making me jump. It is helped by an able cast believable in their roles such as Edward Judd as stressed Dr. Vernon, Ric Young as the soft spoken alien and delicious Valerie Gearon as reliable Dr. Harland. All the players are good.

It's skilfully shot in widescreen that makes effective use sometimes of isolating people in the frame so that they appear dwarfed by their circumstances. If that wasn't deliberate it certainly works. The music score by Bernard Ebbinghouse is not intrusive but adds to the sense of the ordinary encountering the extraordinary. This was directed by Alan Bridges who had a varied career in films and television and this earlier effort of his is certainly worth watching.

Haunting invisible barrier

[richardjohnmalin · 8/10 · 17 January 2002]

This film had a kind of haunting effect on me for over 25 years.

There is a scene in it where a man (later to be realised a doctor) drives his car away from a building in a manic fashion, trying to get away from something, and crashes, he stops dead, literally dead as his car hits an invisible barrier. Then other people come out of the building and comment on how it's their turn next etc. You know that moment in time has come back to me on a number of occasions through life and until last year I didn't have the faintest idea what film it came from. Then one night I stayed up until the early hours - the vegetable slot - and started watching this Very Low Budget but Very Intriguing film. Good lord, it must have been put together for a few shillings in the old money but HEY was it watchable. And then this same scene came up and it was like a sheer relief that a question that went unanswered for so long was finally solved.

If you get the chance, see this film. Don't expect Hollywood budgets or special effects 'cos they're not present - what you will see is the kind of solid acting and credible performances that only come from a cast who take pride in what they are doing; committing something to celluloid for the benefit of others and something sadly lacking nowadays - real movie art.

Not a masterpiece but certainly very worthy.

Invasion

[DowntonR1 · 6/10 · 21 August 2018]

A sci fi film with plenty of atmosphere and understatedly directed by Alan Bridges. The script and storyline however are both a bit mundane, and the ending feels rushed. The title is completely misleading too.

Very little money but lots of effort

[grunsel · 4 November 2000]

There was obviously very little money available for this movie, but despite this, everyone involved appears to have give it their best shot.In all departments, lighting, camera, acting etc its all very well done.

Asian Invasion.

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 19 March 2020]

Invasion stars Edward Judd (The Day the Earth Caught Fire, First Men In The Moon) as Mike Vernon, the doctor in charge of treating a mysterious young man brought to hospital after being accidentally struck by a car. The man's blood tests prove puzzling, and, after questioning his patient, Mike learns that the stranger (Ric Young) is an extraterrestrial -- a Lystrian -- in pursuit of two escaped criminals. However, the Lystrian later reveals that he is actually the escapee, having absconded en route to a penal colony after being wrongfully found guilty of murder.

While Mike is tending to his otherworldly patient, the temperature rises rapidly inside the hospital, and the staff discover that they are trapped inside a force field, placed around the building by two other aliens, who claim that the Lystrian being treated inside is lying: he really is a dangerous killer and they must take him back into custody. Who is telling the truth?

A plodding pace, overwrought acting and the obvious low budget work against the film, but the intriguing 'who is telling the truth?' premise means that those viewers who stay the distance should find their patience rewarded, the final act resolving matters satisfactorily, with just enough left in the coffers for a few 'spaceship' special effects. Bridges struggles at times to make good with the very talky script, but he provides plenty of atmosphere and a couple of genuinely shocking moments: a car crashing into the force field, the driver catapulted through the windscreen, makes an impact (pun intended), and an incident with a pair of scissors is surprisingly nasty.

And, as is often the case with such films, there are a couple of things about Invasion that will elicit unintentional laughs, making this forgotten flick even more enjoyable for those who like their sci-fi a little schlocky: Yôko Tani, as leader of the Lystrians (all of whom are, inexplicably, Japanese), takes the place of the hospital's Asian nurse, and no-one notices (because they all look the same to us, don't they?), and despite the temperature being raised in and around the hospital, it is possible to see the actor's breath in the obviously cold night air.

5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.

InvAsian

[Marqymarquis · 6/10 · 17 October 2017]

Given that by 1966 most of the United Kingdom's hospitals were staffed by immigrants of various ethnicities and political doctrines, this so called Sci-Fi drama could only be slightly less heavy handed if the "invaders" had resembled West Indians instead of Asians.

This romp takes its time to warm up, culminating in a rocket blasting off to an unknown planet knocking gorgeous Valerie Gearon off her feet to reveal her stockings, suspenders and knickers - five years later she would deal Frank Finlay a crucial blow (but not a BJ!) to his heteromasculinity In BBC's Casanova.

Although it is employed here very impressively, a force field had been, uh "seen" in Star Trek's pilot show The Cage two years earlier.

Grumpiness factor 8/10 for awkward as ever Edward Judd; crumpet factor 8/10 each For Miss Gearon and delicious Japanese babe Yoko Tani. Phwoar! 6/10 MJB

Invaders from another world. Or is it China?

[trouserpress · 8/10 · 17 July 2003]

This is a great movie. I love sci fi B movies, especially British ones, and this something of a classic. The story is not the most original, but it does have a few twists and turns that I wont give away here. It's very atmospheric, and the black and white photography is off a very high quality. The one complaint I would have is that there isn't really any kind of invasion in this movie. The title is a little mis-leading to say the least! But don't let that worry you. This is an entertaining movie with worthy acting and directing that gives you a glimpse into the post-war mentality of middle England. And aliens. Don't forget the Chinese aliens.

Very atmospheric British sci-fi that creates mood without special effects

[bob the moo · 28 January 2002]

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.

INVASION (Alan Bridges, 1965) ***1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 8/10 · 19 January 2009]

This low-budget British sci-fi outing is so rare that I have had to make do with a copy sporting forced French subtitles for this first viewing! I was glad to confirm that the film's solid reputation was well-deserved; plot-wise, it is not dissimilar from two other notable genre entries from this country which I caught quite recently – namely UNEARTHLY STRANGER (1963) and THE NIGHT CALLER (1965). I recall being particularly impressed with the former and, actually, I feel that INVASION is very much on a par with it; incidentally, the title is a misnomer since the aliens here are actually stranded on earth and their mission is to recapture an escaped prisoner they were escorting rather than occupation! Even so, we do get a show of their (typically advanced) technology and, needless to say, there are human casualties involved; to be fair, though, we never learn of their true intent until quite late into the game and, consequently, the carefully-built suspense and smart handling throughout (this was director Bridges' feature-film debut) makes for consistently satisfying viewing. One rather clever notion has the aliens requiring to physically touch an Earthling before they can speak our language…though, of course, no explanation is given as to why they happen to have an Oriental complexion! In the long run, the modest scale of the production (the setting is largely confined to a hospital and the woods nearby, with events unfolding over just one night) works in its favor, making the central concept both gripping and persuasive. Hero Edward Judd was something of a fixture in British sci-fi around this time: his rugged good looks and evident intelligence were always good value for money in these fantastic surroundings; leading lady Valerie Gearon does well by her role too, familiar character actor Anthony Sharp has a prominent (if rather unlikely) role early on in the proceedings and, obviously, the intervention by the military is a requisite in this type of film. Among the more visually striking moments are a shot where a door opening leads into a doll-house, with the camera then panning up to reveal the actual room, and a car very realistically crashing (into the invisible barrier created by the aliens in order to isolate the area) with its driver spurting out of the windscreen. As to flaws, these are indeed negligible – but I suppose I should mention the fact that one of the alien women unaccountably disappears during the film's last third, while the climax is a bit rushed (if still quite unique: the pursuing alien deliberately crashes her spaceship into a fleeing rocket bearing her quarry!).

Underrated, eerie fun

[gnb · 9 September 2002]

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.

Shows how great acting beats a multi-million-dollar budget.

[morpheusatloppers · 9/10 · 29 August 2008]

I'm 55 now and retired to Thailand (lucky old me!) but before I left the cold, wet misery of Blighty, I VT-ed a transmission of "Invasion", which I've LOVED ever since I first saw it, aged 14 (no major body-count, so a "U" certificate) as I knew I'd never find it out HERE.

In S.E. Asia, the lack of special effects (although the car that crashes into "nothing" is very well done) would bore the locals, weaned on the excesses of Hollywood - and aliens who are simply Chinese would puzzle them totally! But then, they would not realise that in mid-'60s England, Chinese people (other than in London's Gerrard Street) WERE alien to the average citizen - rather like a black tourist I met here, who hailed from Brixton and told me, "When I travel in rural areas, the kids look at me like I'm a Martian!" Of course, having Chinese aliens saved the producers the cost of SFX.

But do not be put off this EXCELLENT British movie by it's minuscule budget. It makes up for it in so many ways. Everyone says it's moody. This is helped by the crisp sound, pin-sharp b&w photography and virtual lack of background music.

But for me, the thing that MAKES "Invasion" is the BELIEVABILITY of the absurd plot, which is achieved by something many modern sci-fi movies lack. REALISTIC ACTING (even at 14, that blew me away). It's casual, smooth and apparently effortless. We are sucked in because we BELIEVE it. And when you consider the acting talent that was assembled, it's hardly surprising.

You BELIEVED the great Edward Judd and under-rated Valerie Gearon were doctors. You had to go out and get an ORANGE DRINK when the temperature started to climb. And "Invasion" was the first solid role I'd seen Barrie Ingham in - those EYES just bored through you.

It's a mark of the movie how LONG the principal actors' careers have lasted - some to THIS DAY. Living over here, I can tell you that more than forty years on, (E)Ric Young is STILL going strong in Hong Kong! There is NO movie, big or small, that has the easy pace, yet mounting tension, and sheer persuasion of "Invasion".

A Low Budget Sci-Fi Film With Style

[vogun-17563 · 8/10 · 3 March 2018]

This could very well have been shorter and appeared as a television production, but instead probably put out as a B movie, as it was worth the elevated status with the extra minutes. It came as no surprise to me to learn that the writer Robert Holmes was a prolific writer for British Television, including Dr Who.

This came out in 1966 and reminded me of the better television from that era, but do not let that put you off. Me? I can't get enough of it. What it doesn't have in budget, it makes up for, with style. I cite the doll's head in the doll's house with the rocking horse in the background as an example of style (pure 1960's).

Think of The Avengers in the black and white era without John Steed and Emma Peel and you will have an idea of the feel of the film, and enjoyment, although it's not lighthearted, only well intentioned.

It may not have Diana Rigg in, but it does have Tsai Chin, playing a small part as a nurse (maybe it's the uniform). She has had quite a career, which included You Only Live Twice and Casino Royale. In a film that curiously used Chinese looking aliens, Tsai Chin is a human nurse (she is Chinese by birth).

The main lead man Edward Judd puts in a solid performance as does the main lead woman Valerie Gearon (appropriate name for the 60's?), who starts off being very sexy then in the next scene goes into just a little bit too much over (re)acting for me, but comes back down to earth, and settles into her part. She has great hair by the way.

This is an intelligent Sci-Fi film with lofty intentions with a limited bank account available, and that is where I think it benefits. More money spent would not make this much more enjoyable for me, I'm thinking Close Encounters. They had to use their ideas and expertise to make this work instead of money. For example there are some good black and white scenes, such as when the woman gets out of the car at night in a white coat into the headlights.

I feel I must mention that I liked the way they learnt the language by "downloading" from the source, a nice touch (pun intended).

Sure, there are some questions to be asked about the space ship and the armies and policeman's attitude to an alien landing (not an invasion). They should have learnt from watching the films from the 1950's (The Day The Earth Stood Still etc) that it is quite a big deal.

If you also can get over all of this and that the aliens look like Chinese people, then the film has a good heart and well intentioned which may certainly win you over, as it did me, and one I will remember (for the right reasons). A sign of a good movie.

Eerie, British 60's sci fi

[chris_gaskin123 · 23 June 2004]

I have seen Invasion a couple of times and found it rather eerie. I taped it when it came on Channel 4 during the early hours.

A spaceship crashes near a rural, English hospital and its occupant, who looks human, is taken there to be treated after being run over by a car. Just after, a force field appears around the hospital, obviously something to do with the aliens. The army are called in to help to investigate. Strange things then start happening in the surrounding countryside as two mysterious Chinese looking women kill a man and head for the hospital. These are more aliens. They are searching for their colleague. They find him and they head back to their home planet in a flying saucer.

This is a well shot, British sci fi and must one of the last to be shot in black and white.

The only actors I am familiar with in this movie are sci fi regular Edward Judd (Island Of Terror, First Men In the Moon) and Barrie Ingham (Dr Who And the Daleks).

This movie is worth a look if you get the chance, but it does not seem to be available on VHS or DVD anywhere.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

Should have worn a seat belt

[kristhebass · 8/10 · 16 August 2018]

I saw this film as a B movie, I don't remember the main title but I do remember this one. I enjoyed it at the time, being a Sci Fi lover, I saw it again recently on Talking Pictures TV and enjoyed it again. OK there is no CGI or big explosions, or weird looking aliens just suspense, who are these aliens and what do they want.

Expertly steered by solid acting from Edward Judd who had recently stared in 'First Men in The Moon' and supported by Lyndon Brook, Glynn Houston and Barry Ingham, not to mention the lovely Yoko Tani.

Better than a lot of Sci Fi B movies of the time.

The invisible wall

[dbdumonteil · 10 April 2008]

Made with a shoestring budget ,without stars (at least unknown to me),with very few special effects (Ed Wood style),the story takes place in a hospital where an E.T. (who looks like an Asian person)is cured.We learn he was actually a prisoner and that pretty soon,"the others" are going to take him away.An invisible wall -which is very economical in the end!-surrounds the clinic and the temperature rises and makes the staff sweat.

Shot in black and white ,it is a curious little film ,more MTV style than a flick for movie theaters.An Asian nurse has been added for good measure.