The Invasion Review

Messages: Aliens are implacable, humans are fearful, a mom defends her son absolutely.

Violence: Much of the movie's violence is implied, though what is seen can be jarring and even frightening. Standard action-movie violence includes car chases and crashes, as well as shootings, foot chases, fights, and rough take-downs by cops; these result in bloody bodies (slammed on windshield, etc.) and screams of fear and pain. Some violence occurs in front of young Ollie (his mother shoots someone, his mother almost dies, he has to give her an adrenalin shot to her heart/chest), who is duly upset. Other potentially upsetting images include a space shuttle crashing to earth (recalling the 2003 Columbia disaster); the yucky, crusty goo that the invading virus creates on its victims; a dog attacking a little boy who has been infected, leaving blood on his face (the boy throttles the dog); a woman being hit very hard by a car; an alien trying to break into Carol's house; a victim's intense cardiac arrest; Ollie waking from a nightmare in a panic and later running from his father and hitting him with a crowbar; a dead cop shown in a bloody pool on the sidewalk; TV news reports on suicide bombings in Iraq; and a Molotov cocktail thrown at Carol's car.

Sex: Passionate kiss between Carol and Ben, which is cut off when she changes her mind. Brief shot of Carol undressing (down to pantyhose) as she hurriedly changes.

Language: Language includes infrequent uses of "s--t" and "goddamn."

Consumerism: Shots of and references to a Mac laptop, Mountain Dew, Pepsi, eBay, USA Today, CNN, Fox News.

Drinking, drugs and smoking: Carol downs handfuls of stay-awake pills; Carol discusses medications for her patients (anti-psychotic drugs). People drink champagne, wine, and beer at parties.