SNAPSHOT
From Academy Award-nominated and two-time Emmy Award-nominated producer Simon Kinberg and David Weil, Invasion is a sweeping, character-driven science fiction drama series that follows an alien invasion through different perspectives around the world. Following multiple storylines across different continents, Invasion takes a global look at how one alien invasion would affect us all. Invasion is a series with episodes by filmmakers Amanda Marsalis (director of eps of Ozark, Westworld, The Umbrella Academy), Jamie Payne (director of eps of The Alienist, Luther, New Amsterdam, Outlander), and Jakob Verbruggen (director of film Code 37 + eps of House of Cards, Black Mirror, The Alienist). Created by and written by Simon Kinberg (director of X-Men: Dark Phoenix and The 355 / producer / writer on many X-Men movies) and David Weil (creator of Hunters / director of a few Solos episodes). Inspired by H.G. Wells’ classic novel War of the Worlds first published in 1898. (synopsis courtesy First Showing)
Blockbuster and landmark mini-series, and in recent years, epic limited-run streaming shows, have made us accustomed to the idea that certain things, like alien invasions say, are BIG events.
And by any objective standard they would be; you can’t describe the mass appearance of usually aggressive extraterrestrial species all over the planet simultaneously any other way.
But while this makes for good, jaw-dropping viewing (and who doesn’t love some overwhelmingly in your face escapism?), characterisation often loses out.
Thankfully Invasion looks it might just be the perfect antidote to the bigger is better mentality, because while it does sport some impressive big-budget blockbuster-y production values (amazing what a $200 million budget can get you), its storytelling has gone to the micro level, telling us stories of the people caught up in this unprecedented event.
Much like M. Night Shyamalan’s 2002 intimately intense alien invasion movie Signs, which took us intimately into the experiences of one normal family in the midst of global cataclysm, Invasion looks like it will tell the stories of ordinary people who have to find a way to survive while keeping themselves and their loved ones alive, and holding onto their humanity in the face of all efforts to extinguish it in the process.
Invasion releases its first three episodes on 22 October on Apple TV+ with the remaining seven episodes releasing weekly thereafter.