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

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.

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!).

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.