A tale of immortal beings taking over the bodies of younger people, “Intruders” was adapted from Michael Marshall Smith’s 2007 novel by Glen Morgan, who scripted 15 episodes of “The X Files,” 15 episodes of “Millennium,” 10 episodes of “Space: Above And Beyond” and five episodes of “The Others.”
For the big screen Morgan co-wrote the 2001 Jet Li vehicle “The One,” as well as “Final Destination,” and “Final Destination 3.” He directed two movies from his own screenplays: the 2003 remake of “Willard” and 2006’s “Black Christmas.” More recently Morgan wrote four episodes of this spring’s short-lived Chloe Sevigny A&E forensic psychologist drama “Those Who Kill.”
“Intruders” stars John Simm (the UK version of “Life On Mars”), James Frain (“The Tudors”) and the fabulous Mira Sorvino (“Mimic,” “Mighty Aphrodite”).
... If you awkwardly stitched together the first two acts of seven random "X-Files" episodes, you might get something like the first two episodes of the intensely frustrating drama "Intruders." …
... achieves a reasonable facsimile of the clammy, apprehensive “X-Files” mood, without, as yet, managing any of its storytelling magic. …
... Though some of it is effective, much of it is not, for all that it strong-arms the viewer with dark atmosphere and upsetting events. (Watch out for that cat.) It is, in its opening hours at least, a moody muddle. …
... somewhat violent and tepidly convoluted …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
... does begin to fill in a few blanks, particularly the immortality angle, in its second episode, but it’s still a slow, sometimes tedious process. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... Not only does it make very little sense for a very long time, but the writing is overblown and borderline ridiculous as the series struggles in vain to be profound and portentous. …
... Before you can ask what the heck Mira Sorvino is doing in this low-rent horror conspiracy series, the lady vanishes. …
... Dreary, heavy, and ultimately — cardinal-sin-in-a-pilot alert! — somewhat confusing, “Intruders” tries to interest us in a tale of body snatching by introducing several people and ideas without really explaining much of anything. …
... a hopelessly murky and mind-numbing exercise in unrelieved portentousness bordering on wearying and opaque pretension, from The X-Files' Glen Morgan. …
... spooky and riveting, a paranormal thriller as addictive as anything on television. …
proves too stingy about disgorging its secrets. ... Fans of the genre might be more patient about where this serialized story is heading, but those confined to one lifetime should think twice before potentially squandering some of it on this. …
10 p.m. Saturday. BBC America.
