Cross `Invasion of the Body Snatchers' with `Journey to the Far Side of the Sun' and you get `The Lake,' a better-than-average foray into televised science-fiction fantasy.
Instead of emotionless pod-people, these invaders are exact opposites of their earthbound twins, doppelgangers from a poisoned alternate earth that are repopulating our world through an idyllic portal in the languid waters of a California lake. That is the premise of this creepy little ditty from network TV, starring former-`Baywatch' babe Yasmine Bleeth, Oscar-nominee Haley Joel Osment (`The Sixth Sense') and TV alumni Robert Prosky (`Hill Street Blues') and Marion Ross (`Happy Days').
As a sci-fi fan who considers `Invasion of the Body Snatchers' sacred, I was pleasantly surprised at how easily this derivative tele-chiller captured my interest and managed to build suspense right through to the end. Credit director David Jackson (`Atomic Train'), who appears to treat the genre with genuine respect while treading a well-traveled road. Buy the premise and you'll buy the film.
Instead of emotionless pod-people, these invaders are exact opposites of their earthbound twins, doppelgangers from a poisoned alternate earth that are repopulating our world through an idyllic portal in the languid waters of a California lake. That is the premise of this creepy little ditty from network TV, starring former-`Baywatch' babe Yasmine Bleeth, Oscar-nominee Haley Joel Osment (`The Sixth Sense') and TV alumni Robert Prosky (`Hill Street Blues') and Marion Ross (`Happy Days').
As a sci-fi fan who considers `Invasion of the Body Snatchers' sacred, I was pleasantly surprised at how easily this derivative tele-chiller captured my interest and managed to build suspense right through to the end. Credit director David Jackson (`Atomic Train'), who appears to treat the genre with genuine respect while treading a well-traveled road. Buy the premise and you'll buy the film.