Invasion
of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Directed
by Philip Kaufman
Starring
Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum, & Veronica
Cartwright
In San Francisco, health inspector Matthew Bennell is noticing things that aren’t quite right. People are behaving strangely. They’re distant and emotionless. Matthew begins to see a bigger picture when his friends start finding lifeless bodies that haven’t fully formed yet. These corpses, even in their partial state, share likenesses with Matthew’s friends. Just as the group begins to realize what’s happening, it’s already too late. It’s an invasion from an unsuspecting enemy, leaving behind pods with perfect copies of people Matthew once knew.
There
are few remakes that can stand with their original films, and even fewer remakes
are better. For me, Carpenter’s The Thing
and Philip Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body
Snatchers are movies that surpass the quality of the movies they’re based
on.
The
movie uses the story we all know from the book and the 1950s version, but makes
it slightly darker. The themes of not trusting authority and paranoia are still
present, but the consequences feel heavier. It’s not the obvious metaphor for
Communism, but a dark reflection of the “Me” generation and its quest for self-fulfillment.
There’s
a palpable tension that never lets up, fantastic performances, and great
technique in setting up scares. With every successive revelation about the pod
people, there’s a building feeling of impending doom. That these invaders try
to appeal to the character’s sense of wanting something better adds so much
more terror to the concept. They’re not just replacing humanity; they’re doing
it a favor.
The
special effects are impressive, making space-plants look menacing and evil. The
growth and replication process is eerie and makes great use of practical
effects of the time. While those scenes are great, nothing quite measures up to
seeing the accidental replication of dog and man together. Really, the film is
filled with disturbingly wonderful shots.
Donald
Sutherland carries this movie well. His Matthew’s concern for his friends is deep
and only surpassed by his drive to survive. The rest of the cast does a bang up
job, especially Leonard Nimoy as a New Age psychiatrist and Veronica Cartwright
as the resourcefully smart Nancy.
Fans
of any version of Invasion of the Body
Snatchers should watch this movie. It’s a well-made sci-fi thriller that works
as a remake and shines slightly brighter than its predecessor. Find this movie,
don’t sleep ever again, and start accusing your friends of not being human.
9 out of 10
