Invasion of the Body Snatchers

When you compare the original The Thing From Another World to John Carpenter’s Remake, you can see that while the original is great—a fantastic sci-fi film—there was a little room for improvement.  Carpenter seized the opportunity and created a film that would eventually be recognized as a definitive sci-fi/ horror classic. Now, look at the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers from 1956. It is a brilliant sci-fi film that honestly didn’t need a remake because it is so well done—Don Siegel’s original is as pertinent as the War of The Worlds—but, alas, one was done. It would be seen as a waste of time if it weren’t exceptional. Luckily, Director Philip Kaufman delivered, and the 1978 version is now considered by many to be the definitive version of the film.

This time around, Donald Sutherland plays the sardonic Matthew, a health inspector who finds his friend group getting smaller and smaller as the people around them seem to be changing. He confides in his friend Elizabeth, a lab scientist, that something strange is happening, and she notices her boyfriend is acting strange as well. Matthew and Elizabeth get their friend group together to start investigating what is going on.

Matthew suggests to Liz to go see her psychiatrist friend Dr. David Kibner. Kibner was played by one of the most famous and recognizable sci-fi actors of all time, Leonard Nimoy. Matthew continues his daily work duties, noticing strange happenings and odd occurrences. Michael Chapman’s cinematography is expertly shot with very tense and dark moving shots. There is a good amount of tension building, and it is effective. A lot of ominous shots with half-dark and half-lit faces watching from the shadows.

Matthew and Liz meet up with Jack Bellicec, a friend of Matthews played by Jeff Goldblum. They finally meet up with Kibner, and now our Scooby Gang is, for the most part, complete. Collectively, they start to question each other and try to rationally sit down and discuss what is happening amongst the populace. Kibner is a skeptic because of his psychiatry background. He believes there must be a reasonable explanation for what is happening.

There is a lot of convincing chaos around them that they don’t notice as they converse. People are constantly trying to tell others that their spouses are changing. Fire trucks and cops’ cars zip around the city. But, in a world full of increasing distress, is there even a reason to notice a change in human behavior?

As the alien life forms numbers increase exponentially, they begin to make themselves known, as they can’t hide anymore.  Our group goes on the run as the alien beings that look exactly like us start to hunt them down. Their time is running out as they try to find the source of the alien beings. There is no way to tell who they can trust anymore, even within the group. The first time you hear the alien scream, it is unnerving.

Our cast is fantastic here. Sutherland is exceptional and believable. This is probably one of Sutherland’s best performances, and that is saying something for a man who has had a career made on top-notch performances.

The ending of this film is one of the most famous and unsettling of any movie. Ever. It is darkly depressing but so effective that you completely understand that it is the only way that it could have ended. There is no hope, no bright spot. Happy endings don’t live here.

The special effects in this film are fantastic, and every version that came after paled in comparison. Nothing beats the old practical effects. The TV movie remake was okay at best, and even Donald Sutherland starred in the decent but blatant rip-off with The Puppet Masters. There was a version made with Daniel Craig called The Invasion, but it has been all but forgotten. If there was any mark on this film, it is that the human/dog hybrid. It is pretty unsettling but is also kind of silly. Think of the zombie baby in the Dawn of The Dead remake. The shovel to the head gives the film a decent gore scene, which bridges the gap between sci-fi and horror.

The brooding nature of the film starts early and never really lets up. This is one long continuous burn build. It is effectively very 1970s. The 1970s were some of the best times in sci-fi movie-making history. We were at the height of advancing sci-fi creativity; Rollerball, Logan’s Run, Mad Max, Alien, Invasion of The Body Snatchers, and dozens of others—an era of exceptional science fiction storytelling.

At 28 minutes in, try not to miss the original Dr. Bennell, Kevin McCarthy, from the 1956 film, making a short cameo. Also, the original director, Don Siegel, plays a small part as a Taxi Driver.

Kino Lorber recently released this on Blu-ray and 4K, and the original is coming out on 4K shortly. Both films are worthy of repeat viewings, and if you are a sci-fi fan, these are both staples of the genre.