ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

rms125a This 1978 remake was as good as the original but not as tight and compact. Otherwise, it is just as scary and even more moving at times (when Brooke Adams' human form collapses into dust, for example) and just as well acted (if not better) than the original. Yes, the urban setting is quite distinct from the small-town setting of the original but it works in a different way, and given the anonymity and coldness of large cities, it is a perfectly logical setting for a dystopian film. The hostile ranks of sinister, dark, faceless, soulless figures in humanoid form and the disembodied camera-lit faces of fearful people in hiding from an increasingly unfolding terror stand out. A city, universally acclaimed for its beauty (none of which shines through the dystopia) becomes, increasingly, a prison camp or colony in a bleak and turbulent void under permanent grey skies. The performances are top notch, but I would draw attention away from the better-known stars to give special mention to Canadian actor Art Hindle, whose performance is brilliant. Only very briefly seen as the sweet but flawed human Geoffrey, Elizabeth Driscoll's love interest, his post-transformation Geoffrey is chilling. Scheming, sidling, subarctically cold, he makes one realize precisely how and why Elizabeth is so distraught at his inexplicable change. Whether going off to a sinister "meeting" in the dark of night or in closeup, avoiding Elizabeth even as he keeps trying to get her to sleep and transform, his eyes are like almost orbless sockets (wonder how he managed to do that) as devoid of humanity as any alien or predator or Klingon or werewolf but scarier because of what we know has happened and what we fear will happen as the film continues to unfold nightmarishly. Speaking for myself, I missed the human Geoffrey-- a character barely introduced -- more than I later regretted the loss of characters with far more screen time. Such was Hindle's quiet brilliance here.Yes, the ending is a shock but it shouldn't be. When you see the film again and review everything that happens once the daylight returns in the last scene it really is not a surprise. It could not unfold as it does without the shocker being unavoidably true. It's just that there is a natural audience optimism based on the way most sci-fi (even horror sci-fi) films end which creates a cognitive dissonance or tension between what the viewer is expecting (especially given the ending of the 1956 film version) and what the viewer gets in this case.

morrison-dylan-fan Hearing fear-mongering stories about "Reds under the bed" (or in this case,web) on the news web recently, reminded me of the paranoia allegorically dissected in the Body Snatcher films. Whilst finding Kevin Williamson's riff on the story with The Faculty to be a hip teen Horror and Abel Ferrara's very good 1993 take linked to the then-popular "the truth is out there" paranoia,I've never seen any of the two "major" versions. Looking at Netflix UK,I found that the 1978 version was about to leave the site!,which led to me joining the body snatchers. The plot:Talking to her co-worker Matthew Bennell, Elizabeth Driscoll mentions that after taking some flowers home that boyfriend Geoffrey Howell has been acting rather strange. Going to Bennell's friend David Kibner for advice,Bennell and Driscoll are stopped on the road by a mad man screaming about an invasion. Initially laughing it off,the mood soon changes when the man gets run over. Rushing over,Bennell and Driscoll are horrified to find all the pedestrians showing no emotion to the death,and almost appearing to act like aliens. View on the film:Keeping the paranormal activity grounded, director Philip Kaufman & cinematographer Michael Chapman give the invasion an "on the spot" news report rawness spanning jagged tracking shots hiding in the crowd of body snatchers. Unleashing the aliens in all their gooey, practical effects Body Horror delight, Kaufman webs the fantastic screeching nightmare soundtrack with a blistering Film Noir atmosphere,lit in suffocating shadows being the lone areas of hope that Bennell and Bellicec can hide from the decaying light of a society drowning the screams of " dissidents."Following the original film in going for an ending different from Jack Finney's novel,the screenplay by W.D. Richter brilliantly turns the "Red" fear into unrelenting Sci-Fi Noir anxiety. Cleverly making the "aliens" be people Bennell and Bellicec knows,Richter goes off the Richter Scale in drilling fear of society becoming "one voice" and corrupting Noir loners and voices of opposition into transforming into a system that they have fought against.Facing a Sci-Fi monster a year before the acid mouth of Alien would set its lips on her, Veronica Cartwright gives a great performance as Nancy Bellicec,whose intelligent idea to blend in allows Cartwright to keep Nancy's fears under wraps until they are torn out in a devastating scream. Joined by Jeff Goldblum getting his first taste of Body- Horror and Leonard Nimoy his warm Star Trek image as the creepy,Noir-style "boss" Dr. David Kibner,the beautiful Brooke Adams (who also appears naked) gives an extraordinary performance as Elizabeth. Tangled with Bennell in fighting against the enemy within,Adams delicately expresses Elizabeth desperation to not become entranced by the invaders. Fighting against a system/alien rooted in his own decayed society, Donald Sutherland gives a thrilling performance as Bennell,thanks to Sutherland capturing the anxiety of Bennell being a burnt-out Noir loner who sees all his friends being invaded.

Python Hyena Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978): Dir: Philip Kaufman / Cast: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright: Ominous and chilling remake that is every bit as great as the original, only it heightens the paranoia aspect. Set in glorious San Francisco, Donald Sutherland plays Health Department representative Matthew Bennell who is confronted with cases of people not being who they are emotionally. Brooke Adams plays Elizabeth Driscoll whose husband is different. These people fall asleep and replaced by pod lookalikes thanks to a flower that Driscoll discovers. Leonard Nimoy plays Dr. Kibner, a friend of Bennell's who attempts to explain this bizarre event in society. Unfortunately Nimoy is too obvious in his motives. The relationship between Bennett and Driscoll is subtle with a hint of romantic interest that is not tresspassed due to her marriage. Another interesting marriage relationship is between Jeff Goldblum and Veronica Cartwright who work in a massage parlor mud bath where a pod body is discovered. Director Philip Kaufman creates paranoia while toying with gadgets and showcasing Adams and her weird eye twirl talent. It can also symbolize the Biblical Rapture when one factors the shocking ending. Great update with a strong theme regarding paranoia and the importance of personality and the outside forces that invade one's senses. Score: 9 ½ / 10

jacobjohntaylor1 This is not a good movie. It is just awful. I can think of remakes better then the originals. But this not one of them. I keep hearing that it is better the the original 1956 version but I honestly don't know why? The original 1956 version is one of the best science fiction movies ever made. And this one is just awful. The story line is awful. The ending is awful. Good actors wasted there talent being in this awful movie. The original is so scary. And this one is just stupid. I can't believe people like this movie. It as great special effects will say that for it. I like a movie with a lot special effects if it is well written. And this is not. They took a great story and ruined it.