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on February 6, 2016
I purchased the Blu-ray in time to screen it Feb. 5, 2016, the 60th anniversary of its theatrical release (to extent imdb can be trusted for accuracy). The print is in very good condition and nicely transferred. True, no Bonus Material, but that's Olive Films' template. Get used to it, folks. With Don Siegel at the helm, this is a taut 80-minute story with no padding. The alien seed pods are a great effect, a great example of economy, though they don't look cheap, and we see them by the truckload. This was maybe the third time I've seen this movie in my life and I confess I still don't know if it was meant as a metaphor for "the evils of communism" or the evils of the pressure to conform. Or perhaps neither? Remember, these alien life forms appear to be closely related to what we call plant life. Now think back to another exemplar of doing a lot with minimal special effects, from five years earlier: "The Thing From Another World." There we had a team of scientists to inform the viewer that the human race was definitely being pitted against "some kind of superhuman carrot" (in the words of the delightful news reporter, 'Scotty'). And the uninvited alien visitor was described by the admiring 'Dr. Carrington' as unhindered by human weaknesses like emotions, and this was a factor in its being deemed a superior life form. Just as the duplicated humans are described in the movie here under review. Likewise I call your attention to 1953's "Invaders From Mars," in which people also undergo personality changes after coming under the control of the alien invaders. So the main theme of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" was not altogether original, we find. But the film is very well executed and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by this fan of Classic Sci-Fi. Last time I submitted a review which cited other movies in my discussion, Amazon declined to publish it. Let's see what happens with this one!
on February 20, 2013
Perhaps the finest science fiction film released during the golden era of the genre is finally given a decent and much improved transfer over the DVD release some 10 years ago. There is no mistake that the original version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers remains the most potent depiction of 1950's paranoia with one of the most chilling presentations the loss of identity theme ever committed to celluloid. This film also marked the beginning of Science Fiction Film Noir and remains the finest of the four filmed versions of Jack Finney's celebrated novel. For such a landmark in the science fiction film genre, it is a pity that there are no extras. The film deserves a 5 star rating and this Blu Ray transfer is probably as good as it will ever get - a vast improvement over the previous DVD release but it deserves extras worthy of this masterwork.
on July 19, 2013
In 1956 I was invited to see this film at the Drive-In with my parents. In retrospect, I have no idea why "they" wanted to see it, but it made an indelible impression on me and I've seen it probably 50 times since. The Red Scare was on in America and this was some kind of metaphor for same, but all that was lost on me then and doesn't seem that important now. The thrust of the film, however, being invaded by a species whose goal is to take away your human identify and turn you into some kind of automaton, still resonates. Corporations, churches, political parties and more all want you to dumb down your personal identify and become a part of their organized, soulless, conformist machine ("It's not about you!") today. That threat is always there in a free society.
In Invasion, Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) begins to notice something odd going on in the California town of Santa Mira, where his practice is. Slowly it becomes clear to him that the populace is being taken over by some kind of creepy alien race that replicates each individual with a clone, sans human emotion, by placing a seed pod with the duplicating body nearby, the transformation of same becoming complete when the prototype falls asleep. Bennell fights this takeover with galpal Becky Driscoll (Dana Wynter) throughout the film and the scene where she succumbs in a mountain cave is one of the more frightening things I've ever seen in film (despite this, I was in love with Wynter throughout my adolescent years; she's gorgeous). It's all in her eyes, which just go completely cold. You'll have to get to the end of the movie to see if Bennell succumbs, but it's well worth the wait.
This film, like few others, always takes me back to the '50s, a time that seems particularly idyllic now, but it also reminds me what a real invasion from outer space might actually be like.
Sidenote: When my parents and I got home from seeing this film, I petitioned to sleep with my dad in the living room, couch fold-out bed, a common item in the '50s. The film had really scared my 9 year old psyche. Dad agreed, but not before my Mom had a little fun with me. As we were putting sheets on the fold-out, my Mom, pointing to something near the fold-out, yelped "Look! A seed pod!" It took my breath away for a moment and they laughed about it for weeks.
In Invasion, Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) begins to notice something odd going on in the California town of Santa Mira, where his practice is. Slowly it becomes clear to him that the populace is being taken over by some kind of creepy alien race that replicates each individual with a clone, sans human emotion, by placing a seed pod with the duplicating body nearby, the transformation of same becoming complete when the prototype falls asleep. Bennell fights this takeover with galpal Becky Driscoll (Dana Wynter) throughout the film and the scene where she succumbs in a mountain cave is one of the more frightening things I've ever seen in film (despite this, I was in love with Wynter throughout my adolescent years; she's gorgeous). It's all in her eyes, which just go completely cold. You'll have to get to the end of the movie to see if Bennell succumbs, but it's well worth the wait.
This film, like few others, always takes me back to the '50s, a time that seems particularly idyllic now, but it also reminds me what a real invasion from outer space might actually be like.
Sidenote: When my parents and I got home from seeing this film, I petitioned to sleep with my dad in the living room, couch fold-out bed, a common item in the '50s. The film had really scared my 9 year old psyche. Dad agreed, but not before my Mom had a little fun with me. As we were putting sheets on the fold-out, my Mom, pointing to something near the fold-out, yelped "Look! A seed pod!" It took my breath away for a moment and they laughed about it for weeks.
on March 20, 2015
By todays standards Invasion of the Body Snatchers is quaint. This is a large part of why it gets 5 stars with me. Judging by todady's standards it merits about 3 stars. The idealistic world of the 1950's and the cool, wise local doctor and happy people create a surreal background when compared to todays reality. Anyone who doesn't enjoy a story told from this archetypal 1950's reality will likely hate this film. Kevin McCarthy is wonderful as the wise suave young doctor. The rest of the cast is seamlessly good. The development of the danger that the protagonists face with the unfeeling collective threat of an alien world where their bodies look the same, but their souls have been replace by aliens with a collective emotionless reality is more sophisticated than most of todays stories where CGI effects are visually amazing beyond belief. One of the strengths of this movie visually is that the special effects are effective and they were not overly ambitious and try to create effects that broke the continuity of the story. This story relies on character, story and plot to create an old school tension where the fear is based on the idea of humanity potentially existing perfectly but at the cost of losing its soul and humanity. I love this movie as a throw back classic horror story that is somewhat unintentionally humorous in todays context, but which creates a dramatic tension that is often lost in todays CGI driven movies. If you want classic sci-fi horror you should be satisfied. If you want to compare this to todays story telling and special effects you will be disappointed.
on May 22, 2001
I've said it about other '50's Sci-Fi Films: Since they couldn't rely on big-budget effects, these old classic movies relied upon storyline and acting. Some stunk, others were gems. "Invasion" was one of the gems. Of course it's not scary by todays standards (no gratuitous violence with a mainac chopping heads in half, etc.) but this is a deep, methodic thriller that slowly builds the suspense, giving us just enough info to keep the interest. Late in the movie we find out what the subdued paranoia of Kevin McCarthy was all about, and it really pays off. The storyline, pods growing and then hatching mind-controlled replicant twins of normal people is great, and scary. It's what great Sci-Fi is made of. There is no real explanation for the pods (how they got there in the first place and who put them there) but it doesn't matter. This is another great '50's Sci-Fi movie worthy of sitting by a fire on a cold evening with a bowl of popcorn. In my opion, the newer big effects "blast-o-rama" movies don't have the same appeal. Special effects don't make a movie; writing and acting do.
The newer version of "Snatchers" (with Donald Sutherland) doesn't hold a candle to this old one...just in the same way that the older "Invaders from Mars" blew away the newer Karen Black version of the same movie.
Don't buy this movie if you are looking for laser-blasting aliens with blood and guts. Do buy this movie if you are looking for an intelligent, suspenseful sci-fi story with great acting.
The newer version of "Snatchers" (with Donald Sutherland) doesn't hold a candle to this old one...just in the same way that the older "Invaders from Mars" blew away the newer Karen Black version of the same movie.
Don't buy this movie if you are looking for laser-blasting aliens with blood and guts. Do buy this movie if you are looking for an intelligent, suspenseful sci-fi story with great acting.
on November 1, 2014
The Essence of Horror:
A man running in a suit is a powerful image--and is the iconic central image for Body Snatchers with brilliant reason.
The modern suit has a very specific purpose in society, mainly denoting career and lifestyle status. However, suits resonate symbolically on multiple levels (historically, they represent a separation of who we are now from who we were through the centuries of history; spiritually, they contribute to our self-image as extra-natural beings). It is my belief that we construct our environment around symbols, like suits, that resonate for us on multiple levels. The more levels, the better. (Some of these symbols, like money, are more powerful than others because they represent a polyphony of meaningful themes--like independence, power, and dream fulfillment.) If looked at from a certain POV, I believe these resonating symbols kind of hypnotize us (for lack of a better term) into a highly suggestible trance-like state where ideas about who and what we are are readily chewed, swallowed, and digested. We're perpetually in a dual state somewhere between consciousness and hypnotism and we understand our relationship with both states at all times, even if we never bring it to the forefront of our thoughts.
In my mind, the modern suit (perfected in the 1950s and up) speaks to the hypnotized side of us--this is the side that wants to deny a connection to our origins on the bestial floor. A suit is the modern day 'embodiment', if you will, of the idea that man is above nature and in control of his environment. Suits aren't meant or designed for running (we have special clothes for that task), so seeing someone running in his suit suggests that something is wrong, perhaps horribly wrong. The image reminds us (on a symbolic level) that we are a part of nature, not apart from or above it, and that all of what the suit represents is an illusion, thus breaking the hypnosis. This is absolute horror--that is, it's the central mechanism behind a particular brand of horror, a very cerebral and horrifying brand.
It's hard to imagine how terrifying this film must have been in 1956 when this kind of story was totally new, but its power is strong enough that it still reaches through time and can be felt today. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is scary.
Excellent film. Enjoy!
A man running in a suit is a powerful image--and is the iconic central image for Body Snatchers with brilliant reason.
The modern suit has a very specific purpose in society, mainly denoting career and lifestyle status. However, suits resonate symbolically on multiple levels (historically, they represent a separation of who we are now from who we were through the centuries of history; spiritually, they contribute to our self-image as extra-natural beings). It is my belief that we construct our environment around symbols, like suits, that resonate for us on multiple levels. The more levels, the better. (Some of these symbols, like money, are more powerful than others because they represent a polyphony of meaningful themes--like independence, power, and dream fulfillment.) If looked at from a certain POV, I believe these resonating symbols kind of hypnotize us (for lack of a better term) into a highly suggestible trance-like state where ideas about who and what we are are readily chewed, swallowed, and digested. We're perpetually in a dual state somewhere between consciousness and hypnotism and we understand our relationship with both states at all times, even if we never bring it to the forefront of our thoughts.
In my mind, the modern suit (perfected in the 1950s and up) speaks to the hypnotized side of us--this is the side that wants to deny a connection to our origins on the bestial floor. A suit is the modern day 'embodiment', if you will, of the idea that man is above nature and in control of his environment. Suits aren't meant or designed for running (we have special clothes for that task), so seeing someone running in his suit suggests that something is wrong, perhaps horribly wrong. The image reminds us (on a symbolic level) that we are a part of nature, not apart from or above it, and that all of what the suit represents is an illusion, thus breaking the hypnosis. This is absolute horror--that is, it's the central mechanism behind a particular brand of horror, a very cerebral and horrifying brand.
It's hard to imagine how terrifying this film must have been in 1956 when this kind of story was totally new, but its power is strong enough that it still reaches through time and can be felt today. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is scary.
Excellent film. Enjoy!
on July 30, 2015
Classic SciFi. Well acted. It's story line, though copied since, was an original. I've watched it many times over, and enjoy it everytime. If you've seen the later version with Jeff Goldblum, Leonard Nimoy, etc. you'll understand its opening scenes with Kevin McCarthy yelling "They're here!" while running through the city streets. It is a nice nod to this original film of the same name. The newer film takes place after the events of this original.
on December 10, 2016
Loved this movie as a kid, and 50+ years later I still do. It was an original idea at the time, scary, and just plain fun! It seems that so many of today's films are just one special effect after another with more explosions than anything else, and frankly, I get tired of it. Just give me a great story!
on October 13, 2016
Not gonna lie, I had low expectations for this movie initially going in. With it being a black/white movie, and having been made in 1956, I figured I'd see some pretty dated stuff, and I did, but the good kind. I liked how it kept me wondering throughout the whole movie: Who's real and who's not? It felt like The Thing multiplied since the whole town was affected. And for the most part, it felt like a twisted kind of romance due to the main character's concern for his former flame the entire movie. I only don't give it 5 stars not because it doesn't deserve it, but 5/5 to me sounds like absolute perfection, and that's not fair to say about most movies. For sure worth watching!
