Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

"Invasion of the Body Snatchers" follows a San Francisco health department worker, his colleague, and their friends who find themselves in the midst of an apparent alien invasion, and with few means of escape.To be frank, I tend not to enjoy science fiction all that much, but this 1978 retelling of the Jack Finney novel gets noted praise, so I had faith it would be something good. Long story short, it didn't disappoint. While it is in part a science fiction film, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is more of a paranoid survival thriller with shades of bonafide horror. Kaufman's direction is fantastic, and savvy editing techniques give the film a frantic tone at times which helps ramp up the paranoia.Even more notable I think is the masterful sound design. The ambient noises of San Francisco's city streets often blur together with alien noises and bizarre tones, which also bolsters the sense of paranoia and infiltration of something otherworldly. The performances from all the central cast are solid; Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams make a formidable lead couple, while Jeff Goldblum and Veronica Cartwright are both likable and believable as their eccentric hippie friends. Leonard Nimoy also makes an appearance as a a psychiatrist, as does Art Hindle as Adams's invaded boyfriend.While I do feel that the film's final act does somewhat decelerate the masterful sense of paranoia to its own detriment, it is an explosive conclusion that is bookended with a chilling end-note scene that has gone down in the annals of the horror film. All in all, a phenomenally-crafted thriller. 9/10.

In this remake of the 50s horror movie, a health inspector witnesses the invasion of alien 'body snatchers', who capture human beings.Despite being a remake, the film is well-adapted to a 70s public. The scenery, the dialogues and especially the music turn this movie into a rather enjoyable thriller with a good portion of suspense.Often, it has the same feel as the 70s zombie movies. Longer shots, time for showing the environment, and the music that nowadays sounds very offbeat to a horror movie. Also, the camera movements are sometimes experimental for that time.The production managed to get talented actors, who add depth that is usually lacking to nowadays' horror movies. Already seen the 50s movie? It's still enjoyable. The story was rewritten so that there are still plenty of surprising scenes.All in all, it is good entertainment and a must for 70s horror movie fans.

Sometimes it's a real pleasure to re-watch a childhood favourite and find out that it holds up just as well today as it did when you first saw it in your rose-tinted memories. Well, guess what, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS is just one of those pleasures, a truly terrifying alien invasion flick that offers first-rate suspense. In fact, I can fairly say this is the most claustrophobic, suspenseful, paranoid, conspiracy-style movie I've had the enjoyment of watching; no other film exactly matches the rising hysteria and the sense that your neighbours are out to kill you. Sure, the movie is slow-paced by today's standards, but that adds to the realism and the sense that you're watching a slice of everyday life unfold, albeit with a major twist.The movie is a remake of the good 1956 original and '50s star Kevin McCarthy has a wonderful cameo as pretty much the same character. The first thing you notice when you watch the film is that it isn't dated at all; the script is refreshingly true-to-life and the characters are normal, everyday modern people. Director Kaufman offers up excellent camera-work and editing to highlight the brooding suspense and deepening chaos without ever going over the top, even in the pyrotechnic climax. The casting too, is top-notch; the major players are a carefully-assembled group of unconventionals who find themselves banded together against alien evil. Tall, gangly Donald Sutherland is all bug-eyes and heroism and looks like he stepped straight off the set of DON'T LOOK NOW; Brooke Adams is all wide-eyes and fragile feminine beauty. Then there's the always kooky Jeff Goldblum in a first major performance, possibly even weirder than we're used to; whilst Veronica Cartwright displays the screaming credentials which earned her a part on board ALIEN.One of the film's most inspired pieces of casting is in Mr. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy as a psychologist doctor, a really creepy character at that. Then there are the little things that make this film hold together so well: the continuity being immaculate (see the kicking the pod sequence for an explanation of this) and the weird, pulsing sound effects and dodgy music. Special effects are underused and work so well as a result; they're ace and the stuff of nightmares, and definitely scared the heck out of this reviewer at the tender age of 12 or so. The culmination of all this great stuff is an awesome movie that stands the test of time as THE greatest alien invasion flick there is – Spielberg should have tried watching this when he made his pointless and overblown WAR OF THE WORLDS remake.

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.