Review of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) by Alex W — 16 Dec 2013

Invasion of the Body Snatchers was said to be a good film and a good remake. Though I have not seen the original, I was set up to be pleased with this piece. That didn't happen though.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers began as an interesting science fiction thriller, but it quickly dissolved due to its excessive talking in the story. It opens with much promise and it uses strong visual effects to show how the gelatinous creatures from another planet came to earth to develop on plants, and instantly its fascinating. And the world becomes a complex place soon because the people within it are wondering why the world feels different. As it slowly unravels what is happening, hints of interest are dropped. Eventually though it takes too long to unravel it all.

I mean, essentially all that happens is an excess of talking that goes on. Characters voice their fears and anxieties about the world and try to figure out what's going on, but it takes too long for things to move. Invasion of the Body Snatchers has a pace which doesn't develop at an entertaining rate. It gives time for the humanity to set in and for viewers to understand the actual thrill of being on a planet full of mysterious creatures bent on being the dominant species, but it doesn't explore the science fiction elements that much at all.

The thrills in the story decrease fast after they begin because they show promise before the slow pacing sets in, and after that there just really isn't all that much movement. I didn't feel anymore thrills, I just felt like I was waiting around for something to happen but nothing much ever really did. Invasion of the Body Snatchers no longer felt like an invasion, it felt like a delay for something big to happen. Since the impact of the story had been weakened I no longer really cared for any of the characters and so when they changed and such I never really felt anything. This ended up weakening director Phillip Kaufman's atmosphere and the power of the theme facing a planet of people which is gradually overrun with doppelganger creatures which keep going until they reach the last man alive, and so what could have been a film with similar intense science fiction ideals to the earlier Charlton Heston film The Omega Man was instead juts a basic drama which made it easy to forget about the complex thrills of the science fiction universe surrounding the characters. At times, Invasion of the Body Snatches is gritty and the cinematography is consistently strong, but I found myself disappointed to find that it took its high concept plot but dissolved into being a dull and generic thriller, even if it does have good visuals and great sound effects.

But it was well acted. Although I couldn't see fit to connecting to the characters, Donald Sutherland made a strongly charismatic dramatic lead, capturing the essence of his character and dealing with the complex drama of being the human to discover extraterrestrial life within the fabric of his own society and then watch it collapse all around. Donald Sutherland reminds us what makes him a great actor, and he proves to be a powerful lead.

Brooke Adams was also a strong and attractive lead, and she shared an amiable chemistry with Donald Sutherland which established a real sense of care going on between them.

Leonard Nimoy was also good, even though he was working with a complex and strange character. Jeff Goldblum was decent too.

But still, Invasion of the Body Snatchers loses its edge about halfway through and no longer becomes memorable for much more than the talents of its strong cast.