Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Plot Outline: Matthew Bennell is just an ordinary town doctor who starts to get a lot of complaints from his patients that they know family and friends who are starting to behave in a weird way. Further investigation into their claims proves pointless when they turn around and deny they ever made a claim, themselves seemingly changed. Bennell eventually stumbles upon a massive plot by aliens to replace humans with exact duplicates devoid of emotion. As the conspiracy grows, Bennell starts to wonder who he can trust. Just who is still human and who has been duplicated?

The Review: A remake of the classic 1956 science fiction film, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is one of those rare instances where the remake is better than the original. This is arguably the single most atmospheric film I've ever seen. The whole film right from the start just has something about it which gives you the creeps. Be it the nauseating distance shots of sinister people, the gloom, darkness and lack of light that swallows up most of the scenes or the way in which the duplicates move around and stare vacantly at each other, it really sends shivers down your spine. The tension, paranoia and dread just builds up throughout the film and it will really have you hooked. I like to be scared when watching a film and jump a few times but rarely do films get under my skin and creep me out as much as this one. It shows intelligence to dig itself in and stay there long after viewing, as opposed to a couple of cheap scares. The actors do a good job of conveying this paranoia, dread and fear. Donald Sutherland is excellent as the doctor who tries to uncover the invasion but as the film goes on, he realises that he is now in the minority and his chances of survival are diminishing every moment he is alive. People he trusted at the start of the film are now trying to kill him. It's a great turn of events and you never know who you can trust. Jeff Goldblum is as reliable as always and Leonard Nimoy makes a refreshing career turn as the "bad guy" who is really a duplicate all along. His sinister monologue to Sutherland and Adams when they've been captured is chilling. The film also has a decent if somewhat obvious ending. But the problem with the build-up to the finale is that we have too many escape and chase scenes. The last third in the film is basically aliens chasing the two lead roles around. It gets a little bit repetitive when they escape capture from one group and fall into the clutches of another. It doesn't really know where to stop. Eventually it does though and you're left wondering what hope there is for the rest of the planet. One aspect of the film worth noting are the actual pods and the duplication scenes. This wasn't really given much detail in the original but here we're shown the cloning process in all it's glory with the pods' tentacles creeping to their victims to clone them and the duplicates emerging covered in a silky substance.

Final Verdict: Being scared whilst watching a film is one thing but being spooked and freaked out is another. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is an excellent film and one of the instances where the remake is actually ten times better than the original. You won't look at someone taking the trash out the same way again! Definitely one of the most underrated films of all time.

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