Jakester The 1970s saw an explosion of conspiracy movies including "The Conversation," ""Chinatown," "The Parallax View," "Three Days of the Condor," "Marathon Man," and "All the President's Men." The deep cultural instigators of this trend were, of course, the JFK assassination, Vietnam, and Watergate, and the McCarthyism of the 1950s. "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is a member in good standing of this category (a shade behind "Chinatown" and "The Conversation" in terms of quality). It's also part of a trend that might be summarized as "1970s Sci Fi Explosion That Started With 'Star Wars.'" Conspiracy....sci fi....green light from Hollywood!"Invasion" is creepy, intense, and deeply paranoid. It's got a million things going on to keep you jumpy including some near-subliminal stuff.The cast is outstanding. Leonard Nimoy is an inspired choice as the shrink - his Spock-ness plays perfectly into how his role develops here. Veronica Cartwright is splendid - what a fine, authentic, beautiful, under-rated performer. Her joy at the thought that the space invaders might be defeated (when she's standing in the staircase with Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams) perfectly sets up the last section of the film - she's shrewd and insightful about the invaders, so her fighting spirit convince us that victory is nigh, and we carry this optimism forward. The film isn't perfect. The chase scenes go on a shade too long. I'm not sold on the factory burning although I understand the need for a boffo blazing attack. I think that pods probably should NOT be loaded onto the big ship - I think the film should generate as much hope as possible at that juncture - but I do see that Donald needs to be gotten back downtown. Jeff Goldblum's character is not delineated well - his beef with Nimoy is murky. I probably would have steered clear of the Kevin McCarthy cameo, but plenty of people like it, including McCarthy, no doubt.It's one of the great San Francisco movies, chock-full of SF references, including Donald Sutherland being Mr. Cool Chef, cooking up a lovely SF dish in a wok with perfectly-sliced garlic and ginger. (Does that sequence owe anything to "The Godfather" where Clemenza cooks for the boys? The two scenes are shot in almost exactly the same way.) I love the shot where the SF fog rolls in (that's JUST what it looks like) and you wonder if it's fog or more of the pesky space plants. (Northern California fog gets major play in another film of this era,"The Fog.") The film is mostly shot in low light - night-time, minimal indoor lighting, overcast and/or rainy days. This works nicely, adding to the oppressive atmosphere. (The film stock shows definite graininess, as one might expect with low-light film; I have no problem with that.) The ending is the best ending of any horror/sci fi movie ever made.

meathookcinema A remake of the 1958 classic gets a 70s update.The premise is the same but the reasons behind it are different. It seems like each incarnation of this film reflects the unrest of each society it was made in.This film depicts the 70s swing towards pop-psychology and psychiatry that was popular at the time. The psychiatrist characters played by Leonard Nimoy and Jeff Goldbloom brilliantly convey this angle.But the film also shows American society and its people in disarray. Post-Watergate and post- Vietnam politics and the related disillusionment fuel the characters and general feel of this film. No one knows who to trust, what the truth is or who/what to believe in anymore.Paranoia is also a key component in this movie. This makes the film a very intense watch and quite exhausting at times. Whilst I love this film its a movie I have to be in the mood to watch. It seems like tiny nuances and interactions that characters would normally take for granted are given thought time, credence and then magnified. An example is when Brooke Adams character is bumped into. There is then a sequence in which Adams and this character are walking away from each other down a corridor but take turns to look at each other over their shoulders.There is also a sequence where Adams is walking around San Francisco and passes a bust city bus. Every single passenger is looking right at her. Is the camera capturing reality or the internal and paranoid thoughts of Ms Adams?The paranoia and suspicion escalates until we get to one of the most famous unsettling endings in movie history.Brilliantly acted, written and directed. This really is a prime slice of time capsule filmmaking then is strangely as relevant today as it was in the 70s. This is also one of the best San Francisco movies ever made. The city looks amazing and provides a gorgeous backdrop to the film's events. Added kudos for the mud baths locale.Look out for the cameo by Robert Duvall as a priest on a swing and the man-dog that suddenly appears who is a weird fusion of a banjo playing character and his dog earlier in the film.

gab-14712 I have never been a fan of horror movies or remakes because they are usually not good. But when done right, they can be special movies. Invasion of the Body Snatchers happens to be both a remake and a horror movie, so I had my doubts. Luckily, this is a really good movie. This film is based off the 1956 film of the same name, and I hear it is a good movie. So when a remake at least equals the quality of the original, then that means you did something right. Most people seem to agree that this movie equals the same horror tone as the original, but it passes it in terms of conception. There are many themes this movie expanded on. Such themes include paranoia, the idea of dehumanization whether it's mentally or quite literally in the case of this movie. You could also talk about the idea of the lack of trust of people in an increasing complicated world. The original had roots in communism as the 1950's were known for paranoia as the Cold War escalated. You could easily see the transfer of those ideas in this film. Paranoia is rampant as these invisible alien creatures take over human bodies and minds. These ideas really created the tension and horror that the movie needed.This science-fiction remake is sent in the city of San Francisco, California. One day, Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams) complains to her good friend Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland) that her husband has been acting very strange. Bennell originally dismisses the thought as marital problems. But when more people start complaining, he becomes increasingly concerned. When writer Jack Bellicec (Jeff Goldblum) and his wife Nancy (Veronica Cartwright) uncover a mutated corpse, Bennell realizes that the world has been taken over by an unseen force. Now it's up to him to beat the clock before the whole city turns into mutants.The film does have a good cast, and they all turned in solid performances. Donald Sutherland is a great actor, and he showed himself some range here. Brooke Adams made a name for herself earlier in 1978 with Days of Heaven, and she turns in another good performance. Jeff Goldblum is an amazing actor as you will see in future movies, but he is really good in one of his earlier roles in this film. One of the best performances in the film comes from the amazing Leonard Nimoy. You might know him from his iconic role as Spock in the original Star Trek television series. He is usually typecast as similar characters in his movies, but this role as Dr. David Kibner gives him something fresh, something different. He plays more of a villainous character, and it's a welcome sight.The production design adds to the horror elements. The look of the movie is creepy and sometimes downright scary. The pods where humans are transformed are wonderfully scary. When the movie shows how these humans are transformed is the ultimate prize when it comes to being scared. Any fan of horror would appreciate this.Overall, I really enjoyed the 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers much to my surprise and delight. It succeeds in giving me the creeps, but in such intelligent ways. It's a thematic film touching on concepts of paranoia-which was a very popular concept considering what was going on in the world at the time. So remember if you see any pods nearby, well lets hope it is not an invisible alien making you its next prey. After all, I became a little paranoid for a few days after I saw the movie.My Grade: B+

Patrick Nackaert 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.