← Back to Reviews
in
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
"I'm sorry, alright? I'll never say anything bad about Paul Blart: Mall Cop ever again!"
This is the second Invasion of the Body Snatchers adaptation I've seen, the first being the 1978 one, which I watched a few years ago. If I could only choose one, it would be that one, but I still enjoyed this adaptation nearly as much. I like how universally applicable it is in that it doesn't call out what real world threat inspired its pod people. It could very well be communism given it's from the '50s, but despite that elephant in the room and the period production values, the tension in my viewing came from how the movie made me think about my own demons. The claustrophobic sets and voyeuristic cinematography escalate this tension in the best way for how they make Miles and Becky seem like they're in a laboratory maze. The gut-churning "hatching" scene - that squelching noise is forever etched into my memory - and the pleasantly subtle way the movie reveals when someone isn't who they say they are deserve credit for being classic examples of less is more. It all culminates in the best way with the most sane and trustworthy of our heroes, which also probably applied before the crisis hit, in the most different circumstances possible: ranting and raving like a lunatic in the middle of a highway.
With all that said, why is this movie so scary? I think it's because it taps into the fear of everyone you know and everything you've worked for disappearing and not being able to do anything about it. As more of the people in Miles and Becky’s' life become pod people, I had the same sensation I have when I watch election coverage and the candidates I voted for do badly or when I sit in the basement during a tornado warning. It's also why the Borg are such a terrifying Star Trek villain, why the similar John Carpenter's The Thing and They Live have also stood the test of time and why this story has been and will continue to be remade. Again, I still prefer the 1978 version, mostly for personal reasons like it being closer to my generation, having actors I grew up watching, etc. I also think it has a better and more memorable ending as opposed to this one's, which I didn't have to verify on IMDB that it's focused grouped. It's still close, and I think this one also deserves to be called a classic. Why, oh why, though, did they have to show that sign with 25 cent gas prices?
"I'm sorry, alright? I'll never say anything bad about Paul Blart: Mall Cop ever again!"
This is the second Invasion of the Body Snatchers adaptation I've seen, the first being the 1978 one, which I watched a few years ago. If I could only choose one, it would be that one, but I still enjoyed this adaptation nearly as much. I like how universally applicable it is in that it doesn't call out what real world threat inspired its pod people. It could very well be communism given it's from the '50s, but despite that elephant in the room and the period production values, the tension in my viewing came from how the movie made me think about my own demons. The claustrophobic sets and voyeuristic cinematography escalate this tension in the best way for how they make Miles and Becky seem like they're in a laboratory maze. The gut-churning "hatching" scene - that squelching noise is forever etched into my memory - and the pleasantly subtle way the movie reveals when someone isn't who they say they are deserve credit for being classic examples of less is more. It all culminates in the best way with the most sane and trustworthy of our heroes, which also probably applied before the crisis hit, in the most different circumstances possible: ranting and raving like a lunatic in the middle of a highway.
With all that said, why is this movie so scary? I think it's because it taps into the fear of everyone you know and everything you've worked for disappearing and not being able to do anything about it. As more of the people in Miles and Becky’s' life become pod people, I had the same sensation I have when I watch election coverage and the candidates I voted for do badly or when I sit in the basement during a tornado warning. It's also why the Borg are such a terrifying Star Trek villain, why the similar John Carpenter's The Thing and They Live have also stood the test of time and why this story has been and will continue to be remade. Again, I still prefer the 1978 version, mostly for personal reasons like it being closer to my generation, having actors I grew up watching, etc. I also think it has a better and more memorable ending as opposed to this one's, which I didn't have to verify on IMDB that it's focused grouped. It's still close, and I think this one also deserves to be called a classic. Why, oh why, though, did they have to show that sign with 25 cent gas prices?