5.0 out of 5 stars The Seed is Planted... Terror Grows.

S.P. · March 4, 2007

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Every so often a movie comes along where I think, "How the heck have I not seen this before?" Invasion of the Body Snatchers falls into that category. It is, of course, not to be confused with the original 1956 film of the same name.This version stars Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, and Leonard "Spock" Nimoy. I originally saw it when I was flipping around the channels on a Sunday afternoon, and ran across the very beginning of the movie on Showtime. I missed the first 15 minutes, but it was pretty easy to pick up what was going on. Normally, I would have kept changing the channels, but the sight of Sutherland and Nimoy talking to each other caused me to halt temporarily. Or so I thought. Instead, I ended up watching the entire movie (and have rewatched it several times since then).Before I get into how interesting the characters were, the acting quality, how they modified the story, or how it compares to the original movie, I have to stress one major thing: The camera and environmental work in this movie is phenomenal. People don't make movies like this anymore. This was 1978, so there was no CGI. Instead, unique camera angles were used and the visuals just oozed paranoia and bleakness. Shadows, repeated themes, hand-held camera shots, and unsaturated colors set the tone throughout the film.Allow me to elaborate, without spoiling the movie plot: There's one scene near the end when Donald Sutherland is walking down a long sidewalk. The camera is set low, so you only see him from the waist up. A huge gray edifice is set before him, the sky is gray, a few birds are flying overhead, he's wearing a rumpled trench coat, and as he walks, he is passing by an endless row of barren trees. This shot was composed completely of naturally-occurring elements and without the aid of modern computers. And you know what? It works. The feeling you get while watching it is much more powerful than anything that could be computer generated these days.Of course, this scene wouldn't seem genuine with anyone other than Donald Sutherland. He is a very versatile actor and I get the feeling that his character was custom-tailored for him. He speaks naturally, his mannerisms are perfect, and there are a couple of times where he really nails the emotion of a shot. Whether it's a look of fear, suspicion, or anger, he's 100% there. The other major actors in the film, Nimoy and Goldblum, are equally as good. Leonard Nimoy plays a glove-wearing psychologist (I keep expecting him to say something like, "My calculations show that there cannot possibly be life on Ceti Alpha Six."), while Jeff Goldblum is his usual wacky self. As expected, he fits quite nicely in paranoid Sci-Fi movies. The leading lady, Brooke Adams, was excellent as well. She provided a nice counter-balance to Sutherland's character, while she added her own brand of terrified confusion to the mix.In my opinion, the 70s version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is far better than the original 50s version. While I've always been a fan of the mood-setting that black & white films can provide, I think the color 70's version has it beat, which is extremely rare for me. I almost always prefer B&W over color when it comes to moody stuff like this. Plus, the acting is on a whole other level than the original. After all, the 70s version contains multiple powerhouse actors/actresses during the prime of their careers. How can it possibly go wrong?Finally, I should note that this version of the movie is not so much of a remake, but a reimagining. Very few aspects of the original are reused here, other than the pod people, and the tone is much more intense. While the original film is often viewed as a commentary on the dangers of communism, this one is more geared more as a warning of rampant consumerism. I think this works better today because of this difference.If you get a chance to see this movie on TV, or rent it, you should seize the opportunity. Especially if you're a thriller or horror genre fan. You will not be disappointed.

5.0 out of 5 stars Prophetic, or WHAT?!?

1.P.5. · March 9, 2006

Given the progression of immorality in our western society, now being run over by hoardes of Christianity's epic enemies, the historical conversion-by-the-sword Muslims (witness Europe's declining birth-rates, the impunity with which Muslims parade down the streets of London calling for the murder of Christians while the police stand idly by, and the various mass-murders perpetuated by them in NYC and Madrid, for starters) and is it difficult to see the prophecy within Invasion of the Body Snatchers?Yeah, I LOVED Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The prophecy and symbolism of what has transpired since it's advent is, frankly, terrifying.For as it was located in the infamously homosexually oriented city of San Francisco, is there no vivid moral line of thought in the movie to convince even the most insensate beast of the overwhelming power of the influence of "tolerance" and "open-mindedness" to completely coopt traditional Christian moral values for the murderous Culture of Death tradition of "political correctness?"As the true humans, desperately needing to continue loving, were no longer able to after their being hunted down and replaced by the soul-less pods who replicate in greenhouses, is there no parallel with stem cell research, the intense drive toward test tube babies in the 70's to the cloning mechanisms of today?And all of this in the face of a tsunami of birth control (all abortiofascients) and abortions making the former normal function of sexuality driving the perpetuation of the species now a mere ploy for the sexual conquest of as many partners as a life can possibly contain? All the fun, followed by all the diseases (destroying thousands upon thousands of young men in San Franciso and across the U.S. in all the back rooms of gay bars and the hedonistic baths where Bette Midler got her start before greater wisdom in the city government shut them down), followed by all the burials, followed by all the latchkey, abandonded "mistake" kids who somehow got around their parents' conspiracry to kill them, preceded by skyrocketing divorce rates in the 1960's and 70's and the summary destruction of the family?Anyone who's lived through it will not miss the parallels. As the culture goes, so goes the society. Is it any wonder what the former dominant western culture faces on the streets and public transporation of modern American cities?Hey, we deserved it! We, as did the victims of the movie, fell asleep in our prayer lives, the evil one did exactly as what Christ said he would do in the parable of the seed?"And those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and be saved."Hey, we murdered our kids for our own material gain. What else shall we expect but the much feared nuclear or germ warfare attack which the government has stated is a matter of time?Did any of the Body Snatcher victims survive?Or, as Christ stated, "7:13. Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat.7:14. How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!"Will any of us find salvation in the face of so dire a stricture from the mouth of Christ?

5.0 out of 5 stars Do Not Go To Sleep.

A.D. · December 19, 2024

My wife has been acting strange lately- like she's someone else with no emotions. My best friend and coworkers also seem different. Also, I've noticed these strange "pod" plants growing around the neighborhood and I could've swore I saw a dog with a man's head digging through our garbage the other day. I asked my mailman about it when he stopped by to drop off mail but he just pointed at me made a loud screeching sound. Weird, but I feel like I shouldn't go to sleep....

Great update of a old classic scifi film

c.m. · June 14, 2025

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Muy bien

x. · October 19, 2015

Clasico imprescindible, a un precio bastante bueno, la calidad de esta pelicula en BD vale la pena, no como otras editadas en este formato que distan mucho de parecer mejor que un DVD, esta si, Bolo perfecto en todo.

non working dvd purchase.

j.d. · March 28, 2021

Ok .When I received the DVD Invasion of the body snatchers I put in my DVD player and it would not play. I was very disappointed, so I then put it in my MacBook Pro and low and behold it played.

Subtitulos en español.

M. · June 23, 2025

Excelente calidad de audio y video. Excelente adaptación de una obra clásica de ciencia ficción.

Invasion of The Body Snatchers

G.G. · April 20, 2025

Classic film of the era with many well known stars.