Although its dangerous to remake a classic, that doesnt mean that the updated take will always fail. Case in point: 1978s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a satisfying reworking of the 1956 original.
A prologue shows some space fluff that arrives on Earth, spreads onto plants, and develops into little flowers. Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams) brings one home and sees that it grows rapidly. The next day, her free-spirited boyfriend Geoffrey (Art Hindle) all of a sudden becomes rigid, unemotional and uptight.
She suspects something is wrong and shares her concerns with fellow San Francisco Department of Health employee Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland). He initially pooh-poohs her worries but grows to agree with her as he sees more and more strange developments with the people in the city. Matthew also glimpses some form of bizarre undeveloped humanoid that grows at the spa of pals Jack Bellicec (Jeff Goldblum) and his wife Nancy (Veronica Cartwright). The rest of the movie follows the spread of the pod people and attempts to deal with them.
Although Im not sure if Id seen Invasion in the 29 years since its theatrical release, I still remember quite a few moments from it. I recall its creepy ending shot vividly, and I maintain very pleasant memories of Brooke Adams nude scene; that was awfully impressive to my then-11-year-old eyes. And even though Ive seen them many times since then, I still kind of associate Adams, Cartwright and Goldblum with this flick since I first got to know them here.
Perhaps because Im much more familiar with the story and its other iterations, the 1978 Invasion doesnt quite impress me like it did when I was 11. However it remains a pretty strong film and stands as a rare remake that has something to say. It doesnt simply rehash the original, and it manages to stand on its own as a quality flick. Not only do most remakes lose points for their absence of originality, but also they usually just arent as well made. Thats not an issue for the professional and compelling Invasion.
It helps that the movie boasts an abnormally strong package of folks both behind and in front of the camera. Director Philip Kaufman would go on to greater heights in the Eighties with memorable dramas like The Right Stuff and The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Invasion doesnt match up with those deeper efforts, but it brings good depth and urgency to what could have been a simple genre flick.
Whereas the original film gave the story a McCarthy-era paranoia, the remake goes for more of a Seventies ecological message about pollutants in our systems and the ease with which we can be infected. Of course, it still includes much of the paranoid nature of the first flick, and the new twists do nothing to diminish the basic creepiness of the premise. After all, the concept that we could just be replaced so easily with imposters digs to the core of our beings, and the nonchalant way that the movie develops the theme makes it work quite well.
To be sure, Invasion isnt above a few typical horror movie scares, but I think it usually stays with a relatively low-key approach. It creates a reaction in the viewer from the believable manner in which the pop people slowly infiltrate society. Kaufman knows the tale doesnt need hysterics and histrionics to succeed, so he allows it to dig under our skin.
Some will argue that 1978s Invasion of the Body Snatchers was an unnecessary remake since the 1956 original was so good. I cant argue that the first version wasnt a winner, but that doesnt make the update a waste of time. Indeed, the movie succeeds in every way other than originality. Its a good reworking of a creepy story.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this single-sided, double-layered DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Across the board, this was a very good transfer.
Sharpness satisfied. A smidgen of softness crept into a few wider shots, but those examples were minor. Instead, the movie usually looked detailed and well-defined. No issues with jagged edges or shimmering materialized, and I noticed no edge enhancement. In terms of the source print, it showed a little grain on occasion but lacked any other potential distractions. It created a clean affair.
Colors were good. The movie tended toward a rather low-key palette that favored ugly greens and other tones meant to disorient the viewer. The DVD replicated these well and brought them to life as desired. Blacks were deep and dense, while shadows appeared acceptable. A few sequences came across as a little murky, but they usually looked fine. I found very little to complain about in this solid presentation.
Next came the surprisingly ambitious Dolby Surround 2.0 soundtrack of Invasion. Not surprisingly, the mix emphasized the forward channels. Audio spread fairly well across the front channels, but localization of effects seemed somewhat mushy and ill defined at times. The material didnt appear to show great placement and integration. This meant the track created a wall of sound at times, but I still felt the definition and movement seemed fine for the era. The score presented nice stereo imaging.
I thought the soundfield lost a few points due to some flawed placement of elements. Most of the stems came from the appropriate spots, but occasionally some pieces popped up on the wrong side. Some bits that should have come from the left appeared on the right and vice versa. These tendencies occurred infrequently, but they created enough distractions to rob the audio of some appeal.
The rear speakers offered pretty high levels of activity, though the elements remained moderately ill-defined. They were more noticeable than usual but not incredibly well-placed. Still, the overall package was considerably more involving than Id expect for a film from 1978.
Audio quality was also somewhat flawed but decent for the era. Speech sounded acceptably natural most of the time, but I noticed some edginess at times. Effects presented fairly accurate and distinct elements, but they lacked much range and also showed some mild distortion at times. The score appeared to show similar qualities, as the music sounded acceptably clear but could be somewhat flat. Bass response tended to appear fairly deep but came across as somewhat muddy. In the end, the audio of Invasion had its problems but also boasted some strong moments.
How did the picture and sound of this 2007 Collectors Edition compare to those of the original 1998 DVD? I felt the audio remained the same; for better or for worse, this was what appeared with the movies theatrical release. However, the visuals of the CE improved significantly over the crummy presentation of the old DVD. This new transfer was much crisper, cleaner and pleasant to watch. It totally blew away the old discs picture.
While the earlier release only included minor extras, the CE expands these. On DVD One, we get the same audio commentary from director Philip Kaufman. He provides a running, screen-specific discussion. Kaufman goes over visual choices and the films tone, updating the original flick and storytelling decisions, shooting in San Francisco, various effects, camerawork, cast and performances, and a few other production issues.
Though Kaufmans chat never threatens to become great, the director does offer a pretty good examination of his flick. Kaufman covers matters to a satisfying degree and provides some nice insights. This does come with more than a few slow spots, though, especially during the movies third act; Kaufman often goes MIA at that time. Otherwise, he fleshes out the material to create an informative chat.
DVD One also presents a pair of trailers. It features ads for The Great Escape and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
Over on DVD Two, we discover the films original theatrical trailer - another repeat element from the old release and a series of featurettes. Re-Visitors from Outer Space, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Pod goes for 16 minutes, 14 seconds. It mixes movie clips, archival materials, and interviews. We hear from Kaufman, screenwriter WD Richter, director of photography Michael Chapman, The Writers Journey author Christopher Vogler, and actors Donald Sutherland and Veronica Cartwright.
Pod looks at the original story and its adaptations. We get notes about the 1956 version as well as decisions made when the 1978 remake emerged. In addition, Pod examines the San Francisco setting and context, themes, cast, characters and performances, and the films ending.
Pod doesnt offer the most concise examination of the production, but it gives us plenty of good notes. It covers the requisite issues with charm and brings us many interesting tales about the shoot. Too bad Brooke Adams doesnt pop up to settle the debate about who won her footrace with Sutherland.
Next comes the four-minute and 39-second Practical Magic: The Special Effects Pod. It features Kaufman and space sequence special effects artist Howard Preston. We learn about how the filmmakers created the alien landscape, the space sequences, and the early pod shots. We get some decent notes, though it seems odd that we hear nothing about special effects that appear after the movies opening; shouldnt we learn a little about the creepy faux actors created for the flick?
The Man Behind the Scream: The Sound Effects Pod lasts 12 minutes, 48 seconds and includes special sound effects creator Ben Burtt. He tells us a little about his job description and gets into details of his work on Invasion. We also get some remarks from Kaufman and supervising sound editor Bonnie Koehler in this excellent little examination of the movies audio. Its a fine synopsis of the various sound elements and goals.
Finally, The Invasion Will Be Televised: The Cinematography Pod fills five minutes, 25 seconds with comments from Vogler, Kaufman, Chapman, and Richter. They discuss the movies camerawork and visual design aspects. More good notes pop up here, as we find a mix of useful details in this short but tight show.
In addition to these disc-based elements, we find an eight-page booklet. Its text looks at the various Invasion incarnations over the years. Its a good little piece to have in thr set.
Film fans can argue whether 1978s Invasion of the Body Snatchers is better or worse than its 1956 precursor. All I know is that the remake stands on its own as a creepy, chilling horror story. This Collectors Edition presents the movie well. Picture quality is very good, while both extras and sound are perfectly satisfactory. For new fans and old, this CE is the one to get. Its definitely worth the upgrade if you already have the old DVD.
To rate this film, visit the original review of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
