By nature, any attempt to remake a classic work of cinema can mostly be considered a fool’s errand. When you have captured magic once, any attempt to replicate that will typically result in diminishing returns. There are exceptions to this rule, though. Some of the best remakes have come from the science fiction and horror genre, with works like The Fly finding ways to capitalize on advanced special effects and shifting cultural attitudes to bring new vitality to the property. In the pantheon of great remakes, one that stands near the top is the 1978 adaptation of Invasion of the Body Snatchers from director Philip Kaufman (The Right Stuff). The film was about twenty years removed from the 1956 version from Don Siegel (The Beguiled) which had capably brought the 1955 novel The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney to life. Yet there was still so much that could be explored through a modern lens and the paranoia of the time it was made. The 50s version was unsettling in its ways, but the 1978 version is downright terrifying.
Over a strangely beautiful opening credits sequence you see alien spores falling from the sky and beginning their infestation of our Earth. The pods first present as strange pink flowers that catch the eye of Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams, The Dead Zone), a laboratory scientist at the San Francisco Health Department. She lives with her boyfriend, Geoffrey (Art Hindle), who typically presents as a bit thoughtless but shifts into a less familiar, more distant mood after a night of sleeping beside said flower. She shares her concern over this change with her colleague, Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland), who seems to hold some affection for her, as well. Not having any reason to believe Elizabeth’s concern is rooted in anything tangible, he suggests she visit his psychiatrist friend, David Kibner (Leonard Nimoy, Star Trek franchise). While many may find their thrills from the titular “body snatching” aliens, those with a sensitivity to gaslighting and not being believed when you are telling the truth will feel boxed in by the way Elizabeth is treated man after man.
Thanks to the considered pacing established by Kaufman, it does not take too long for the situation to quickly escalate. Matthew begins noticing signs that all is not right with erratic behavior on the street. All doubt is eradicated when Matthew’s friend, Jack Bellicec (Jeff Goldblum, Jurassic Park), and his wife Nancy (Veronica Cartwright, The Birds) find a monstrous humanoid body forming outside one of their mud baths. The pieces of what is going down are on the table, and they just need to fit them together. The film does an expert-level job of playing up the anxieties and horrors that accompany this timeless premise. There is not just the fear of an alien invasion that you must contend with; the horror of Invasion is most potent when it comes to whether or not you can trust anyone you come across. Sure, there can be erratic behavior, but how do you know to trust someone before you can witness that? There is a constant dread from trying to exist in an environment where you are slowly becoming the outlier. This is only deepened with the thoughtful character development implemented to keep you gripping your seat at every turn.
In the twenty years between these two film versions, what you could actually show on screen shifted dramatically. The grotesque special effects that this later version puts on screen is very likely to give you nightmares, especially an iconic scene involving a dog late in the film. The fact that we were still in an era where practical effects were king allows this film to withstand the test of time. Nothing feels dated even when viewing it from a modern context. The care and attention for filmmaking coupled with the performances is exactly what was needed. Adams is great at getting the audience invested early on, but it is Sutherland who ends up stealing the film away. Matthew is one of the characters given the most depth, and Sutherland makes the most of it. The film is relentless when it comes to spelling out doom for many of our favorite characters, but once again it is what makes the film so effective. Not every film should be updated for the silver screen, but if a new version has to be made you want it to be as good as Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Video Quality
Kino Classics presents Invasion of the Body Snatchers with a strong but flawed 2160p HDR Dolby Vision transfer sourced from a 4K scan of the Original Camera Negative approved and color graded by Director Philip Kaufman. First things first, the base remaster for this release is absolutely stunning. The level of detail and clarity is miraculous with a pleasing amount of natural film grain intact. The grain mostly resolves quite well, but there are some moments that look a bit swarm-y in some of the brightest backgrounds. The texture on display in the costumes and within the landscapes are a revelation. Even facial details such as dripping sweat or slimy alien mucus present with impressive clarity. This transfer does feature a few stray specks that do not amount to much in the long run. This presentation is as true to the original look of the film as it can get with the added resolution making elements seem more immediate.
Where this disc starts to falter is when it comes to how it was encoded, which is not well. There are numerous compression and chroma errors that pop up when you are playing the disc in HDR10. This is cleaned up considerably if you are capable of Dolby Vision, which greatly alleviates many of the issues. This is still quite a shame for those who are not capable of Dolby Vision, as this disc fails to reach its full potential of a sturdy HRD10 encode. The disc does so much other stuff well, as the HDR implementation for increased color output features some rich, vibrant colors that pop off the screen with a vibrant intensity. It just does not mean as much when there are jarring digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding and more. If you are capable of Dolby Vision, Kino Classics has provided a presentation that should thrill you, but those watching the HDR10 layer will probably feel slightly let down by the shoddy encoding.
Audio Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with both a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track that both handle this material in different ways. While the 5.1 track would presumably be the track most would gravitate towards, this track actually feels slightly lacking compared to its 2.0 stereo counterpart. The upper ranges of the 5.1 track do not sound as dynamic as the previous release from Arrow Video, and some of the sounds feel a bit unnatural. The 2.0 track fares a lot better with a broad soundscape which captures the unique sound design of the film with perfect fidelity. The track features some pretty constant kinetic activity and really comes alive when it makes sense. The score from Denny Zeitlin is used perfectly to establish the mood of the story, and this track handles it elegantly throughout the duration of the film. There is never a moment where it threatens to overwhelm competing sounds, and it maintains a good balance so that dialogue comes through clearly. The environmental sounds are rendered well alongside everything else. There does not seem to be any majorly noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear. Kino Classics has given this film a mostly solid audio presentation that brings the movie to life in an exciting manner.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary #1: Director Philip Kaufman delivers a fantastically informative commentary track in which he discusses pulling off some of the practical effects work, that Robert Duvall cameo, the location shooting, recurring visual motifs in the film, the use of audio in the film and more.
- Audio Commentary #2: Author/Film Historian Steve Haberman delivers a much more analytical track filled with trivia and historical details. It serves as a nice complement to the more personal nature of the first track.
- Star-Crossed In The Invasion – Interview with Actress Brooke Adams: A new nine-minute interview with Adams in which she discusses her relationship with the original material, landing the role, her relationship with director Philip Kaufman, working with Donald Sutherland and more.
- Re-Creating The Invasion – Interview with Screenwriter W.D. Richter: A 16-minute interview in which Richter describes the process of adapting the source material, the themes they wanted to work into the film, the ways in which the script evolved and more.
- Scoring The Invasion – Interview with Composer Denny Zeitlin: A 16-minute interview with Zeitlin in which he discusses developing the sound of this film, the enduring legacy of this story, why this was the ideal experience as his sole composing credit and more.
- Leading The Invasion – Interview with Actor Art Hindle: A 25-minute piece in which Hindle discusses his love of science fiction, getting involved with this project, lessons he learned from Leonard Nimoy, other work of his in the genre and more.
- Writing The Pod – Interview with Jack Finney Expert Jack Seabrook: An 11-minute piece in which Jack Seabrook, author of Stealing Through Time: On the Writings of Jack Finney, discusses the life and career of the author.
- Re-Visitors From Outer Space, Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Pod: A 16-minute documentary which delves into the production history, the socio-political overtones, the themes of the novel and more. It is great to hear from Donald Sutherland and Veronica Cartwright in this one.
- Practical Magic – The Special Effects Pod: A five-minute look at how some of the special effects were created on this low budget film.
- The Man Behind The Scream – The Sound Effects Pod: A 13-minute featurette in which Ben Burtt, who created the special sound effects for the film, discusses how he created some of the unsettling moments that still terrify to this day.
- The Invasion Will Be Televised – The Cinematography Pod: A nearly six-minute piece in which director of photography Michael Chapman and others discuss the distinct look of the film and how it lends to the overall atmosphere.
- Radio Spots: A five-minute collection of radio spots are provided here.
- TV Spots: A minute-long collection of TV Spots are provided here.
- Trailers: The two-minute trailer for Invasion Of The Body Snatchers is provided here. There are also trailers provided for The Puppet Masters and The Wanderers.
Final Thoughts
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is one of the definitive science fiction-horror experiences ever to hit the silver screen. The direction taken by Philip Kaufman allows for copious thrills and thoughtful dread which brings a fresh perspective to the material. The ensemble are outstanding in their roles both large and small, and the visual effects work is among the most impressive we have seen from this time. Kino Classics has provided a 4K UHD Blu-Ray which features a good-not-great A/V presentation and a stellar assortment of special features. If you are Dolby Vision capable, this is a pretty safe buy for you. Recommended
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
