Invasion of the Body Snatchers Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Invasion of the Body Snatchers Blu-ray Movie Review

Where have all the flowers (and real humans) gone?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 6, 2016

The supposed subtext of the original 1956 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers was unmistakable, if also brilliantly subliminal: the godless Communists were at our doorstep, and if we weren’t “awake” to their machinations, we’d all be turned into emotionless cogs in a Marxist wheel. As I mentioned in our Invasion of the Body Snatchers Blu-ray review, whether or not that subtext was actually intended is a matter still up for debate, but even without any perceived allegorical content, the basic premise of Jack Finney’s original tale is a case study in paranoia. The whole neurotic aspect of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is pushed front and center in Philip Kaufman’s rather brilliant 1978 updating of the tale, a film which moves the story out of rural California to the bustling urban environment of San Francisco and which slyly incorporates what might be thought of as nascent “New Age” tendencies in the zeitgeist which were beginning to change the way hip and happening folks responded to the often chaotic world around them. W.D. Richter’s screenplay more or less drops the “mystery” aspect of what’s going on, something that helped make the 1956 version so distinctively disturbing, and in fact shows the gelatinous “alien” pods descending on San Francisco in the film’s opening scenes. The pods attach themselves to earthbound plants and quickly subsume them, ultimately flowering in bright pink blossoms which a pretty passerby named Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams) picks on her way to work. This Invasion of the Body Snatchers is therefore probably less concerned with what’s going on than in how to respond, and it’s notable that unlike the original version, which saw two hapless “combatants” (Kevin McCarthy, who cameos in this film as a panic stricken man, and Dana Wynter), there’s a actually a “group” of sorts dealing with the after effects of the alien incursion. That mini-multitude is certainly no mere coincidence, for underlying this version of the story is the kind of psycho babble that is regularly a part of other “groups”, namely get togethers at an analyst’s office where addled folks meet to discuss their various mental imbalances.

The film itself smartly plays upon both the cacophony of Baghdad by the Bay as well as what my colleague Casey Broadwater called the mindset of the “me generation” in his write-up of the previously released MGM Blu-ray of this version. Unlike the 1956 version, which sees a coterie of residents of the small town of Santa Mira becoming emotionless zombies, this version begins its transformations with Elizabeth’s boyfriend Geoffrey (Art Hindle). His sudden “detachment” from Elizabeth sparks her concern, though again Richter’s screenplay almost immediately ports this angst over into traditional psychiatric territory, when Elizabeth’s coworker Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland) suggests she consult a celebrity analyst named Dr. David Kibner (Leonard Nimoy).

Kibner espouses the sort of “what do you really want?” advice that is part and parcel of the Frasier Crane “I’m listening” crowd, and that gives this Invasion of the Body Snatchers some of its rather piquant sense of humor. What’s kind of interesting about the emotional tenor of this version is how it is darkly comedic but also much more graphic than its 1956 predecessor. The pods in this version are slimier, scalier and just flat out scarier than in the Don Siegel directed iteration, and some of the other special effects are considerably more impressive and even gruesome. It’s a really interesting and effective “combo platter” that in some ways is reminiscent of a similarly skewed casserole of comedy and horror in such films as Army of Darkness, though it should be noted that this film doesn’t really go for the gusto in the laughs department, instead hinting at bleakly funny elements for those who choose to look for these hints. The middle part of this film introduces a coterie of supporting characters, including Jack (Jeff Goldblum) and Nancy (Veronica Cartwright), two folks who actually discover some “pods in progress” and who, with a suddenly aware Matthew, finally begin to realize what’s going on.

There’s a bit less of the “you and me against the world” feeling that informed the 1956 version, if only because the folks fighting the alien menace are not limited to a duo. Richter’s screenplay still delivers an increasing amount of tension and terror as various folks are “replaced” by their pod counterparts, and in a way this film’s revelation about one central character is probably even more devastating than in the original version. As I discussed in my review of the 1956 version, studio interference resulted in a bookending artifice that seemed to suggest a happy ending, or at least a finale that wasn’t downright apocalyptic, and as Steven Haberman mentions in his interesting commentary on this new version, Finney’s original story actually did feature a more or less happy ending. This 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers didn’t have to toe any studio line, and has a predictable if still effective “sting” (perhaps “scream” would be a more apt term) that suggests these particular aliens are here to stay. The irony with this film's emphasis on mental health and analysts is that with people becoming emotionless zombies, psychiatry will become an irrelevant profession.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory, an imprint of Shout! Factory, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. I've tried to recreate at least a screenshot or two from our reviews of both the MGM version and the UK Arrow version that have previously been released on Blu-ray, and my advice is for those interested to parse the screenshots, as those are probably a better indication than any mere commentary on my part can be. To my eyes, the Scream edition is just slightly cooler in temperature, with a slight skew toward the blue side of spectrum which tends to make flesh tones slightly less pink looking, to cite one example. Detail levels are excellent across the board, especially considering how intentionally dark the film often is. Grain generally resolves very organically, but as both Svet and Casey noted in their reviews, this Scream edition also flirts with chunkier looking grain, noise and compression anomalies in some of those dark sequences (see screenshots 11, 12 and 15). As Svet noted in his review, this version also has a passing fleck or two, but is largely in very good shape.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Invasion of the Body Snatchers features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mixes. The 5.1 mix spreads Zeitlin's score as well as some of the electronic sound effects he incorporates around the surrounds, and the rear channels are regularly utilized for ambient environmental effects. There are occasional effective panning effects when the film ventures out into the traffic of San Francisco. While some of the string writing may have asked for sul ponticello (that kind of dry, raspy sound), I found a bit of the upper midrange just a tad brittle sounding during some of the underscoring. Dialogue is cleanly and clearly presented and well prioritized on this problem free track.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Star-Crossed in the Invasion with Brooke Adams (1080p; 9:06) is an enjoyable interview with the actress.


• Leading the Invasion with Art Hindle (1080p; 25:04) is a surprisingly in depth piece with the first "pod person" of this film.


• Re-Creating the Invasion with W.D. Richter (1080p; 15:43) is an interesting interview with this version's screenwriter.


• Scoring the Invasion with Denny Zeitlin (1080p; 15:34) profiles the film's composer, whose only feature film credit this is. Somewhat ironically, Zeitlin is also well known as a psychiatrist.


• Re-Visitors from Outer Space, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Pod (1080p; 16:14) is a fun retrospective featuring interviews and film clips.


• Practical Magic: A Special Effects Pod (1080p; 4:38) discusses some of the film's VFX.


• The Man Behind the Scream: The Sound Effects Pod (1080p; 12:47) is a well done look at the film's sound design and effects, and includes interviews with Ben Burtt.


• The Invasion Will Be Televised: The Cinematography Pod (1080p; 5:24) focuses on photography (sorry).


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:13)


• TV Spots (1080i; 1:02)


• Radio Spots (4:46)


• Photo Gallery (1080p; 6:17)


• Science Fiction Theater Time is Just a Place (1080p; 25:53) is a fun archival television show based on a Jack Finney story.


• Commentary with Author/Film Historian Steve Haberman is typically excellent, though Haberman should probably learn how Denny Zeitlin's last name is pronounced.


• Commentary with Director Philip Kaufman

Invasion of the Body Snatchers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I was actually living in San Francisco at about the time this film came out, and I was in fact hanging out with a bunch of folks who were espousing the supposedly unmistakable signs of an epochal change in human consciousness, but luckily most of these folks had a sense of humor about themselves and some of us journeyed to a local movie house to take in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Our collective sense of humor enjoyed an inside joke of sorts as the film began, for the opening montage showing the pods descending on the city included a brief shot of Market Street at around the same place where many of us lived in a frankly pretty grimy boarding hotel. The film therefore had a certain ring of authenticity for me back in the day that its whimsical premise might not suggest, but revisiting it now for this review I was again struck by how sly the screenplay is for this version. The smart writing, Kaufman's almost hallucinogenic approach toward direction and the excellent performances make this that rare remake which is in its own way as memorable as the original. Technical merits are generally strong, and as tends to be the case, Scream Factory has provided some superb supplements. Highly recommended.