Invasion of the Body Snatchers: A Thriller Alien Invasion Film

horror, sci-fi, thriller

1:55

1978

Review by Brandon Talks Movies on Jun 21, 2018

People are being duplicated. And once it happens to you, you’re part of this… thing. It almost happened to me!

(Yes, I’m reviewing the 1978 remake, not the 1956 original. Don’t judge me!)

Alien invasion movies were a pretty big thing in classic film. They asked lots of questions: What if they’re good? What if they’re bad? What if they think we’re bad and come to judge us? Invasion of the Body Snatchers, directed by Philip Kaufman (mostly known for writing the Indiana Jones movies) and starring Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams, puts a bit of a different spin on it: what if they’re neither good nor evil, but so different that we can’t coexist? This is cosmic horror: horror that has no monster or villain to be beaten, but a force of nature whose existance threatens ours. But this is not a boring morality study—this is a tense thriller! It doesn’t take the time to ask and answer a lot of deep questions, as many sci-fi movies do, but it moves quickly and is definitely not boring. If you’re in the mood for a tense and somewhat scary look at an alien invasion, this might be just what you’re looking for.

The story opens with Elizabeth Driscoll, an employee of the Department of Public Health, noticing some strange behavior in her boyfriend. He looks and talks like her boyfriend, but is completely devoid of emotion and starts having weird meetings with strangers. She tells her coworker, Matthew Bennell, that her boyfriend has been replaced by someone else. He initially dismisses her suspicions, but soon notices some other weird things that convince him that there’s something going on and others may be in danger. They begin their own research, but knowledge is dangerous, and it’s not long before the aliens are after them too.

Well, why not a space flower? Why do we always expect metal ships?

This film is a lot of fun to watch, but I can’t say it’s perfect. There are a few weird jumps in logic and forced lines that are used to move the plot along. But very quickly, I found myself hooked. It’s a true thriller that keeps you watching with constant tension and suspense rather than an artificial shock or jump scare from time to time, and it does that extremely well. It doesn’t completely spell out everything that’s happening. The whole story is spelled out eventually, but there are enough clues as to what’s going on that most viewers can piece things together before then. There are also a few unsettling (but not gratuitous) moments that provide just the right amount of fright.

While not perfect, this film does not fall short in taking you along for a wild ride—the tension is great, and there’s really nothing bad to pull you out of that. All five of the lead actors put on good performances that kept me engaged in what the characters were going through. The plot moved quickly without sacrificing story or characters. The aliens, when we finally hear about why they came to earth, have an interesting, if simple, story and method. I had a blast watching this film, and I was hooked even up to the final moments. I won’t spoil anything, but I will say that the ending does not disappoint.

Should I Watch Invasion of the Body Snatchers?

For a sci-fi movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers goes light on philosophy and ethics, but heavy on suspense and tension, and is a very entertaining movie to watch. I wouldn’t describe this as an intense horror film—it’s not nightmare-inducing, although it is somewhat unsettling and might be too much viewers that really don’t like being scared. Also, probably not a good one for the kids. But I think most mature audiences will have fun with this one. I know I did.

Movies Like Invasion of the Body Snatchers

The Stepford Wives (1975) - Instead of aliens replacing humans in a large city, men in a suburban community replace their wives with obedient robots. With the social landscape changing in the 70s and women gaining more independence, some men resented that and wanted submissive domestic servants. Think Invasion of the Body Snatchers as a feminist allegory.
Us (2019) - A family on vacation discovers that they’re being hunted by doppelgangers of themselves. There’s an alien force replacing humans, but it’s much more personal. In Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the aliens are devoid of emotion, showing our fear of apathy; in Us, the aliens are prone to rage and outbursts, showing our fear of our repressed darker selves. Us is a great thriller with a similar plot and some interesting things to say.
Annihilation (2018) - As an alien replacement thriller, Invasion of the Body Snatchers focuses on individuals being replaced, and as we see, individuals can escape the alients; Annihilation features an all-consuming alien entity that can’t be defeated or dodged. Once it moves into an area, that area becomes the alien—and it’s growing fast. If you want true cosmic horror that’s also a competent thriller, Annihilation is a great fit.

Runtime: 1:55
Director: Philip Kaufman
Year: 1978
Genres: horror, sci-fi, thriller
Rating: PG

About Brandon

My name is Brandon, and I love movies. Not bad ones, though—just the good ones. I’m curating and reviewing a list of classic, essential-viewing, or just plain good movies from all decades, and I've been reviewing them since 2016. I also co-host Peculiar Picture Show, a podcast about movies and mental health and write about Dungeons & Dragons options, builds, and optimization.