Hollywood has certainly gotten its money’s worth out of Jack Finney’s classic SF novel, The Body Snatchers. No less then four movies have been made from the basic concept of the book, which offers a more novel approach on the old aliens taking over the world idea by having the aliens be spores that steal our bodies right out from underneath us. The result are extremely calm zombies with our thoughts and memories who are part of a collective hive that feels no emotion whatsoever. The aliens take over us while we sleep, which is a double-edged sword for the protagonists of the story, since they must also fight fatigue, as well as a growing, strengthening conspiracy that rises up all around them.
Kevin McCarthy starred in the original Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, which was
released in 1956. Echoing the paranoia of the communists in our midst, the black
and white classic was effectively creepy and downbeat. The 1978 Invasion Of The Body Snatchers,
directed by Philip Kaufman, used the backdrop of former radicals who fought for
social change in the 1960s who morphed into money-hungry yuppies in the 70s.
This version was actually superior to the original in many ways, and even had
McCarthy in a fun cameo. In 1993, Director Abel Ferrara directed a forgettable remake,
named only Body Snatchers, that took place on a military base.
For the 2007 version, which is simply named The Invasion, director Oliver Hirschbiegel taps into the fears and concerns of twenty first century American society by having the main character, played by Nichole Kidman, be a psychiatrist who prescribes happy pills for everybody around her--including her young son. The film is grounded in the present day, thanks to constant grim news reports on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan--and once the alien spores start taking over the world, thanks this time to a crashed space shuttle, these hotspots abruptly cool down as emotions are swept away by the incursion. Hirschbiegel offers a sly and witty commentary on how much better the world would be under the new alien regime, where hatred, prejudice and sheer malice are wiped out, as well as the need for prescription meds.
Yet while Nicole Kidman is a marvelous actress who shines in everything she’s in, even she can’t save The Invasion. While using the alien invasion to comment on our social affairs is a smart idea, the bulk of the movie is nothing more than a tired action movie, with Kidman’s character abruptly developing driving skills worthy of a NASCAR racer right out of the blue. The motivations of the "possessed" are also screwed up; we’re told they have no emotions, and then are shown scenes where they’re either fighting or wildly chasing after Kidman’s character. The Invasion isn’t a horrible film, but it’s not a classic, either. The 1978 Invasion Of The Body Snatchers remains the far superior version of this story.
--SF
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