LAND OF POD

Why remake good films when you can improve bad ones instead as Michael Caine observed just before cheerfully accepting a wad of cash to appear in a crappy remake of Get Carter.

Now apparently they've remade Invasion of the Body Snatchers again with the Nicole Kidman pod in the lead (Didn't she learn anything from the The Stepford Wives fiasco?) and a bloke who directed Inspector Rex eps at the helm.

Why not instead extend the franchise sideways like Body Snatchers: The Invasion Continues did?

(1993. Colour. Script: Raymond Cistheri and the inimitable Larry Cohen for screen story and Stuart "Re-Animator" Gordon, Denis Paoli and Nicholas St John for screenplay. Direction: Abel Ferrara. Cinematography: Bojan Bazelli. Score: Joe Delia.)

Body Snatchers was clearly packaged as a low budget, straight to video movie, probably just to exercise the screen option before it lapsed. But producer Robert H. Solo, whose credits range from Russell's The Devils to the 1978 Snatcher remake, assembled the likes of Larry Cohen, Stuart Gordon and Abe Ferrara (if you know whom none of them are, then I suggest you’re a pod person yourself) and probably told 'em "we've got fuck all budget but it's already in profit on video pre-sales so do whatever you like."

And what they did was come up with a film that excellently updated the creeping noir paranoia of the original. Among the clever twists are setting it on an army base where identically clad people unemotionally follow orders whether they have been podded or not and intelligently reworking the rules of the Body Snatcher universe.

Given the low budget, the special effects aren't too bad at all. But Larry, Stuart, Abe et al were all smart enough to realize the best special effect of all is great acting driven by great scripts.

Body Snatchers most powerful moments come from unexpected plot twists and great lines delivered by great actors. Like R. Lee Emery as the Base Commander who just can't wrap his head around what's going on, Forest Whitaker as the Army psychologist who does his head in when he realizes what is going on and Gabrielle Anwar, whose seductive full frontal nude scene takes place under circumstances that'd turn your trouser tent into a sleeping bag for a peanut.

And there's Meg Tilly's utterly chilling and precisely delivered speech that captures the spine of the movie, and which starts like this - "Where you gonna go, where you gonna run, where you gonna hide? Nowhere... 'cause there's no one like you left." – and then it gets even more spooky.

There are some bullshit happy ending explosions at the climax but it still has a suitable ambiguous conclusion. Look we're not talking a milestone in western cinema here but if you like a good creepy SF horror thiller that's much better than its cover art would suggest, do yourself a favour.

GrogFlog's verdict "We'll give 'em hell, Malone! We'll show 'em what the human race is really made of!" 7 out of 10 pods.

Coming soon: More "coming soons".

Comments

[Tony.T]

1.

Ebert:

Body Snatchers had its world premiere last May in the official competition of the Cannes Film Festival, where the outspoken Ferrara did not endear himself by claiming that Jane Campion's "The Piano" was such a favorite "the jury gave her the award when she got off the plane." Certainly "Body Snatchers" is not the kind of movie that wins festivals: It is a hard-boiled entry in a disreputable genre.

But as sheer moviemaking, it is skilled and knowing, and deserves the highest praaise you can give a horror film: It works.

[Tony.T]

2.

Can I just add that the remake of The Italian Job isn't as dreadful as you'd imagine. It's not great, or anything, but it goes alright.

[Wicking]

3.

The '78 Snatchers remake with Donald Sutherland wasn't that shoddy either. One or two fine movie moments there, particularly when Brooke Adams spontaneously deflates in Sutherland's arms. Also the bit where a dog with a human face wanders through the crowd - mix-up at the pod shop.
Also there was that porn version, Invasion of the Booby Snatchers. But I didn't see that.

[Tony.T]

4.

The 78 remake is an absolute belter. One of the true eerie movies.

Donald's moustache is eerie, too.

[woody]

5.

That 78 remake scared the absolute shit right out of me. That human faced dog, the ending, Leonard Neeeemoy doing great work. Helluva movie. It tends to get sniffed at by the cognisenti as not a patch on the original, but the can fuck right off. A true cult classic. Right up there with the original "The Wicker Man".

[Tony.T]

6.

Saw the Wicker Man again recently and wasn't as into it as I was way back when. Still, it's probably better than its remake, which FX Holden mentioned the other day, and which I haven't seen. Nick Cage as the cop, supernatural effects, extra baggage, probably a shit new soundtrack made up of shit rock songs. May as well make a different film altogether. Nor is it Lord Summerisle anymore. (Not that there's anything wrong with that. Some of my best friends are women.)

[genevieve]

7.

Nabs - very fine review over at the teev post at Sarsaparilla. Didn't want to spoil the wrap by complimenting you there, though. Now it will be entombed in the Pandora archive, tied by the Gordian knot of the cumbersome NLA search engine for all time.

[Tony.T]

8.

Entombed here, too, Genevieve. There's no escaping Pandora.

[genevieve]

9.

Oh, well done, Tony. Must be all these film reviews Nabs posts that got you a guernsey then. (No, I know the real reason is that you are holding the mirror up to Australian society, to borrow from Santo Cilauro some years ago.)