- Format: PAL
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 15
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- DVD Release Date: 22 Nov 2004
- Run Time: 83 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B0002W12JO
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 27,792 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Genuinely scary!,
By
This review is from: Body Snatchers [DVD] (DVD)
I first watched this film when I was about fourteen and have vivid, although somewhat cringy memories of re-enacting with my friend, the method which the alien body snatchers use to identify the real humans, i.e, pointing and screaming like a fog horn. Not my finest hour, but my point is, that this film left a lasting impression and watching it again recently made me realise how scary it really is.
You might well know the plot line, since there are so many re-makes, but to sum up: Family move to army base- soon people start acting strangely, or are taken away screaming into the night. The body snatchers are here and they want you! One of the eeriest moments is when the female lead, Marty's younger brother does a picture at nursery and it becomes apparent that all the other children have already been body snatched, by the fact that they all draw the same creepy picture. Marty is a solid lead character, as is her army boyfriend. It's not as good as the 1970s Donald Sutherland version, but it does stand up well in comparison.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Adds little new to the mix but still has much to admire,
By
This review is from: Body Snatchers [DVD] (DVD)
Abel Ferrara's most `commercial' and perversely perhaps least seen film may not be a great film in the way the first two versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers are, but contrary to (or perhaps because of) its legendarily hostile reception on its debut at Cannes and its subsequent dumping on the straight-to-video market in the UK after a tiny US release, it is rather a good one.
The action has been moved to an army base, where Gabrielle Anwar's father and his second wife are sent to analyse toxic waste before finding out that people aren't themselves anymore. It holds for its surprisingly short running time, but aside from the odd striking image, such as the families emerging from their homes to chase the last human family in the neighbourhood, there is the feeling that it could have tried for more. Certainly, aside from some family resentment over Meg Tilly's initially figurative and later literal intruder in the family, there is little in the way of subtext. As a result, it lacks the inner life of its predecessors. Where Don Siegel's film was boosted by 50s political paranoia and Philip Kaufman's by 70s urban alienation, Ferrara has little new to bring to the film thematically and compared particularly to Kaufman's version packs less per minute into the narrative. This is a smaller film, returning the material to its b-movie roots - it doesn't look cheap, but it certainly lacks their scale and ambition. The biggest surprise is that Kevin McCarthy doesn't turn up in this one as well. A shame, too, that they didn't keep the Body Snatcher's scream the same as in Kaufman's film. There is still much to admire: Tilly's chillingly rational monologue ("Where you gonna go? Where you gonna hide?") is a highlight and there are a couple of nice moments playing on doubt - is Anwar's father pretending or is he really one of them? - and one terrific scene where Forrest Whitaker's manic doctor is unable to bring himself to kill in which Ferrara's direction really hits the mark. The photography too is quite outstanding (note the shift of focus on the window of the daycare centre) and well preserved in this widescreen transfer, but there are no extras on the disc.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quick Reviews!,
By
This review is from: Body Snatchers [DVD] (DVD)
The third official version of the film so far (though Kidman's effort has just been released in the US), updated to modern day and set in a US army base. Gone is the paranoia of the 70s version, replace by a gritty end of the century gloom. The whole film is set up for tension and the sense of being surrounded with little chance for escape. It is very short, adding to this quality and giving a sense of urgency few recent films have been able to match.
A family moves to a military camp as the father has to run some scientific tests in the area. His new wife and son come too along with his daughter Marti from a previous relationship, setting up an 'evil step-mum' dynamic. Marti is 17 and feels estranged from everyone, imprisoned, and believes she will soon be free of it all when she turns 18. Her father does his tests, under strict supervision from armed guards, her brother finds his new classmates and teacher to be a little odd, and she makes a few friends- the first being the daughter of the Base General, the other a soldier. Soon a plot to replace the human race with alien clones is uncovered. It becomes a race for the family and their friends to escape and warn the world, but who is human and who is not? Ferarra creates a great deal of tension in a short time, and excellent performances from all, particularly Anwar and Tilly help to add to the fear. We do not know who to trust, and the film differs enough from previous versions to keep us guessing. Whitaker's performance is also very good, an accurate depiction of a soldier succumbing to sleep-depravation, paranoia, and the terror of being 'replaced'. Tilly's 'where you gonna go' scene is terrifying, and some of the effects are very effective. There is little humour, and few signs of emotion all adding to the idea that people may not be what they seem, though giving the film a very cold, bleak tone. We are left feeling that many people may already be emotionless, not caring for each other. A vastly underrated movie, almost as good as its predecessors. The DVD is cheap, so it is a must-have for fans, but there isn't an extra feature to be found, so for this it misses out on 5 stars.
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