Rating: 
Summary: Still A Great Scare!
Review: "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" has stood the test of time to become of the greatest science fiction films ever. Kevin McCarthy plays a young California doctor returning home from a convention to find the residents of his town acting strangely. People think that their relatives are...well, not themselves. The doctor stumbles upon the reasons behind the strange behavior of these once normal people. An invasion has taken place by aliens who can duplicate and replace humans. "Invasion" plays on fears that were very much active in 1956 when the film was released. The Cold War was on, Joseph McCarthy was accusing everyone under the sun of having Communist ties, and the authority of adults was being questioned by the youth of America. Director Siegel uses several different camera angles and inventive lighting to help create a fearful, almost panic-driven atmosphere. Kevin McCarthy does a good job as the doctor who moves from worried to frantic to nearly over the edge. The film still holds up very well, despite the fact that it is 45 years old. The 1978 remake was good, but not the equal of the original. A great science fiction film, photographed in glorious black and white.
Rating:
Summary: inspired film making!
Review: A masterpiece! This IS the Best film ever made (in this genre). There are several tied for second but none surpass. No weaknesses. No flaws. An exceptional gem of individuality, sparkling with the fears of mid century America. Impecable,inspired,intelligent film making with a supensful script to boot. Never a dull moment. Edge of your seat performances by the entire cast. What more could anyone want! I recomend this flick to anyone who has ever looked fondly out to anothers home and thought "the grass is always greener" because you never really know who is right next door or right next to you. Watch with someone you love.
Rating:
Summary: Whatever else happens.....don't fall asleep !!
Review: Don Siegel at his best was a creative and brilliant director capable of turning out tense, gripping and intelligent entertainment...and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is Siegel in his finest form !! Kevin McCarthy, in arguably his best performance, is sensational as small town doctor, Miles Bennell who returns from a trip to find the residents of Santa Mira strangely afflicted by an unusual malady that makes them believe that their loved ones are....strange imposters...lacking in emotion, warmth and soul. But is it really an unidentified illness sweeping the town, or something far more sinister ?? The evidence points towards a strange alien life form infiltrating their small community and Siegel mounts the terror step by terrifying step. Before long, Miles and his girlfriend Becky Driscoll (Dana Wynter) find themselves in the minority as the frightening epidemic of "body snatching" sweeps through Santa Mira like a brush fire, turning loved friends into souless adversaries. Much has been written about the McCarthy-ism aspects of this movie, so I won't dwell on that point, other than to say that "Invasion" escalates paranoia to a crescendo ! With a spine tingling musical score, brilliant cinematography (especially the creative use of lighting) and a talented cast that work in wonderful synergy together, "Invasion" still remains a benchmark in how to make a chilling science-fiction film. This much awaited DVD widescreen release even includes an interview with star, Kevin McCarthy and original theatrical trailers as an added bonus ! An important, absorbing and influential film that remains one of the key release's of the decade of the 1950's !
Rating:
Summary: Stick a fork in it and see if it is done.
Review: What if one day you noticed your best friend or closest relative wasn't? What if paranoia struck a town and everyone started thinking that way? What if the were not paranoid?
Every thing you look for in a 50's Sci-Fi from the well known actors to the scenes where you want to tell them to look out. But do they listen?
Now see on DVD. Classic 50's sci-fi. And it is still very scary in the 50's way.
You will not sleep through this one.
Rating:
Summary: It will scare you - believe me!
Review: This is one great movie! Many important aspects unite to make this a film that is way above average for it's time and genre. The truly outstanding elements of acting, screenplay, music, cinematography are all in place - with the key to the success being the unrelenting tension that begins at frame one and never ends. See this one first and then see the Philip Kaufman remake which is (almost) as perfect as this one. A definite classic - best age to see this one is probably about 10 years old. It will definitely keep them "awake"! Enjoy and sleep lightly.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT PSYCHOLOGICAL SCI-FI THRILLER
Review: This is a good one. Classic 50's sci-fi with more emphasis on psychological plot and dialogue than special effects, but still a winner. Check out WAR OF THE WORLDS, THEM, WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, and THE BLOB if you like great vintage 50s sci-fi movies like this.
Rating:
Summary: A Story About One Man`s Resistance To Collectivism
Review: The original version of The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (in my opinion there is no other version to this movie) is an absolutely wonderful tale of how one man first tries to save his community from falling into a collectivist society. When this fails he tries save the individual identity of himself and the woman that he loves. Then when she joins the collectivist community he is left with no other alternative but to escape from this community and try to warn those living in other communities. This is a terrific story that very much captures the political and social environment of the time that this movie was made. I highly recommend The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. Also if you enjoy this movie you might want to considering reading the novels 1984 by George Orwell and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
Rating:
Summary: You're Next.........
Review: Don Siegal's superb paranoia character study is still very poignant and relevant after forty-four years. One of the most important science fiction films ever made, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) is still unequaled in its striking images of isolation and corruption and its power to impress generation after generation of filmgoers. Kevin McCarthy stars as a intelligent family doctor that is suddenly called back to his practice when several of his patients start complaining that their relatives really aren't their relatives. McCarthy initially finds such claims to be preposterous. However as this intense chronicle grimly marches forward, we find that the town is infected with hundreds of grown pods that when near a human being turn into that person and absorb his or her memories and experiences. Yet, these sophisticated aliens remove the humanity from the subjects they copy leaving these replacements to be hollow shells of the people they replaced. Though this strange plot might suggest that Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a campy grade B exploitation. You would be very wrong. Body Snatchers has the accuracy and timelessness of The Andy Griffith Show or Ozzie and Harriet. It is defiantly the by-product of simple fifties efficiency mixed with the eloquence of great Twilight Zone episode. Many imply that this film critiques the Joseph McCarthy witch-hunts and communist suspicions, look and find some curious similarities. Filled with crisp dialogue, authentic performances, and terrific direction by Don "Dirty Harry" Siegal, Body Snatchers boils with numerous ideologies and philosophical allusions. Inspiring countless clones, rip-offs, and remakes, Invasion of the Body Snatchers remains a fascinating account of terror and dread from another generation back.
Rating:
Summary: Invasion/Cloning?
Review: I first saw this movie in 1970 and was scared to death because I understood the content of the storyline. Again, I saw the movie after the introduction of the theory of cloning. As I look out at the actions and mentality of the masses of people. I now understand that this movie was actually science-fact and not science-fiction. The theory of the newly introduced cloning concept is not only on a physcial level but on a mental and spiritual level. People can be easily be changed without much resistance and the control of the human body does not have to be coming from an alien world. The idea of something being alien means a idea or concept that is force on someone to control them for purposes that serve the controller. The actions and opinions that the masses of the people have is not their own. Most people are doing as they are programmed to do by the media and government. For this to happen one must be asleep! This is a must see movie, your survival depends on your being awake or your being conscious.
Rating: 
Summary: Horrific picture of the society of today
Review: Invasion of The Body Snatchers is the perfect portrayal of society in the 20th century. The taking over of the humans by the pod-people symbolizes the desensitization of of people today. Their exact look-alike replacements are emotionless shells of human beings. Just like the way people now have become less sensitive to things like violence, love, family, and friends. The fact that the person being replaced has to be asleep for the change to occur shows how the change in us takes place without our knowledge. When informed of what will become of them, Becky and Miles are saddened by the idea of being without emotion. They fight together to hold onto the lives they have by staying awake with prescription drugs from Miles's office. They flee trying to escape their horrible fate in hopes of finding real human life elsewhere. As they are being chased the rest of the pod-people are spreading and taking over. After Miles looses Becky he is hurt by the idea of being without her but he continues to run. When he reaches a hospital he is treated as though he were crazy until the doctors and the police realize he is telling the truth. Then Miles is sure his story is believedand he feels a wave of relief wash over him. Now he is finally able to relax, close his eyes, and get the sleep his body is begging for. Miles being the only human left symbolizes that while most people are somewhat emotionless shells, a few of us still remain "human". ( What about you????? )
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