Relevant no matter the era—that’s how many would describe the Jack Finney-penned novel about pod people replacing humans and substituting individual consciousness with collective thought. It’s probably why there’s been four official adaptations.  Countless science fiction movies and television shows also have taken ideas from the original work. While some have fallen flat, Invasion of the Body Snatchers from 1978 is probably one of the best adaptations. There are some that believe it surpasses the original adaptation from 1956. Even if one does not subscribe to that view, one can’t doubt that it’s one of the best remakes in cinematic history.

In the current Hollywood environment, where it seems remakes are being greenlit either to just cash in on fondly remembered properties, or to make superficial changes by changing the race or sex of characters without looking at the story from another angle, the word remake can leave a bad taste in the mouth. However, when Philip Kaufman directed this version of Invasion in 1978, he led the way in a decade of re-imaginings of other 1950s science fiction films. The Thing, The Fly, Invaders from Mars, and The Blob probably would not have been produced without the critical and commercial success of this film.

What makes this movie work? First, look to the director. Philip Kaufman is probably not a name on the tongue of most movie watchers. He though has writing credits on Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Outlaw Josey Wales. He later directed The Right Stuff. Then there is the cast; their quirks and interactions with each other turn the science fiction into a human drama piece. Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, and Leonard Nimoy come across as people of interest. The main characters struggle to understand what’s happening, then desperately try to escape the danger. The audience feels the loss that would occur if such individuals became the blank slates that the aliens want to turn them into.

The film begins with an amazing visual of the pods assimilating themselves into the fauna of San Francisco. There’s then imagery of an emotionless priest  swinging in a playground while staring blankly. This puts you ill at ease and shows you that things are already askew.

The main characters then enter the story. There’s Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland), an uptight health inspector, who seems to be only at ease at home and in the company of Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams), a co-worker and close friend, who worries about her relationship with her boyfriend. The second couple is composed of Jack (Jeff Goldblum) and Nancy (Veronica Cartwright) Bellicec, who are bathhouse owners with an artistic bent. Added to the mix is Dr. David Kibner (Leonard Nimoy), a psychiatrist who believes that the turmoil of the modern age is fueling the increasing paranoia and distrust of loved ones. Is he correct? Or have the aliens already replaced him?

There are two additional factors that stand out about the film: The cinematography and the score. San Francisco, when shot well is a city that has as much personality as the characters living there. Michael Chapman does a good job revealing the city as quirky as the characters. And when he films the characters, you can sense the emotions on their faces even when little dialogue is spoken. If there is some light criticism, it revolves around some of the extravagant camera work. I appreciate some of the Dutch angles he uses to convey the strange nature of the situation. However, some shots seem too self-conscious, especially when they linger when there are no characters on the screen.

The score composed by Danny Zeitlin is varied as well. There’s three basic styles: Traditional mid-twentieth century scoring, as exemplified by the “Main Title/Flight Theme,” melancholic jazz in the “Love Theme,” and harsh synthesized soundscapes, appearing when the pods/aliens are on the screen. Innovative sound design mixes with the score to push the impression that the alien takeover is at hand. It’s strange that Zeitlin never scored another movie. Maybe he felt more comfortable in the jazz world from where he came. Likely, he felt that he had composed a unique score that he might never top. Whatever. Despite it being nontraditional, it suits the film, neither overwhelming nor underwhelming the scenes.

Living in today’s special effects driven movie climate, even science fiction fans of recent years might have neglected this film. It does feature stunning effects, particularly concerning the transformation of the pods into human duplicates. However, the film is a very human story. In the late 1970s, western society felt confused. Many felt let down by traditional organizations, dealt with the increased family breakdown, and observed the communist advance across the globe. This caused many individuals to search for “the authentic self.” It makes perfect sense that Kibner is at the center of the characters’ world, treating people for their broken psyches.

As the film progresses, you feel for the characters. You hope that whatever time is left, they can connect with their fellow humans. Thus, not only science fiction fans will take an interest in the film. People interested in human drama should take a look. It’s likely that such an experience will reveal to science fiction skeptics that there’s more than to the genre than the shine of spaceships and laser beams.

Further details released were as follows: Laura Vandervoort (Jigsaw, Bitten, Smallville, V the recent series) is starring as Rose, a seamstress who goes through radical transformations after going under the cosmetic knife after an incident that left her disfigured. Also starring, Hanneke Talbot, Mackenzie Gray, Ben Hollingsworth and WWE superstars CM PUNK and his real life wife and WWE vixen AJ Mendez (I shit you not).

“It’s a tremendous honor to be re-imagining David’s 1977 body horror classic, Rabid, with such incredible support behind us. We are not fans of the current trend of soulless remakes as they disrespect the fans and the original body of work,” share Writers-Directors Jen and Sylvia Soska. “Our Rabid is a continuation of the thoughts and conversation David started, but modernized through a female perspective. The film will not only honour his original Rabid but also Cronenberg’s entire body of work. This would not have been possible without a team behind us that cares about the artist as well as the fans.”

“I don’t think there’s any bigger fans of David Cronenberg than the sisters, so it was really exciting when they agreed to helm this project. They will put their own stamp on the movie of course, but with nothing but the utmost respect to David, and that’s important when you’re remaking a classic horror film like Rabid,”
– says producer Paul Lalonde.
“The Soska twins are the hottest young directors in the horror space right now, and our talented cast headed by Laura (Vandervoort) and Ben (Hollingsworth) will give horror fans a rich and chilling character-driven story with plenty of body horror. We’ve got a fantastic cast, a great crew, top notch special effects and industry leading stunt coordinators. And having the whole story set against the backdrop of high fashion, that’s not only a great chance for some important social commentary, it’s also a really fun twist on horror. A peek inside the world of haute torture if you will.”

What are your thoughts about this remake in the making? Tell us your feelings.

Here is the trailer to the original 1977 film

This new adaptation was originally locked in on Guillermo Del Toro to helm the directing chair but, due to scheduling problems he will only serve as producer with Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men, Gravity). This will be a fun and welcomed return for Zemeckis who is best known for the Back to the Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Death Becomes Her, Forrest Gump and the Frighteners. Zemeckis will also pen the script, with his partner Jack Rapke producing through their banner ImageMovers.

I like the Idea. I love the Idea. The whole thing feels good.

Robert Rodriguez is in negotiations to direct Escape From New York, 20 Fox’s remake of the 1980s cult classic that starred Kurt Russell.

John Carpenter, who directed and co-wrote the original, is executive producing the project, which is targeting a production start later this year. 

Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman of The Picture Co. are producing the feature project, which the studio is hoping to launch as a franchise in the same mold of its Planet of the Apes series.

The original 1981 movie was set in a future (then 1997) where Manhattan had been turned into an island-sized maximum-security prison. When the president of the United States crashes into the decaying city, an outlaw is coerced into traveling inside to rescue him.

Neil Cross, the creator of the BBC crime series Luther, wrote the script. Robert Rodriguez is the director of Machete, Planet Terror, Spy Kids, Desperado, The Faculty and Sin City. In my opinion I loved the first Sin City but, when you take into account the rest of his filmography I have only one prediction – The Escape from New York remake is going to SUCK.