Body Snatchers (1993)

Body Snatchers (1993)

The first two Invasion Of The Body Snatchers films, have become well loved classics of the sci-fi horror genre and nearly forty years after the novel The Body Snatchers was written by Jack Finney we see a third film adaptation of this classic influential story, Body Snatchers, released in 1993.  Up to this point the film adaptations had at least somewhat closely followed Finney's original novel, being set in California towns, with characters at least somewhat similar to those of the novel.  The book and the first two films take a critical look at American lives, and the fear of conformity, and the importance of the self.  With Body Snatchers from 1993, instead the setting is moved to an army base in Alabama, and a rebellious teenage girl is the main character.  This film is a critique of the conformity culture of the military, and how it destroys the self, and individuality, and thus making it weak and a easy target for the Body Snatchers.  It almost feels lazy to go after such an easy target of mindless conformity, and lack of individuality, and it feels less effective to change a group of emotionless, heartless creatures into emotionless, heartless creatures. 

Body Snatchers was directed by Abel Ferrara, with a screenplay by Stuart Gordon, Dennis Paoli, and Nicholas St. John.   Body Snatchers was based on the two Invasion Of The Body Snatchers films that came before it, as well as by Jack Finney's novel.  The film featured the same producer as the 1978 version, with Robert H. Solo.  Body Snatchers was distributed  by Warner Brothers, and had a very limited theatrical run, and received mixed reviews from the critics, with Roger Ebert giving it a very positive review. 

Body Snatchers stars Gabrielle Anwar as Marti Malone who moves to a military base with her family, Terry kinney plays Marti's father Steve Malone who is sent by the EPA to investigate a military base in Alabama, Meg Tilly plays his wife Carol Malone, and Reilly Murphy plays their young son Andy Malone.  Billy Wirth plays Time Young a helicopter pilot who is Marti's love interest, and Christine Elise plays the general's rebellious daughter Jenn Platt who befriends Marti.  The film also features Forest Whitaker as Major Matthew Collins who is the chief medical office, and R. Lee Ermey as General Platt the commander of the base. All of the characters in this film feel like flat cliches, R. Lee Ermey plays the only character that he ever plays, a hardass military leader, and the roles of Marti and Jenn are such absolutely generic stereotypes of rebellious teenage girls, the character of Steve Malone is a generic liberal science character, the character of Tim is just a generic quiet emotionally detached soldier character.   Even as far as character development, the film feels generic and lacking any decent characters. 

To me Body Snatchers feels like a cheap imitation or ripoff of  the the earlier Invasion Of The Body Snatchers films.  There are elements of both of those films, and it just feels like more of a bad imitation rather than a remake.   I know it sounds like I am saying that this is a bad film, and I think if you are doing like I am and watching this immediately following the previous two films, and comparing it to them, then yes it is a bad film, however it isn't really that bad of a film looked at on its own.   The story is decent, the characters are stereotypes but there are a reason these stereotypes exist in films, because they tend to work.  I think the problem is the film is greatly mediocre.  The setting being on a military base, makes it seem so much less terrifying, because the characters aren't easy to identify with, soldiers seem less than human because of the way that they are trained, and to then strip them of their humanity, makes it feel like there is no real change, and to see it happen to mostly soldiers rather than to civilians makes the relatable fear seem so much less.  I don't think that this is an effect science-fiction/horror film, I think it is just a cheap imitation of an effective science-fiction/horror film, with no elements of fear, if anything this film tries to take itself so seriously that it becomes almost comedic.  I find myself laughing at just how each of the characters seems like a caricature of types of humans rather than being humans at all, and when none of the characters are authentic feeling people to begin with, how the hell is it supposed to be anything but comedy when unreal humans are turned into unreal humans, it is a farce.  

If you haven't seen Body Snatchers, I don't see a point in changing that.  Somehow this thing has gotten many positive reviews, and even holds a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so there are obviously people who liked this film.  My opinion of Body Snatchers is that it is just a run of the mill wanna be Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, it is like watching one of the later Children Of The Corn films, or one of the many sequels to Return Of The Living Dead, just a cheap feeling film that was made to capitalize on an original film that was well loved.   Both of the first two Invasion Of The Body Snatchers films were amazing classics, and this one just seems to be trying to capitalize on their success.  It is a watchable film, it is even a little enjoyable, it is not by any means a terrible film, just not that good of a film, and it can be okay to kill some time, but not really anything more than that really.