Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Friday, September 9 - Saturday, September 10, 2016

35mm print

“Set at the intersection of post-Vietnam paranoia and the myopic introspection that became hippiedom’s most lasting cultural contribution, the Philip Kaufman-directed INVASION alternates social commentary with impeccably crafted scares. As much an echo of Don Siegel’s 1956 original as a remake, it does little to change a formula that worked fine the first time around. Donald Sutherland’s city-health-inspector character observes as the evidence slowly mounts that humanity is being leeched away by some pitiless outside force. Driving with unrequited crush Brooke Adams, Sutherland watches as a ranting man (original Invasion star Kevin McCarthy) appears to lose his mind, then get chased down by a mob. After expressing faith that the police will know what to do, Sutherland turns a corner to see police and pedestrians alike staring down at McCarthy’s corpse. Who isn’t in on “it,” and how deep does “it” go?

“A better question: Who’s going to stop it? All fuzzy emotion and unforgiving eyebrows, Leonard Nimoy plays a psychiatrist with a healthy sideline peddling self-help books and a seemingly unshakable belief that any problem can be talked through. His attempts to console Sutherland, Adams, and another couple played by Jeff Goldblum and Veronica Cartwright sound like excerpts from the least helpful group-encounter session in history. ‘He’s trying to change people to fit the world. I’m trying to change the world to fit people,’ Goldblum says of Nimoy at one point. He’s a failed poet with an axe to grind, but he has a point: The enemies here are less like monsters from the id than demons born of complacency.” – The Onion A.V. Club

  • Country USA
  • Rating PG
  • Year 1978
  • Running Time 115 minutes
  • Director Philip Kaufman

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.