(Wipe out those Pod People, Gabrielle baby…)
CAST: Gabrielle Anwar, Terry Kinney, Meg Tilly, Billy Wirth, R. Lee Ermey, Forest Whitaker, Christine Elise, Reilly Murphy.
DIRECTOR: Abel Ferrara.
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and unsurprisingly collectivist-acting army personnel straight ahead…. Of course, they might be aliens.
In our review for STRIPES (review # 96), I stated that Basic Training was surprisingly one of my most enjoyable times in the military. Another surprisingly fun experience was the month and a half that I spent at Leadership School. During the course of over five weeks that military attempted to turn me and twenty-four other airmen into Non-Commissioned Officers. In other words, it’s the military’s version of a “coming-of-age.” As one of my supervisors told me, “you go in a kid, you leave an adult.”
Which is utter horseshit, because I did some of the hardest partying of my life at Leadership School. If anything, I left there more of a kid than when I went in. The trick is to act like an adult during the classes. In other words, I knew when to take my “Party Hat” off and put the “Business Hat” on. Work Hard. Play Hard.
Another warning from another colleague was that the Leadership School instructors would basically brainwash us into becoming the perfect NCOs. More horseshit. Our instructors were the coolest individuals ever who basically led by example - instead of intimidation.
All in all, Leadership School was like a Spa Vacation where I had to wear a uniform half the time. Oh, and through some miracle of fate, I won the coveted “Leadership Award” - which is based on the vote of your peers. I was touched by this act of appreciation by my fellow drunks and miscreants. Apparently, I made an impression. Imagine that.
Bottom line: I would do it again in a heartbeat. No one converted me. No one brainwashed me. No one turned me into a robot. A group of people saw my fucked-up individuality and rewarded me for it. Which is probably the most surprising bit. In short, Leadership School was a blast.
Which is considerably more than I can say about the military base that is the setting of our latest review, BODY SNATCHERS. If Leadership School was Club Med filled with hot, interesting, funny people, this place is like Bucky’s Motor Inn filled with some really bizarre jackasses who scream like banshees on crack.
The third remake in the terrifying INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS series, this flick changes the action to a military base in the Deep South where some truly wacky shit is going down. Our heroes are a family of civilians who have relocated to the dump because Dad’s an environmental inspector who is evaluating the base over the summer. They are: (1) Steve Malone (Terry Kinney), aforementioned Pop; (2) Carol (Meg Tilly), kooky and quirky second wife; (3) Andy (Reilly Murphy), Steve and Carol’s wussy son; and (4) our heroine Marti (Gabrielle Anwar), Steve’s teenage daughter from his first marriage who is ready to go Cat O’Nine Tails on Carol’s ass.
From the moment they arrive on post, weird crap starts to rain down like February in Seattle. To wit, the following occur: (1) a terrified-out-of-his-pants soldier attacks Marti and warns her that “THEY GET YOU WHEN YOU SLEEP!”; (2) the other kids at Andy’s day care all draw the same drawings and the teacher gives him a “She-Devil” glare when she sees his drawing is different; and (3) Major Collins (Forest Whitaker), the base psychiatrist questions Steve on whether or not chemicals can cause people to, ahem, change. In other words, this ain’t exactly Hickam Air Force Base in lovely Hawaii, folks. Not even close.
Soon, all hell begins to break loose. Such as: (1) Carol changes from “kooky and quirky” to “creepy and scary” and spends her days just staring at Andy and Marti like they’re ants just begging to be squashed; (2) Marti’s rebellious friend Jenn (Christine Elise) has an alcoholic mother that suddenly starts drinking water instead of vodka and - most terrifying of all - takes up playing bridge; and (3) everyone on the base starts walking around not only wearing the same uniforms like before, but now they even have the same expression. Like I said, it ain’t Hickam.
So what the hell is going on at Hellhole Base? Why is everyone changing and losing their individuality? Why are they acting all the same? Who is behind these events? Is it a secret military experiment? Is it the chemical spills that Steve has been investigating? Or is it something… else? Something - gasp! - not of this Earth? Something that makes Botox users look downright expressive?
Find out for yourselves. Just don’t blame me if your face goes numb.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: I’ve mentioned before that I love good horror films. I think they are a cathartic way of releasing our tensions and fears in a safe environment. When people ask me what my favorite horror films are, invariably I respond, “INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, 1956 and 1978, as well as the original STEPFORD WIVES.”
My reasons are two-fold: (1) watching people slowly change around you - one by one - until only you and a few others are the minority who have to avoid ending up the same way; and (2) they’re about the importance of humanity and individuality - and the urgent need to fight and hold on to them. That’s more compelling to me than rampaging monsters, psycho axe murderers, or haunted houses.
BODY SNATCHERS is the third remake in this esteemed series, with Nicole Kidman’s underrated THE INVASION from 2006 being the latest. In the order of quality, BODY SNATCHERS is just a little bit ahead of THE INVASION, while behind the 1978 and 1956 versions. They are, however, all good films.
This version overtakes the solid Nicole Kidman version because of the novelty of being set on a military base. This confined setting harkens back to the isolated small-town environment of the 1956 original. While the 1978 and 2006 versions were both set in big cities (San Francisco and Washington D.C., respectively), BODY SNATCHERS and the original film benefit from having the action unfold in a limited area - which creates a sense of stifling dread and unease. While the big city settings of the other two generated their own sense of fear and disorientation, there’s just something claustrophobic about watching a small populace slowly - then rapidly - undergo sinister changes.
Gabrielle Anwar as the sweet-yet-spunky Marti is also an unexpected protagonist, and her perspective is a fresh one. The first two films had a male adult as the lead character (played by Kevin McCarthy and Donald Sutherland), and those stories unfolded through their eyes. With BODY SNATCHERS, we see the events through Marti’s viewpoint, a teenager initially just trying to juggle a new stepmom, a half-brother, and a new home that is less than appealing. Her life is already hectic before the alien invasion hits. Anwar keeps us firmly on Marti’s side by keeping the character level and low-key, and we root for her and her family’s survival. This trend of putting a strong female character front and center would thankfully continue with Nicole Kidman’s psychiatrist heroine in THE INVASION - a film that is considerably better than it’s often made out to be.
The supporting cast is just as good. Terry Kinney, Meg Tilly, Reilly Murphy, R. Lee Ermey, Forest Whitaker, and Christine Elise all take ownership of their roles. The standout is Meg Tilly, who makes Carol’s transformation from loving and eccentric housewife, to icy and deadly alien impostor, a very frightening one. Her “Go where?” speech to Steve, Marti, and Andy when they are trying to escape is truly scary stuff. It will get under your skin - trust me.
In the end, BODY SNATCHERS is a worthy installment in the venerable series that is different enough from its predecessors and the 2006 version to stand on its own - with its very own flavor and tone. The structured and sterile military setting is utilized effectively and creates a sense of anxiety and foreboding - even before the alien invasion begins. And, in keeping with the first two films, the ending will leave you on the edge of your seat. The 2006 version chickens out in this regard, and gives us a less edgy ending, which is its only major flaw.
After all, downbeat or ambiguous endings are a staple of the INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS series. Don’t expect any warm sunsets here…
