Body snatchers

Year of release : 1993

Run time : 1h27m

Genre : Sci Fi / Horror

Cast : Gabrielle Anwar, Meg Tilly, Billy Wirth, Forest Whitaker

The movie is loosely based on the 1955 novel "The body snatchers" by Jack Finney.

Steve Malone and his family are driving to a military base in Alabama, as he is an agent of the Environmental Protection Agency sent to test the effects the military has on the ecological system.

Stopping at a gas station, Marti, his daughter from his first marriage, who goes to the bathroom, meets a member of the military police who threatens her. The man who is visibly disturbed, lets her go when he sees she is afraid of him, telling her "they get you when you sleep".

They move into a house on the military base, and Marti befriends the commander's daughter, Jenn.

Marti's little brother, Andy, has a strange day at day care, as he is the only one who didn't draw the same weird painting the other kids did, and runs away, as he says they tried to make him go to sleep, and never wants to go back.

The medical officer asks Steve is it's possible for the intoxication of the environment to make people be emotionless, believe their loved ones have been replaced, and be afraid to sleep.

Emotionless military officers bring "equipment" for doctor Malone. Thinking they left, Marti goes about her day, until she realizes they are still in the house, placing the four boxes in their rooms!

Andy is caught while wandering around the base, by a helicopter pilot, Tim. He takes him home, and meets Marti.

Jenn takes Marti to her place, introduces her to her drunk mother who is passed out, and go out. Out, Marti and Tim get to know each other better.

The military get giant pods out of a body of water, which is where I'm guessing the alien ship crashed.

Andy goes into his parents' room and sees his mother's body decomposing. He sees her coming out of the closet, naked , and runs away from her, saying his mother is dead. Nobody believes him.

Jenn's mother is sober now, and plays Bridge, something she never played.

All hell breaks lose, when Marti wakes up from her slumber, as she's taking a bath, as her clone falls on top of her. She runs into the bedroom and sees her father is sleeping while plant-like veins are all over his body and face, feeding off him.

Trying to run away, the clone of her step mother tells Steve, in a very emotionless tone ,as if he is insane, that they have nowhere left to go, as they are everywhere now (thing proven to be a lie, as we see them after, sending trucks with pods everywhere around the military bases ) and they should just give up trying . She screeches, alerting the other pod people, who come out, starting to hunt not just them, but all the other remaining humans.

This was one of my favorite movies, growing up, I have it on original videotape. I have to admit the plot is a bit shaky, as Marti should have stayed with the officers when they got into their house instead of just opening the door for them, and also, the family didn't notice boxes in their closet? As the mother clone exits the closet. Marti's clone was in the ceiling (probably put there by the step mother who prepared the bath). The officers weren't in the house for that long!

Also, I think Tim was too old to be dating Marti.

The actors were good, they had to act either on the edge,scared, or emotionless.Forest Whitaker was the best, as he plays the medical officer who's on edge, as he knows what's going on, and Meg Tilly, who after becomes a pod person, is so calm,especially during the scary scenes you'd think she's in another movie.

The visual effects were good, especially for 1993.In this movie, when a pod person is k1lled, they start looking like rubber, like a balloon which is deflating.

The soundtrack was good.

The movie is the 3d adaptation of the novel, after "Invasion of the body snatchers"(1956) and "Invasion of the body snatchers" (1978). Apparently the movies are nothing alike, and are not remakes.

The movie received positive reviews, and was made with 12 million dollars.

Viewer discretion is advised, as the movie contains nudity.

You can watch the full movie here, for free :

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9gz9xk

Rating : Worth a watch !