Which film did you prefer, they're both classics, remakes (or sequels of classics) awesome and filled with suspense and both known for their classic endings and famous scenes & moments. So, which did you prefer and why? John Carpenter's The Thing or 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers?
"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit' me!" Hudson in Aliens.
Being a huge fan of both the remakes more than I am the originals, both are awesome because they brought them both to a more contemporary audience and still last to this day to modern day audiences as they did back in 78 and 82. The originals of both the remakes don't stand as well to modern audiences but their remakes do and became classics all the same.
However, I'm only 20 so I didn't get to see either the originals or the remakes when they first came out but in my grandfather's opinion, he likes the new "The Thing" better and the original "Invasion" better than the remake.
I don't speak whatever.
Really? I'm only in my early 20s as well, and I feel the original Body Snatchers is a far more successful film (barring the crappy studio edits). I agree with your grandfather about his assessment of the remakes in comparison to the originals. To me, The Thing is the best example of paranoid fiction or psychological horror to ever come to movie-going audiences. The entire movie was carefully crafted so that you could literally feel the tension whereas Invasion (78) tried to build tension in scenes like Bennell's nap but ended up dragging on for too long. Pacing was slow in both movies but The Thing took it's slow pace in a different direction by building an atmosphere that was believably cold and desperate.
The Thing was a radical departure from the original movie, and it took that direction so that it could stay true to the original story that spawned the idea for the films. John Carpenter successfully translated the intent of the short story and brought it to life. Invasion of the Body Snatchers however doesn't make great strides from its film predecessor and instead changes aspects of the movie which unfortunately remove some of the mystery in the original (origins of the creatures, exactly how they reproduce etc.) It's not a bad remake but I feel it misses the mark in terms of differentiating itself from the original and in terms of translating fear to the audience.
The performances for me were also stronger in the original movie, I mean try watching the one scene where Donald Sutherland is trying to rush the people away from the house again. He doesn't sound like he's in any immediate danger and he doesn't communicate a real sense of danger to the people around him. Kevin McCarthy held the most memorable performance in both movies, oddly enough with his palpable portrayal of a man in a world where there's literally nowhere left to turn.
In the original Body Snatchers the aliens could mimic emotions and those closest to them could only really tell that something was amiss which makes those creatures immediately more frightening than the 78 version. Seriously, if they can't even feign some kind of feeling than the sham unravels pretty fast because almost everyone would notice the change in the population.
John Carpenter's The Thing is one of the greatest horror movies ever produced and still stands the test of time, much like the original cut of The Exorcist.
shareThe Thing is my favourite movie of all time, but Body Snatchers is pretty damn good as well..
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Tough one. I love both films. The Thing is amazing. I love the setting and tone of the picture. Invasion of the Body Snatchers works on many of the same levels. If I had to choose right now, I think Invasion wins out, as it has always resonated with me more. I felt a closer connection to the characters, and the ending has always stuck with me.
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"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit' me!" Hudson in Aliens.
I like both films... BUT if I absolutely had to choose I'd go with The Thing. But Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a very, very close 2nd. But if I don't have to choose I'd watch both back to back
shareI agree I LOVE them both. Great, great movies.
"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit' me!" Hudson in Aliens.
Summer of '82, my friends and I came up with the idea for the ultimate sci-fi horror: Invasion of the Body Snatching Alien-Things.
Next thing they'll be breeding us like cattle. You've gotta tell them. SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!
Summer of '82, my friends and I came up with the idea for the ultimate sci-fi horror: Invasion of the Body Snatching Alien-Things.
the thing was better, but this flick has a lot going for it, in terms of what things became.
fun.
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Kill Them, Kill Them All!
I'll repeat more or less what I said on the thread that you put on on The Thing messageboard:
I enjoy both movies, but prefer Carpenter's The Thing by a slight margin, mainly on account of the claustrophobic Antarctic setting that makes the alien's victims seem even more trapped and without hope than in Invasion.
The parallels between the two films are amazing. Apart from the obvious premise of an alien life form that's able to mimic the humans that it attacks and assimilates, there are some scenes in The Thing that seem like subtle references and tributes to Invasion. For example:
1) Both involve a grotesque transformation of a dog (kennel scene in The Thing, bum-dog chimera in Invasion.
2) Both films have a scientist or medical figure who uses an axe in a last-gasp attempt to sabotage the alien's base of operations (Sutherland's Bennell in Invasion, Brimley's Blair in The Thing), only to become host to the alien at the end.
3) The scene were MacReady checks on Blair in the shed, when the probably assimilated Blair says "I'm much better now, I'd like to go back inside" reminds me of the scene where Bennell goes to visit the Chinese laundromat worker who had earlier suspected that something was wrong with his wife. The now-assimilated laundromat worker tells Bennell that his wife is "much better now."
Any others?
I agree, I loved the similarities between the two. I wonder if anyone else notice Alien nods as well as Invasion nods.
MacReady: I'm just letting you know, we're taking a chance."
Copper: "Quit your griping, MacReady."
Kane: "Quit your griping."
Lambert: "I like griping."
"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit' me!" Hudson in Aliens.
The Thing is absolutely everything a horror movie should be.
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Agreed. It's a classic. Both of them are and still effective to this day.
"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit' me!" Hudson in Aliens.
Two of my all time favorite movies. I'd give slight edge to The Thing though. It's one of the few movies where everything is pitch perfect.
shareI love both films and was gald to see them on the big screen. That being said, for acting alone I give it to Body Snatchers 1978.
shareThe end of Body Snatchers 78 just about scared the hell out of me when I first saw it. Great film! The Thing is just as awesome!
"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit me!"- Hudson in Aliens.