Chemist and his family move to a military base in Alabama to investigate the level of toxins in their water--could this pollution be the reason why the military personnel are exhibiting such odd behavior? "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" with both a new milieu and environmental overtones, also a heavy emphasis on the grisly body duplications. The protagonist this time is the chemist's teenage daughter, who also provides an infrequent voice-over in the past tense. Director Abel Ferrara makes the attempt to slowly build suspense, however his morose, darkly-filmed opening (some 30 minutes in) backfires; tension doesn't so much mount as it does bide its time. Adaptation of Jack Finney's novel "The Body Snatchers" was worked on by several writers who provide lots of activity but no interesting people. Some effective and hair-raising moments, a good performance from Meg Tilly in a small role, but a fiery finale that falls flat. ** from ****
Review of Body Snatchers
