BEFORE: Because not all alien invasions are so overt. Last night we had spaceships taking over Los Angeles, tonight it's plant pods taking over San Francisco. There are a few different versions of this film, but I'm going with the 1978 one, because that's the one I remember being parodied in MAD magazine when I was a kid. Besides, last night's film reminded me of "Independence Day", and one of that film's stars is also in this film. Linking from "Battle Los Angeles", Aaron Eckhart was also in "Any Given Sunday" with Charlton Heston, who was also in "Cats & Dogs" with Jeff Goldblum (last seen in "The Big Chill").
THE PLOT: In San Francisco, a group of people discover the human race is being replaced one by one, with clones devoid of emotion.
AFTER: Damn, I forgot to remember that this film was set in San Francisco - I could have launched into my around-the-world tour from here, but the schedule is set, and I won't start the tour for another month. Now that I've been there, I did recognize a few sights, like the prominent TransAmerica pyramid and some of the streets around Union Square.
What I learned about San Francisco in my brief time there - everyone seemed a little crazy. Not all were psychotic crazy - some were the good kind of crazy, like artists and musicians. From what I understand, there are also a bunch of hippies and health nuts. So it's a really natural and devious place for the plant people to start their invasion from. There's probably not a bottle of weed killer for miles, since that would be interfering with nature, man, plus those chemicals are really toxic, you know? Plus it's bad karma to go around killing plants, dude. Oh, really? What if those plants are trying to duplicate you and take your place in the new herbal world order?
NITPICK POINT: Mark Twain supposedly once said, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco". Given the nature of the S.F. climate, is it really the best place for plant people? I guess they'd enjoy the misty wet weather, but wouldn't the cold get to them?
The effects here were pretty low-rent, only slightly better than the old version of "Little Shop of Horrors". Plus they hired some actors known for their deadpan nature, a general lack of expression. Was this so the audience wouldn't be able to tell who was brainwashed by the pod people, and who wasn't?
Between this and "The Stepford Wives", there seemed to be a real fear in the 1970's that people would lose their identity somehow, or be taken over by another set of ideals. I should take a look at some of the other versions, if I get a chance. I suspect that the 1950's version was based on a thinly-veiled fear of Communism - so considering the liberal nature of the setting here, the plant people could symbolically be representing Republicans. A version made today could have New Yorkers turning into hipsters, developing a sudden fondness for wearing wool hats and carrying guitar cases.
Still, this story is a classic - the template for not only the remakes, but countless other projects, like Marvel Comics' mega-crossover "Secret Invasion", and possibly also the Yuuzhan Vong in the "Star Wars" universe, noted for shapeshifting and taking over planets also.
Also starring Donald Sutherland (last seen in "The Italian Job"), Brooke Adams (last seen in "The Dead Zone"), Leonard Nimoy (last heard in "Land of the Lost"), Veronica Cartwright.
RATING: 5 out of 10 forklifts
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