Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956) ****

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956), the first of four film adaptions of Jack Finney's 1955 novel, is a classic tale of fear—of conformity, loss of emotion, and loved ones being replaced by soulless "pod people". Despite some dated melodrama, IOTBS holds up very well, thanks to a cast and crew that created an indelible piece of horror/sci-fi cinema on a small budget in just a few weeks. Body Snatchers employs great economy, setting up its plot quickly and accomplishing more in 80 minutes than a lot of films do in two hours, without ever feeling rushed—thanks to a breakneck pace that keeps the tension high, resulting in a memorable and highly influential movie.