Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of The Body Stealers; here's the breakdown of my ratings:
Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.50 Pace: 1.00 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.25
TOTAL: 6.25 out of 10.00.
Back in the days when men were men and women were lucky, a mysterious force starts to pluck the women's luck right out of the skies.
While three army testers are trying out a new and improved parachute, they uncannily evanesce into thin air. Only their chutes and harnesses glide to earth. Remarkably they land on target; now that's an enhanced homing chute, and the army should've kept them. Unable to deduce the reason for the disappearance, the military brings in a third party, investigator Bob Megan. As more men disappear in midair, will Megan be able to solve the riddle of the vanished in time to save more sky-diving blokes from an unearthly fate? And will he be able to rematerialize the evanescent? Now there are a lot of holes in the story, for one, the parachutists. The resolution would be to stop people from jumping out of planes. You'd think it wouldn't be a big deal. But it is. Because if the government grounded the jumpers, there would be chaos. Would there? Really? Secondly, why have they chosen Megan? What credentials does he possess for a mission like this? Well, it would appear none. The guy is a womaniser who doesn't have a girl in every port but has every girl in every port, and they appear thankful because of it. In fact, Megan makes Bond look like a prude. But whereas Bond has skills, Megan has circumstances on his side. It would've been nice if the writer Michael St Clair gave the guy a better backstory to embellish the grounds for employing him to solve the mystery. Also, a little less machismo around the ladies would've been great. It would've diminished the unintentional humour. Given his philandering, I was surprised to see a woman in a prominent position as a doctor-come-medical-researcher. The shame is that St Clair slides her in as more of a doctor's assistant rather than a medical practitioner in her own right. But this is down more to the era than the writer. Should there be a remake, I believe these issues would get resolved. Bearing all that in mind, the story is a joyful pleasure and entertaining to boot.
The one thing that director Gerry Levy did well, especially for 1969, was to capture the free-falling skydivers. Though recorded on different cameras and, therefore, different film stock, they don't look too dissimilar. Sometimes these small things can ruin a film. Luckily with The Body Stealers, it doesn't. It works superbly to add power to the story. The rest of the movie is well composed, lighted, and filmed. And though the cinematography isn't extraordinary, it's well above average. There were a few scenes where more dread and fright were required, as in the discovery at the story's climax. It needed more of a horror movie eerie atmosphere to empower the scene better. But these are just personal irks because the picture is fine as is.
A decent cast suffuses The Body Stealers, and that's an all-around bonus. Womanising Bob Megan is played brilliantly by Patrick Allen. This sort of character requires a definite class of actor: One at ease with his self-confidence and enigmaticness. Allan and his rugged chin were ideal for the role. I always thought that Allan possessed a certain smugness, even in the Barrett Homes adverts. George Sanders, Maurice Evans, Allan Cuthbertson, and Robert Flemyng are as good as ever in portraying a General, A Doctor, A Government Official, and a Wing Commander. Even the lesser-known cast members bring their characters to life in an agreeably pleasant manner.
The Body Stealers is a well-filmed and well-acted story full of holes. Luckily, the performances and cinematography help to hide the inconsistencies of the narrative. But if you don't like your sci-fi's full of testosterone and silver-age viewpoints, I'd stay away from this picture. However, if that's not the case, give it a look-see; it's an entertaining way to waste an hour and a half, particularly on wet autumnal afternoons.
I don't care what your name is, but before we get into the lip-locks and ugly-bumping, check out my IMDb lists - The Final Frontier and The Game Is Afoot to see where I ranked The Body Stealers.
Take Care & Stay Well.
Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.50 Pace: 1.00 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.25
TOTAL: 6.25 out of 10.00.
Back in the days when men were men and women were lucky, a mysterious force starts to pluck the women's luck right out of the skies.
While three army testers are trying out a new and improved parachute, they uncannily evanesce into thin air. Only their chutes and harnesses glide to earth. Remarkably they land on target; now that's an enhanced homing chute, and the army should've kept them. Unable to deduce the reason for the disappearance, the military brings in a third party, investigator Bob Megan. As more men disappear in midair, will Megan be able to solve the riddle of the vanished in time to save more sky-diving blokes from an unearthly fate? And will he be able to rematerialize the evanescent? Now there are a lot of holes in the story, for one, the parachutists. The resolution would be to stop people from jumping out of planes. You'd think it wouldn't be a big deal. But it is. Because if the government grounded the jumpers, there would be chaos. Would there? Really? Secondly, why have they chosen Megan? What credentials does he possess for a mission like this? Well, it would appear none. The guy is a womaniser who doesn't have a girl in every port but has every girl in every port, and they appear thankful because of it. In fact, Megan makes Bond look like a prude. But whereas Bond has skills, Megan has circumstances on his side. It would've been nice if the writer Michael St Clair gave the guy a better backstory to embellish the grounds for employing him to solve the mystery. Also, a little less machismo around the ladies would've been great. It would've diminished the unintentional humour. Given his philandering, I was surprised to see a woman in a prominent position as a doctor-come-medical-researcher. The shame is that St Clair slides her in as more of a doctor's assistant rather than a medical practitioner in her own right. But this is down more to the era than the writer. Should there be a remake, I believe these issues would get resolved. Bearing all that in mind, the story is a joyful pleasure and entertaining to boot.
The one thing that director Gerry Levy did well, especially for 1969, was to capture the free-falling skydivers. Though recorded on different cameras and, therefore, different film stock, they don't look too dissimilar. Sometimes these small things can ruin a film. Luckily with The Body Stealers, it doesn't. It works superbly to add power to the story. The rest of the movie is well composed, lighted, and filmed. And though the cinematography isn't extraordinary, it's well above average. There were a few scenes where more dread and fright were required, as in the discovery at the story's climax. It needed more of a horror movie eerie atmosphere to empower the scene better. But these are just personal irks because the picture is fine as is.
A decent cast suffuses The Body Stealers, and that's an all-around bonus. Womanising Bob Megan is played brilliantly by Patrick Allen. This sort of character requires a definite class of actor: One at ease with his self-confidence and enigmaticness. Allan and his rugged chin were ideal for the role. I always thought that Allan possessed a certain smugness, even in the Barrett Homes adverts. George Sanders, Maurice Evans, Allan Cuthbertson, and Robert Flemyng are as good as ever in portraying a General, A Doctor, A Government Official, and a Wing Commander. Even the lesser-known cast members bring their characters to life in an agreeably pleasant manner.
The Body Stealers is a well-filmed and well-acted story full of holes. Luckily, the performances and cinematography help to hide the inconsistencies of the narrative. But if you don't like your sci-fi's full of testosterone and silver-age viewpoints, I'd stay away from this picture. However, if that's not the case, give it a look-see; it's an entertaining way to waste an hour and a half, particularly on wet autumnal afternoons.
I don't care what your name is, but before we get into the lip-locks and ugly-bumping, check out my IMDb lists - The Final Frontier and The Game Is Afoot to see where I ranked The Body Stealers.
Take Care & Stay Well.