Tobe Hooper – 1986 – USA
A great reminder of a time when unpretentious but imaginative and thoughtful directors made movies with motives no more sinister than to simply have fun showing their audiences a good time. Tobe Hooper’s Invaders from Mars is one of a handful of very good (and in some cases masterful) films made between 1978 and 1988 that were remakes of beloved science fiction classics of the 50s. The others are Philip Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982), David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986) and Chuck Russell’s The Blob (1988). Probably only The Fly was a major success, so I’m not sure to what extent this was a deliberate Hollywood trend beyond the simple fact of sci-fi fans growing up to become movie directors and wanting to pay due homage to their roots. Invaders from Mars is unique among the group in being told from a child’s perspective. From his bedroom window one stormy night, David (Hunter Carson) sees a spaceship land behind a nearby hill, and he’s not entirely sure he didn’t dream the event. But when various adults – cops, teachers and even his own parents – return from the hill apparently sapped of their personalities, David is pretty sure aliens have come and are up to no good. As with the original film, the story remains a very effective way to deal with perfectly natural and mortal issues, in particular the plight of children at the mercy of uncaring authority figures. (It’s perfect, for example, that the meanest teacher in the school is easily converted into the alien’s leading advocate.) Filled with fun and outlandish special effects and monster make-ups, the film takes care – thanks to Hooper’s affection for the material – to not become overly campy or to let the sci-fi elements dwarf the human story. Lastly, I always love it when a director makes sure to include one of my favorite things in movies; a cast comprised of complete weirdos, and here we have Karen Black, James Karen, Bud Cort, Larraine Newman and Louise Fletcher, among others.
A great reminder of a time when unpretentious but imaginative and thoughtful directors made movies with motives no more sinister than to simply have fun showing their audiences a good time. Tobe Hooper’s Invaders from Mars is one of a handful of very good (and in some cases masterful) films made between 1978 and 1988 that were remakes of beloved science fiction classics of the 50s. The others are Philip Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982), David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986) and Chuck Russell’s The Blob (1988). Probably only The Fly was a major success, so I’m not sure to what extent this was a deliberate Hollywood trend beyond the simple fact of sci-fi fans growing up to become movie directors and wanting to pay due homage to their roots. Invaders from Mars is unique among the group in being told from a child’s perspective. From his bedroom window one stormy night, David (Hunter Carson) sees a spaceship land behind a nearby hill, and he’s not entirely sure he didn’t dream the event. But when various adults – cops, teachers and even his own parents – return from the hill apparently sapped of their personalities, David is pretty sure aliens have come and are up to no good. As with the original film, the story remains a very effective way to deal with perfectly natural and mortal issues, in particular the plight of children at the mercy of uncaring authority figures. (It’s perfect, for example, that the meanest teacher in the school is easily converted into the alien’s leading advocate.) Filled with fun and outlandish special effects and monster make-ups, the film takes care – thanks to Hooper’s affection for the material – to not become overly campy or to let the sci-fi elements dwarf the human story. Lastly, I always love it when a director makes sure to include one of my favorite things in movies; a cast comprised of complete weirdos, and here we have Karen Black, James Karen, Bud Cort, Larraine Newman and Louise Fletcher, among others.
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