But Niles lards the proceedings with enough sly humor to elevate the result above the level of mere destructo-porn. DOES IT DELIVER? Artist Jones gleefully embraces the carnage-for-carnage’s-sake vibe as he berserkly illustrates the ever-growing Maggert’s rampaging ways. FOR FANS OF… Cloverfield, Godzilla, King Kong - anything, really, where there’s a strong possibility of people ending up as human bubblegum on the sole of a monster’s foot. Maybe it’s those giant decorative swastikas. However, there’s something about Fenstermach’s massive ‘droid that seems a bit sinister. Mankind’s only hope is a similarly outsized ”Super Attack Bot” designed by Nazi scientist Dr. After space-shuttle pilot Don Maggert is overtaken by an alien parasite just before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, he transforms into an extremely hungry and extremely big beastie. This graphic novel from 30 Days of Night writer-creator Niles deserves some sort of award for non-ironic titling.
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The film’s setting is different-the fictional Santa Mira, near L.A., replaces the real Mill Valley, north of San Francisco, though both represent Small Town U.S.A. Though panned by critics of the day, the story had enough chops to spawn adaptations as much as half a century later.įans of the 1956 version, which starred Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter, would find the novel quite familiar, the others, not so much. First published in 1954 in serial form by Collier’s magazine, the story came out in book form a year later, and a revised edition appeared in 1978, likely to coincide with the release of the second movie. (See my post, “ Is ‘Outstanding Remake’ An Oxymoron?”)īoth these films, plus two subsequent ones in 19, have their origins in a novel titled, The Body Snatchers, by Jack Finney. (See my post, “ They’re Here Already!”) Or perhaps the excellent 1978 remake of the same name. More than likely these folks, as kids, saw the same movie-the 1956 classic sci-fi thriller, Invasion of the Body Snatchers. In it, they awaken one morning to discover that their mother is not their mother, or their favorite uncle is no longer their uncle…or sister, or father, or whomever. During my many decades-or is that centuries?-living o n this planet I have encountered a number of people who’ve shared the same childhood nightmare. |