Invasion of the Body Snatchers Blu-ray Review

Hey guys, I recently posted a review for the new Invasion of the Body Snatchers Blu-ray on Movie Cynics. I felt like gushing further about this particular Blu-ray, because it's pretty fucking awesome. MGM has become known for their lazy ass high def transfers, so I can't blame people for being wary of picking up either this or Return of the Living Dead. While Return looks a little less than perfect, Invasion of the Body Snatchers represents a brand new day for MGM. Considering the company is close to calling it quits and liquidating, it's surprising to see something this significant come from their catalog. I'm telling you, if you haven't heard the news yet, this is without a doubt the BEST Blu that MGM has yet put out.

Not only does it look beautiful, but it's freakin' cheap as hell right now. While you don't get a slew of special features, there is enough to keep any fan of the film satiated. At least they made more of an effort than Fox did with Last of the Mohicans, but that is both a rant and a review for another day. Wondering just how cheap it is? TEN BUCKS. $10.49, factory sealed from Amazon.com right this second. You'll find similar prices all over right now, and something tells me it will stay that way until after Halloween. The other horror flick that MGM released on Blu recently was of course Return of the Living Dead, and while it isn't nearly as good a transfer as Invasion, it too is only $10.49 on Amazon.

So why is this such a good deal? I know what you're saying, there are plenty of good Blu-rays for ten bucks, what makes this one so special? Well, it's quite simple: Invasion comes with both the Blu-ray and the DVD. How many Blu's at ten bucks come with the DVD version as well? Exactly. If you haven't quite yet adapted to the high def market yet, this is the perfect kind of Blu-ray to start with. The DVD even features a commentary from director Philip Kaufman that you won't find on the Blu-ray. This means that even if all you want is the Blu-ray, there's good reason to have the DVD lying around as well.

To be honest, at ten bucks this is a fantastic deal. If I had to compare it to a similarly well done transfer from the same era of film, I'd have to say that One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest best reflects how this transfer looks. If you haven't seen the transfer for One Flew Over, you simply must. We're talking about picture quality that makes the film look as if it was shot yesterday. The transfer for One Flew Over was so damn good that it was almost disconcerting to see the now famous actors in the film looking so young and vivid. With Invasion we get a transfer that, while not quite as good as One Flew Over's PQ, will still make you stop and look a little closer. I'll post some screens up here so you can see for yourself just what I mean. If you're not convinced, you can check out screenshots at blu-ray.com's review for the film.

Simply put, at this low a price, this quality of Blu-ray and an extra DVD to go with it is the best deal you're going to find. If you're looking to beef up your horror collection before Halloween, or just want to check out how good Invasion looks in high definition for yourself, please check out the link below and pick it up from Amazon!