I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did, considering how much I really love the 1978 version. It is one of the best cold war parables in film I think the 1950s ever put out. I wonder how much Rod Serling was inspired by this with creating the TWILIGHT ZONE considering that came out 3 years later. This honestly feels like it could be an episode of it. Kevin McCarthy is so good in this, especially at the end of the film. The scene where all the pod people go to the town center is also so freaky and so well done. The mechanics behind how the pods replace the actually people still feel a bit murky for me and the framing device (especially the end of it) really hurts the film, but other than that it’s so good. There are also moments that play a little dumb like when Becky yells at the dog or when the pod people explain what is going on, but that’s more of the filmmaking/acting technique of the time and can’t really be held against the film.
