Movie review of The Thing

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Horrorphile - July 2007

John Carpenter's The Thing

July 16th 2007 02:14

The second title in my essential viewing series (the first was An American Werewolf in London, 1981), and my second favourite horror movie of all-time (Alien holds down the top spot), John Carpeter’s remake of the B-movie The Thing From Another World (1951) is a tour-de-force of paranoia, slow-burning tension, and phantasmogorical imagery.

A lone saucer-like star ship streaks toward earth apparently out of control. It disappears into the earth’s atmosphere somewhere in the vicinity of the Antarctic basin.

Twelve men at a remote American Antarctic Research station are set upon by a helicopter carrying two desperate Norwegians chasing a husky. One of the Norwegians goes beserk and tries to shoot the dog, but ends up wounding one of the Americans. The Norwegian is shot dead and the helicopter explodes killing the other. The husky is taken into custody and put in with the American dogs.

And so unfolds one of the best modern horror movies ever made; a pared-back, yet remarkably complex study of fear and distrust, identity and deception. A ferocious alien intelligence has infiltrated outpost #31 and man is the warmest place to hide. The creature is a xenomorph, a shape-changer, able to absorb and assimilate any other being it comes into contact with; an extra-terrestrial mimic, sans the humour.

Trapped in the ice for 100,000 years

Cold Kurt

John Carpenter went back to the original short story, Who Goes There? by John Campbell, and had screenwriter Bill Lancaster deliver a brilliantly orchestrated elaboration on the original movie, staying closer in tone and detail to the Campbell’s story than the trappings of the black and white low budget Howard Hawks film.

Eschewing any romantic sub-plots (the only woman in the entire film is the female voice of the chess game computer) The Thing (1982), like Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979), tells its story without the hindrance of conventional baggage. Both movies are downbeat tales depicting the slow and deliberate elimination of humanity.

Beats any headache I've ever had

The Americans discover the thing had been originally excavated by a Norwegian team who found its spaceship and then found the beast itself frozen in the ice not far from the ship. They had taken it back to their base where it had thawed out and attempted to escape, but not before consuming and/or destroying most of the Scandinavians.

You gotta be fucking kidding ...

It becomes a race against time to found out who is real and who is an alien imitation.

Fell out the ugly tree, hit all of the branches

The Thing celebrates it’s 25th anniversary this year, and it holds up superbly. Sensational camerawork from Dean Cundey and an authentic production design, combined with location shooting, nifty matte paintings and optical effects, and of course, Rob Bottin’s truly astonishing special make-up effects. This is many years before CGI, so all the effects work is animatronic, stop-motion and prosthetics. The results are still better, or at the very least, more unsettling, than most contemporary, digitally-rendered work. Bottin was only 23 when he designed and created the movie’s legendary set-pieces (he was assisted on some scenes by Stan Winston) and he had an incredible team behind him, working from truly outlandish sketches from conceptual artist Michael Ploog.

Ennio Morricone’s haunting electronic score (very John Carpenter in mood and theme) adds further resonance to the movie’s overall atmosphere of dread and unease (Stevie Wonder's Superstition makes a suitable appearance also). The cast are uniformly excellent, especially Kurt Russell’s steely delivery as helicopter pilot-cum-volunteer leader MacReady and Wilford Brimley as expert scientist Blair.

Up until now The Thing has been mercifully left alone by producers wanting a sequel (the ending is dynamically, but resolutely, left open-ended) or a remake. However Universal, who owns the movie’s rights, has recently announced a remake for a 2009 release. Initially reports suggested the remake to be a prequel dealing with the Norwegian’s discovery of the alien and the subsequent destruction of their team.

Blair's been busy

I’m not happy about any tampering with Carpenter’s revision. The Thing is actually a total rarity, in that it is a remake that is far superior to the original. Any remake of Carpenter’s version is doomed to linger in the shadow of a giant of a movie. Curiously, The Thing bombed at the box office when first released; Steven Speilberg had just released E.T. and audiences were appalled and repulsed by Carpenter’s utterly unfriendly extra-terrestrial.

The Thing went on to huge critical success as a video title and steadily garnered a cult following. It is now regarded by horrorphiles the world over as not only one of the best sci-fi/horrors ever made, but one of the best horror movies, period.

If you’ve never had the dark chilling pleasure of watching John Carpenter’s The Thing, this is the winter to do so. The visual and conceptual ideas are simply brilliant.

Here is the original theatrical trailer:

And here is the fantastic blood-test scene (warning! contains spoilers and it ain't work safe):

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

12 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by KylieW

July 16th 2007 04:17

Celebrity Obsession

I only watched this movie a couple of months ago on your recommendation. Bloody brilliant horror/sci fi movie. It really would be a travesty for it to be re-made......because it would get butchered.

Comment by Damo

July 16th 2007 04:49

For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics

I am so glad that you reviewed this Bryn

I would hate to see it remade to the point of getting a Freddy vs Jason or ever Alien vs Preditor. That would be like Ben Hur part 2.

I saw only this film for the first time in the last two years and despite years the film has quality that bothers the mind. I still have trouble working out how they did some of the FX.
The "You've gotta be F***ing Kidding" head is classic but the blood test stole the show.

I enjoyed the paranoid atmosphere and the subtle drama that kept me guessing. Excellent script that was the basis of it all.

Comment by Nickoftime's Sanity Corner

July 16th 2007 11:19

Bryn,

this was a really good remake as far as I'm concerned, and I still pop it in for a good creep...

I read the book when I was in highschool...'Who Goes There' by John W. Campbell...was thrilled to see the old black and white version, but Carpentars version is way scarier!

LOL

Great review!

Take care,

Nick

Comment by Winston

July 16th 2007 19:30

Small Thoughts on Big Questions

This is probably one of my favorite sci-fi/horror films ever (after Alien and Aliens), and, like the Alien series, it benefits hugely from being pre-CGI. The special effects have a much more visceral impact than any of the new, slick computer effects. If anyone watches the blood test scene and says it didn't freak them out at all, they're lying.

Please, please, please Hollywood, do not remake this. You are doomed to fail.

Great review!

Comment by JohnDoe

July 16th 2007 22:08

Film & TV on DVD

Great review of one of my favourite films Bryn,

The thought of CG FX replacing the old school squibs and goo makes me sick, unless its uber stylised.

Comment by Cibbuano

July 16th 2007 23:13

20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak

Oh man, I can't wait to watch this one!

btw, the Mu-Meson cats are showing Carpenter's Dark Star on July 30th.

Comment by Bryn

July 17th 2007 00:22

Horrorphile

So nice to hear people's comments about this masterpiece. How ironic that it got utterly lamblasted by critics and audiences back when it came out because of the cute success of Speilberg's ET ....
Of course now people realise how brilliant and frightening the entire premise and the way Carpenter tells the story, intelligently, with an emphasis on maintaining mystery and a subtle, sustained element of confusion ....
And yeah, Rob Bottin's original prosthetic SFX has never been bettered. Apparently the Norris head-tongue-spider cost around $50,000 alone (that's in US dollars back in 81-82!!). Rob Bottin was admitted to hospital following his extended stini working on The Thing. He was suffering from severe exhaustion.

Comment by OnlineWriter

May 18th 2008 01:44

The Big Computer Software Blog
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Game Carbon

Hey!

This is one of my all time favorites.

I love your blog and notice you are missing another very scary John Carpenter movie!

Prince of Darkness.

To this day it freaks me right the hell out.

Comment by Bryn

May 19th 2008 00:31

Horrorphile

Hi Online Writer, you know, I don't think I've ever seen Prince of Darkness! Or if I have I remember very little. I loved the poster for it. I remember reading reviews that said it was very disappointing. I will have to rent it and watch it again. Thanks for mentioning it.

Comment by OnlineWriter

May 19th 2008 01:39

The Big Computer Software Blog
Online Writing Jobs
Game Carbon

It's about a church that has some demon sealed in a container in the basement.

Watch it late at night. The atmosphere in that movie is great. The ending is a bit iffy though.

Comment by OnlineWriter

May 19th 2008 01:44

The Big Computer Software Blog
Online Writing Jobs
Game Carbon

NO! I take that back!

I was thinking of a different part. The ending is 100% freaky and terrifying.

It made my friends and I terrified of a certain household object for weeks!

SEE THIS MOVIE!

Comment by Bryn

May 19th 2008 02:29

Horrorphile

OnlineWriter ... righto!

[ Previous - Shedding light on DAYBREAKERS ]

[ Next - BODY COUNT: Friday the 13th - The rise and guffaw of JASON VOORHEES ]

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