The Thing – Review

After a spaceship burns through the atmosphere in 1982, the film quickly shifts to a Norwegian helicopter chasing a sled dog through Antarctica, and things are off to an odd start. A man leaning out the chopper fires off rifle rounds trying to kill it, but he misses from the high up aircraft. As the dog and flying pursuer reach an American research base, the National Science Institute Station 4, men inside play ping pong, drink, and relax from their studious work.

The copter circles the camp when it gets close and eventually triggers an accident while trying to grenade the dog in the snow. The Americans are unsure of what is going on, and take the dog in. Man’s best friend and all…

So starts a crazy chain reaction of events. As things start to get odd inside the research station, it may already be too late for the crew inside. The scientists scramble to find more info about the Norwegian camp, but their own base winds up being in massive danger. Come find out what the hell is going on, and try to figure out who is friend or foe.

The Thing is one of John Carpenter’s best works. It has some fantastic tension and intriguing alien life, and works as both a horror film and a suspense mystery. Really, my only mild complaint is that some of these so-called research scientists don’t use their brains in a fashion to justify them being smart enough to be there in the first place. This is a pretty minor issue overall, and a couple of characters do have enough brain cells to rub together and start a fire, bringing in some good ideas to stay alive.

The film is an absolute blast, using awesome alien life and deeply tense moments to move the story along. It does not overstay its welcome and delivers some creative scenarios. The practical special effects are fucking nuts and will be remembered by any viewer.

The atmosphere of unease is one of the best put on film, right up there with Alien. The cast includes plenty of solid actors and overall, they give the insane situations credence with their skills on camera. While it is an adaptation of the same book that the movie The Thing from Another World was crafted around, the two films differ quite a bit. Both are worth watching, and The Thing remains a classic to this day.

Dammit Childs, torch it!!!

A prequel-ish remake-ish version The Thing from 2011 was so-so at best for me, and mostly can be passed over. It eliminates most all of the tension and mystery in favor of more alien action and attempts to scare the viewer, which didn’t work for me personally.

This film is part one of John Carpenter’s “Apocalypse Trilogy.” The other two parts are unrelated other than horror and cosmic themes, so the term trilogy is used loosely.