World Famous Comics: The Thing - Collector's Edition
The Thing - Collector's Edition
Starring: Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, David Clennon, Keith David, Richard A. Dysart Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, DVD, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: September 09, 1998 Running Time: 109 minutes Studio: Universal Pictures Theatrical Release Date: June 25, 1982
Amazon.com: Director John Carpenter and special makeup effects master Rob Bottin teamed up for this 1982 remake of the 1951 science fiction classic The Thing from Another World, and the result is a mixed blessing. It's got moments of highly effective terror and spine-tingling suspense, but it's mostly a showcase for some of the goriest and most horrifically grotesque makeup effects ever created for a movie. With such highlights as a dog that splits open and blossoms into something indescribably gruesome, this is the kind of movie for die-hard horror fans and anyone who slows down to stare at fatal traffic accidents. On those terms, however, it's hard not to be impressed by the movie's wild and wacky freak show. It all begins when scientists at an arctic research station discover an alien spacecraft under the thick ice, and thaw out the alien body found aboard. What they don't know is that the alien can assume any human form, and before long the scientists can't tell who's real and who's a deadly alien threat. Kurt Russell leads the battle against the terrifying intruder, and the supporting cast includes Richard Masur, Richard Dysart, Donald Moffat, and Wilford Brimley. They're all playing standard characters who are neglected by the mechanistic screenplay (based on the classic sci-fi story "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell), but Carpenter's emphasis is clearly on the gross-out effects and escalating tension. If you've got the stomach for it (and let's face it, there's a big audience for eerie gore), this is a thrill ride you won't want to miss. --Jeff Shannon
Psychological horror, sci fi, drama, all add up to a classic film ^ Back when Kurt Russell had more acting roles, it was good to see that he occupied his time by creating a partnership with John Carpenter. Never mind that this was a remake - it stands by itself for the reasons described above. The movie is perfectly paced and even though it has lighter moments, those don't last long. It is an acting ensemble piece where there are no weak links in the casting.
The audience remains as confused as the film's characters and all the elements of the plot take time in coming together. The beginning of the film doesn't make sense until the end - however, it is not a flashback.
Some of the characters are on the verge of mental illness and the central event of the film just adds to the tension until something has to give, which it does in spectacular, violent and melancholy fashion. In fact, one may feel deep sadness at the end of it.
The film is a bit of a downer - there are only isolated action moments. In between is human desperation, as well as repeated failure in understanding and communicating, which the viewer shares. This film may well be both John's and Kurt's masterpiece. Very highly recommended.
The Thing (Collector's Edition) ^ An American scientific expedition to the frozen wastes of the Antarctic is interrupted by a group of seemingly mad Norwegians pursuing and shooting a dog. The helicopter pursuing the dog crashes leaving no explanation for the chase. During the night, the dog mutates and attacks other dogs in the cage and members of the team that investigate. The team soon realises that an alien life-form with the ability to take over other bodies is on the loose and they don't know who may already have been taken over. John Carpenter's "The Thing" is one of the most entertaining horror movies ever made - fast, clever and purely exciting from start to finish. This is how all movies of the genre should be made. A classic that still holds up to this very day.
Rob Bottin rules!! ^ The Thing is what it is thanks to Rob Bottin, Mike Ploog and Stan Winston's team and John Carpenter perfect direction of course. No CGI, no Stop-Motion animation, just weird mechanical effects and a lot of gore. Get the DVD if you want to see all of the bonus material [not included on Blu-ray]
Paranoia Will Destroy Ya ^ The Thing is a masterpiece of paranoid horror. It is a fantastic tale of violence and the depravity of man. It shows the potential that we all have for self preservation and cruelty. Many scenes are cringe worthy, and I love the way the film keeps the viewer guessing and wondering "who's next?" The ultimate self sacrifice of the characters to "save the world" is both uplifting and full of situational horror. It was fantastic film for its day. It is a fantastic film for any day.
The Thing - A Thriller Classic ^ Not many movies really deserve the praise that being branded a "classic" entails (if by "classic" we mean something that people theoretically would watch in 2000 years, if civilization hadn't more or less collapsed already, of course). This is, I'm fairly certain, one of those few movies that manage to capture the best of a decade and could probably be called a "classic". Someone pointed out in a review that a movie like this had to be made in 1982, and I think there is something to that. Nobody would make something like this, not in the age of "Grey's Anatomy" and Britney Spears. "We" have definitively lost something in our culture, yet how major it is time will show.
The film is heavily inspired by Lovecraft's excellent tale "At the Mountains of Madness", both about the Antarctic and both about strange creatures originally from Space. Of course, the beginning is rather silly when it comes to the desperate "Norwegians". How hard could it be to find just two Norwegians, or someone in America that speaks Norwegian? For us Scandinavians, from the way the actors speak "Norwegian", it can be compared to someone from Jamaica supposed to be Joe American. That being said, the film starts out intensely with said "Norwegians" desperately chasing a dog over the frozen winter lands, attempting to shoot it from the air. A taste of things to come, yet the dog manages to escape into safety at the American research base. As it will turn out, had the American scientists listened to the warning offered by the Norwegians, things might have been different.
The escaped dog is placed among the other dogs in the kennel, and from this horror shall spawn. The film is an awesome film for several reasons, for one it is one of the last films made with conventional physical effects, before CGI. For this reason, the film is ever-green, not being outdated and more or less unwatchable a few years later, like most CGI-based films from the 80's and 90's. It is a bit gory for my taste at times, but it serves a purpose. Another reason the film is so great is the excellent soundtrack, and apart from the acting and the setting, the main positive feature of this great film is the suspense. The film manages to capture a situation where nobody trusts anybody perfectly, and alliances shift constantly among the station crew. Who has been infected and replaced by the alien force, and who is still human? It really is one of the most suspense filled movies I have ever seen, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
Set in Antarctica and containing aliens, what else could anyone wish for? 5 stars for this excellent thriller.
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