The Thing | | Cast : | Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David, Richard Masur | | Director : | John Carpenter | | Studio : | Universal Studios Ho | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | June 25, 1982 | | DVD Released Date : | October 26, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 28, 2005 | | Summary | "I know I'm human, and some of you are still human..." | Content
 | Does anyone besides myself remember when Kurt Russell was the Disney poster boy, appearing in films like The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969), The Barefoot Executive (1971), Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972), and The Strongest Man in the World (1975)? What the heck happened since? Well, perhaps in an effort to distance himself from his carefully cultivated, squeaky clean cut, all-American kid Disney image (and avoid the dreaded curse of the former child star/now out of work actor), he teamed up with writer/director/producer John Carpenter first in the made for TV movie Elvis (1979), then as the quintessential anti-hero Snake Plissken in the film Escape from New York (1981), and then again, a few years later, to do The Thing (1982), which is actually a remake of the Universal/Howard Hawks classic science fiction film The Thing from Another World (1951), which are both based on John W. Campbell's story "Who Goes There?". Also appearing in this film is Quaker Oat man Wilford Brimley, who would have a much more amicable alien encounter in Cocoon (1985), T.K. Carter (Doctor Detroit), David Clennon (The Couch Trip), Keith David (They Live), Richard A. Dysart (Pale Rider)...whew, let me catch my breath...Charles Hallahan (Vision Quest), Richard Masur (Heaven's Gate), Donald Moffat (The Right Stuff), Joel Polis (True Believer), Thomas G. Waites (The Clan of the Cave Bear), and Peter Maloney (Desperately Seeking Susan)...also worth mentioning is one time Carpenter favorite and ex-wife Adrienne Barbeau, who doesn't actually appear in the film, but can be heard as the voice of the computer chess game Russell's character is playing in the beginning...a little bit of useless trivia for you...hey, at least I didn't mention the craft services person...who, by the way was Yervant Babasin...
The film begins with a shot of outer space, and soon into view comes a whirling saucer, flying somewhat erratically, headed for Earth...apparently some time passes, as the year now is 1982, and we're in Antarctica. We see a helicopter flying across the icy landscape, chasing a dog. One of the occupants is firing a rifle at the dog, but is missing miserably...poor shot? Perhaps not, as I figure it's hard as hell to hit a moving target from a helicopter...anyway, the chase ends at the United States National Science Institute Station 4, as the two men in the helicopter suffer a fatal mishap, but, you'll be happy to know the dog was all right...for now. Questions arise, as the now deceased men were part of a Norwegian expedition not far from the Americans. This prompts helicopter R.J. MacReady (played by a really hairy Russell) and another to fly over and investigate. Seems the Norwegians found something in the ice, something better left alone, as now they're all....dead. After returning to the camp, all soon learn perhaps sometimes a dog is not just a dog, especially when it's an alien posing as a dog...what follows next should really be seen, rather than explained here...
This is one of those films I can watch a few times a year simply because its so well put together and entertaining, especially on a visceral level, thanks, in part, to the special effects artistry of Rob Bottin (The Fog), among others, who worked on this feature. One thing that separated this film from the one from 1951 is the crazy-go-nuts amount of gory madness. There's popping eyes, spurting veins, mutating and burning flesh, dripping mucus, guts a bustin', blood squirting, face eating, spider heads, tentacles slapping, bones and cartilage cracking, body mangling, and so on...if'n you're a gore hound, and you can't satisfy your monkey here, then perhaps you need some serious, professional help. By the way, I have seen movies with much more gore, but not so much in mainstream films like this...if you've got small children, and you're looking to give them nightmarish, bedwetting nocturnal visions for at least a month, then I'd recommend this film along with Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). Don't get me wrong, this film isn't all about the nasty bits, as it's also an extremely tense thriller...if you've seen the film, you know what I'm talking about, especially the scene when the men are testing their own blood in hopes of determining who still human. You see, the alien has the ability to absorb other life forms, and then create an exact duplicate. This aspect ends up driving the paranoia within the characters as they're unsure whom they can trust, and who will eat their face while they sleep. Also, the alien is intelligent, and uses this distrust against the men, in order to further its own cause, all taking place in an enclosed, isolated environment, inducing a definite sense of claustrophobia, which only adds to further the tension and suspense. There are plenty of shocks, also...one scene in particular was the defibulator sequence. If you've seen the film you know what I'm talking about...and we shouldn't forget legendary composer Ennio Morricone's distinct, unsettling, and highly appropriate musical scoring. As far as the characters go, there isn't a whole lot of time spent focused on the individuals, even though we do spend a good deal of time with Russell's character, as the story is more geared towards the group, and their efforts to recognize, contain, and destroy the imminent threat to all. That's not to say there's no individualism among the characters, as there is, but Carpenter and the actors manage to express a lot without actually having to relate it to the audience, by actions, mannerisms, and so on...little time is wasted in this feature as things move along very quickly. Another aspect I really liked was the attention to detail with regards to the sets and locations. One could almost feel the pervasive cold emanating from the film, the wind cutting to the bone. Everything worked here for me, the acting, the script, the directing, the music, the settings, the liberal carnage, and so on...again, this is a violent, graphic movie, but well worth it, if you can take it...overall, this film may be vastly different that the 1951 version, along with the original story, but I think Carpenter did carry a few, important elements in the sense of paranoia inherent within the material.
This special edition DVD release contains a beautiful, re-mastered, anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) print, along with a clear Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. As far as special features, there are gobs, including an audio commentary track with the director John Carpenter and star Kurt Russell, along with a featurette titled John Carpenter's The Thing: Terror Takes Shape (84 minutes), a production background archive, cast production photographs, production artwork and storyboards, location design, full motion and frame by frame breakdowns of the saucer and the `Blairmonster', outtakes, post production materials, and an original theatrical trailer. All in all a superior release of an excellent film.
Cookieman108
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| Rating | | | Date | August 21, 2005 | | Summary | Great Horror Movie | Content
| All the actors made this an excellant movie and the special effects and direction completed the fine performances. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 18, 2005 | | Summary | "I just wanna get up to my shack and get drunk" | Content
| Apart from the fact this is one of the best and most comprehensive special edition DVD's ever produced the film itself is an absolute classic bordering on masterpiece. Staying true to the spirit of Joseph Campbell's short story WHO GOES THERE? (also the basis for Howard Hawks' original b/w version) Carpenter's THE THING brought Rob Bottin's mechanical special effects into the realm of high art. The original story is an allegorical tale of the fear and paranoia created by the anti-communist sentiment pervading the 1950 / 60s USA. Communist paranoia was transposed into Sci-Fi / monster movie in Hawk's version but Carpenter, having no need for this in the 80s, brings a contemporary fear to his version - that of illness. Carpenter's version plays on our fear of what may be inside us or those close to us (a type of left wing horror - fear of ourselves as opposed to right wing horror - fear of them) whether it be disease such as aids or mental illness, it is this kind of atmosphere that saturates this film and is made manifest by Bottin's truly viscerally terrifying special effects. The acting top notch (with the ever excellent Kurt Russell and a magic ensemble cast), the cinematography from Australian DP Dean Cundy (long time JC collaborator), the effects (as mentioned), the amazing snow covered exteriors and Carpenter's effective, intelligent economical directing. One of the best horror movies ever made that stands up today as if brand new - a true keeper, enjoy!
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| Rating | | | Date | August 17, 2005 | | Summary | The Best of Things | Content
| I absolutely LOVE this movie. I have watched this film at least 22 times. Do not let the "old movie" fool you into thinking that the action will be minimal or that the special effects will be horrible. This film is so well put together with writing, production, location and casting that it challenges even what some would consider modern "high-budget" box office hits like "The Matrix" trilogy. The premise is very similar to "The Thing from Outer Space" but it takes the alien and isolation of the expedition and turns it to an even better plot. The plot is that a group of american scientists stationed in Antarctica are suddenly thrown into a battle to save the human race from an alien "Thing" that if left uncheck could replicate then destroy all life on earth. The scientists, led by McCready played by Kurt Russell, act out against this "Thing" in very grusome all out war. Surivival of the Fittest is at true form. If you want to watch a expertly played out thriller with a little bit of gore then I highly recommend this film. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 11, 2005 | | Summary | Paranoia, Snow, and an Alien on the Loose | Content
| This is a true masterpiece in movie history. Overlooked and trashed by critics upon it's release, this movie's fanbase has grow immensely as well as the respect this film now receives. The critics didn't like Blade Runner or The Empire Strikes Back either so who cares what these self righteous jerks think, history nearly always proves them wrong. This film creates an overwhelming feeling of distrust and paranoia better than any film before it or since. The special effects are impressive considering the scale and the decade in which they were done. Some have written this off as a gore film, which it certainly is not. The elements of gore in this film actually augment the level of terror and fear. This movie builds it's anxiety level to record heights by the final act. Great acting, great direction, great script, great effects. This film is a good case study in the reason to do remakes, in the right hands they can be done very well indeed, in fact at times...better. |
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