The Thing (1982)

[DAR]

You gotta be fucking kidding me.Brilliant. A

[DAR]

Oh and if you get a chance listen to the commentary on the dvd by Carpenter and Russell , great stuff

[kitik]

I know you're going to possibly think I'm crazy but a film that came to close to this in terms of atmosphere and feel and old school techniques, was Lords of Salem.  Two completely different films but LOS might as well of been made in the 80's, it's got that much going for it imo.

 

 

I was not a big fan of Lords Of Salem the first time I watched it, but I saw it a second time and enjoyed it a lot more.

[K1stpierre]

Can't believe this got a ton of negative reviews when it came out.

That's what I'm scratching my head over! It just doesn't make sense to me, until I read tele's comment and perhaps that's why.

[Kvikk Lunsj]

One of few horror movies I have seen and I loved it. It is tense with great story line and good acting. 

4.5/5 

[Maxmoser3]

This and Halloween are my favorite John Carpenter films lots of cool scenes and has good build up and tension. Grade:A

[Maxmoser3]

A Bonafide Classic that managed to not get a sequel on the big screen, but somewhat received one on the videogame.. "A+"

the videogame wasn't that great.

[The Futurist]

That's what I'm scratching my head over! It just doesn't make sense to me, until I read tele's comment and perhaps that's why.

 

The movie was received with scathing reviews in its time yes.

The original movie was highly regarded too.

With Blade Runner, it s probably the 2 biggest misunderstood masterpieces of their era.

Also Carpenter said ET stole his thunder when it comes to Alien movies.

Edited August 21, 2015 by The Futurist

[John Marston]

in the commentary Carpenter mentions the negative reviews this got and the negative reaction to the gore, he mentioned he was even called a "pornographer of violence" lol

[Hatebox]

Love this movie.

 

If you have ten minutes to kill, and ignore the fact that the question's meant to be a metaphor, this is a cool analysis which ponders whether Childs (the black guy at the end) was infected or not.

 

 

 

[mattmav45]

Had a visit from the Carpenter on a Monday night, and I'll be damned if I didn't enjoy every damn minute of it.

 

I can't help but notice the parallels to Ridley Scott's Alien.  Both consist of an encounter with an alien life form being discovered in a remote, desolate, and ultimately vulnerable environment.  The noteworthy difference is the viewpoint provided in each film.  Whereas in Alien the crew ultimately discovered the alien life form, here the alien life form has been discovered, and with that discovery death and destruction have already ensued at the hands of said life form.  It's a small difference, but to me it makes all the difference in the world.  Specifically, while I consider Alien to be primal sci-fi cinema with heavy doses of horror, I consider The Thing to be primal horror cinema with heavy doses of sci-fi. 

 

A team of scientists out in Antarctica encounter a Norwegian coming up on their camp all while trying to shoot a damn dog from a moving helicopter.  Naturally, as typically the case with those of Norwegian descent, the man was attempting to kill an alien life form that has the ability to imitate any life form, thereafter using it as a host.  The team of scientists may not of asked for it, but what follows is a brutal fight to the death with a creature that has the benefit of natural selection being on its side. 

 

The biggest strength of this film is the level of restraint shown.  This isn't just some pulpy B-movie with a thing for gross-out gore.  Rather, this is a very deliberate and nuanced horror offering that takes its time in setting up the atmosphere and characters driving said offering.  Perhaps reflective of this fact is the character R.J. MacReady (what a name, what a name) played in brilliant fashion by Kurt Russell.  It is the restraint tied to MacReady's character that makes him such a complete and utter badass.

 

In many ways the greatness of this film can be ultimately tied to one man, that man being John Carpenter.  Carpenter is an acclaimed director, but I'm not sure he's even been better than he is right here.  Tackling on fantastical material, and grounding that with heavy atmosphere and unique characters, what results is one of the truly special viewing experiences cinema has to offer.

 

The ying to Alien's yang.  No need to pick one or the other as both constitute some of the best that cinema has to offer.

[IndustriousAngel]

49 minutes ago, mattmav45 said:

The ying to Alien's yang.  No need to pick one or the other as both constitute some of the best that cinema has to offer.

Both are in my handful of 10/10 movies, excellently put

[Brainbug]

Sci-Fi-Horrorweek #3

 

The Thing is an excellent example for building tension. From the first minute, you are just IN this movie. The music, the setting and the characters just fit and that is something not every Carpenter movie can say of itself. The effects are still stunning and its downright hilarious how bad the CGI effects from the 2011 movie are compared to this masterpiece.

 

8/10, A-