The Thing (1982) Review
Written by: DeathbyHighKick
"The Thing", a title that stands on it's own...a masterpiece of the highest proportion....and not only that...a ride into the deepest fears of any person. I can't begin to explain how much I admire John Carpenter for taking the steps to creating such a fine film. I loved how this film avoids all the normal hollywood bullshit.....there are no female characters, which means no need for a love interest, no happy ending, and no "cock-diesel" supermen who save the day or at least bring closure....these are seemingly ordinary men who are caught in the middle of a nightmare.
The Characters in this film are all great, from the low man on the totem pole to the always stunning Kurt Russell, who plays the helicopter pilot who stumbles upon a Norwegian research station and finds dead bodies, some of which are bizarrely changed. Slowly, as the evidence comes in, MacReady learns that the Norwegians found an ancient spacecraft beneath the ice that contained an alien capable of becoming any species, from dog to human. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that not everyone at the research station is human anymore......
The Special Effects are nothing short of stunning given the time period...the only other movie that comes close is the Ridley Scott scifi/horror masterpiece "Alien". Many people claim that "The Thing" is just "Alien" in Antarctica; negative...in no way are the two the same, except the fact that the villian is in fact an alien from outerspace...maybe the villian in "The Thing" once battled with the bastardous demons in "Alien"? Back to the FX, which again I will say are stunning.....bodies split open, heads fall off, no CGI...all makeup and prosthetics, a wonderful sight to watch.
Now, this can't be forgotten...Carpenters "The Thing" is a remake of a 1950ish film titled the same....and I'll give credit to the first one....it was good for the time; but when 1981's "The Thing" came out, it's pretty clear that the original will probably never be talked about again...aside from it being the "original".
"The Thing" is a solid scifi/horror film....I'm more leading towards horror because it doesn't nearly focus on action as it does human emotions and the basics fears that everyone can face....it's a pyschological horror film in my opinion....nonetheless, a remarkable film that gains the honors of being my favorite horror movie.