The Thing (1982) Review

Written by: Gardenofstone10   

I first watched this movie about 6 years ago in high school in a science fiction class. We watched the original, The Thing From Another World, and then the remake to compare. I remember loving the movie quite a bit, but never owning it. I'd often see it for 10 bucks at Best Buy and would grab it then put it down. Well, I finally gave in, bought it, am watching it and writing this review. I couldn't be happier to have a new movie. Now, on to the synapsis of the movie!!!!

We start out with a Norwegian helicopter with 2 guys in it starts shooting a huskie dog. Once they land the helicopter, one accidently blows himself and the helicopter up while the other one shoots an American in the leg and gets himself shot in the eyeball!!!! This doesn't even phase our Americans, who are scientists in this bitter cold.

Suspicious of where these Norwegians came from, Kurt Russell and and old guy (i'm bad with names) go to a nearby camp to find it almost burnt down, and inside a couple bodies and a weird ice container. And then, the fun, we discover a body that for sure, to me, looks like an alien but it has 2 human looking heads that almost seem melted together.

Now this dog that the Norwegians were shooting at IS an alien and totally exploded the body of the dog to become this badass looking creature. Being the wussies they all are, they try to take a flame thrower to this ever evolving creature. We find out this is a creature that can imitate life forms.

Then, our noble adventurers stumble across a genuine UFO that starts to put all of this into perspective.

Side note, Kurt Russell is a BADASS with a flamethrower.

Fast forward, one of the fat guys gets infected by a monster alien and when the doctor is trying to bring him back to life, the fat mans stomach bites the doctors arm off and turns into a badass monster. Once we start getting our shit straight, they do a blood test on everyone to see whose blood reacts to heat so they can tell who is human...and who isn't.

I'll let you guys watch the movie to figure out what happens next, although I will tell you the monster at the end looks friggin badass.

Alright, now let's break down as to why this movie is a cult classic and why I consider it one of the better horror movies:

This is a rare remake. It was a quote "remake" of The Thing From Outer Space, however, this movie was true to the novella that the original was supposed to be based off of, Who Goes There? In that sense, this is a more accurate adaptation of a book RATHER THAN an actual remake.

Another reason, John Carpenter. Not everything this man does is amazing, but he has three movies, that, IMO, shine above the rest. Halloween, Ghosts of Mars and The Thing. John has a great grasp of reality, horror and science fiction. You can believe what is going on in this movie at the same time, the suspension of disbelief that "oh it's aliens that won't happen to me".

My final reason on the movie, the ending. A movie can often be plagued by its opening and closing scenes. First and final impressions. This movie ends with almost a false hope. Kurt Russell and the black guy (I'm terrible with names, again) are our survivors. We don't know if they are infected with this alien thingy or what, so they just sit there to freeze to death. That's perfect. They don't go riding off into the sunset on their horses or someone comes to save them, they just wait to die. It was perfect.

In closing, I love this movie because of the originality it brought to its plate, the fact that although the movie is going on 30 years old, it still looks like it could have been made 5 years ago and because it's actually scary in the sense it could happen to you. Go see this movie, snuggle up nice and warm (in the cold it will make you like that) and enjoy John Carpenter's The Thing. Peace