Country: United States
Genre: Horror
Director: John Carpenter
Year: 1982
Rating: 
TRASH CINEMA ESSENTIAL MOVIE
The Thing has the distinction of being the best film of both John Carpenter and Kurt Russell, not a big deal I admit. For those who are outraged at this assertion, I refer you to my review of Halloween.
What’s important is that with the Thing, John Carpenter makes a quantum leap forward in every possible aspect of filmmaking. The score by Ennio Morricone is effective, the action sequences are convincing, Rob Bottin’s effects are groundbreaking, the suspense and evocation of paranoia are first-rate, and the production design is evocative and eerie. There really aren’t any weak spots. Carpenter even has the balls to end the movie on a downbeat note.
And then there’s the acting. Kurt Russell is a convincing hero, and he holds his own in very high-powered company: Wilford Brimley, Richard Dysart, Richard Masur, Donald Moffat, estimable character actors all.
But I haven’t said anything about the plot, have I? In an Antarctic research station, a shapeshifting alien is let loose. By the time the scientists catch on to what is happening, no one is sure who is who and what is what. (The source material is the John W. Campbell novelette “Who Goes There?”)
Reading back on this review, I’ve somehow managed to make The Thing sound like a serious movie. I suppose it is, in that the subtext is cold war paranoia, but The Thing is actually a lot of fun, and quite witty, in its own sick way. Some of the transformations of the the title character are morbidly amusing. And one bravura scene, in which Kurt Russell tries to determine which of the surviving members of the crew is in fact the alien by means of a blood test, is hilarious in its depiction of raw panic.
One warning, probably unnecessary for fans of this site — The Thing is quite graphic and messy, in a pre-CGI way, so squeamish individuals should probably take a pass. For everyone else who hasn’t seen it yet, I envy you the experience of seeing it for the first time.
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