Aaaahhhh...'The Thing'...One of the greatest horror movies ever made.
This is one of the movies I saw at a very young age and is part of why I'm a horror nut. It's been a while since I've seen this one, and just picked it up.
The story is about an Antarctic scientific research team, who after witnessing a bizarre shoot-out with a siberian husky dog, become the victims of an extra-terestrial who can assume the form of any living thing it 'absorbs'. Not only can 'the thing' change shape, but every molecule(or 'piece')is an individual 'thing' with a built-in desire to replicate.
Not only does this film rival 'Halloween' as Carpender's masterpiece, but is the text-book definition of how to sucsessfuly re-make a film.
The plot is much closer to the source material(the novella 'Who Goes There' by John Campbell)than the original movie 'The Thing From Another World'. Right from the start, you get a sence of isolation that only gets worse as the movie progresses. The idea is pretty basic, but Carpender fills in the blanks nicely. We are given everything we need to know, and some things are left up to our imaginations.
The acting is perfect. Kurt Russell, Keith David, Wilford Brimley and the rest all give spot-on performances. Every character was well written and acted, they have 'identity'. They really capture the isolation that each member is dealing with in their own way. After the 'thing' is discovered, there is a mistrust amoungst everyone that only makes things worse.
The editing is perfect. The pace of the movie is amazing. 1st, you get a sence of isolation. 2nd, you empathise with the bordom and aggrivation of the characters. Tension quickly builds, then by the time the gore kicks in you're completely on edge. The way Carpender switches between gore and suspence is flawless.
the music and score match the movie nicely. Done by Carpender, the movie starts with a pulse-like ominous presence and continues on-and-off at the right time.
What can I say about the effects? Made in '82, this movie is a perfect example of why C.G.I. should only be used in horror as a back-up effect. The effects are every bit as effective today as they were 25 years ago, and the gore is utterly AMAZING!!! The gore is tied heavily in with the editing; After the 'mood' of the movie is established, Carpender hits you with some gore that has never been seen in a movie before(or really since), and it's just a taste of what's to come.
This is how to re-make a film!!! You take the source material, stay true to it, improve on it, and take it in new LOGICAL directions. Not only one of the(if not thee)best re-makes, but one of the greatest horror movies of all time!!! Is there anything more to say??
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