JOHN CARPENTER'S THE THING

* * * ½

STARRING: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, TK Carter, David Clennon, Keith David

1982, 108 Minutes, Directed by: John Carpenter

John Carpenter's re-make of the 1951 classic The Thing From Another World (also based on John W. Campbell's short story Who Goes There?). Readers who have seen both movies and read the story on which it is based maintains that Carpenter's version is more true to its source.

Moviegoers who have seen neither the original movie nor read the story will see an Alien clone set in the Antarctic wasteland as Kurt Russell and others in a research station battle a vicious shape-changing alien. Great locales, dark settings, Morricone's pulsing soundtrack (in imitation of the music Carpenter usually writes for his own movies), yucky make-up effects make this all technically well-made.

The ending is suitably downbeat, and John (Escape from New York, Halloween) Carpenter makes effective use of his source material - there is a real sense of paranoia (after all, the alien could be any of the men at the research station) and real tension hanging over the onscreen proceedings.
 

• Read our review of The Thing on DVD.
• Read an extended review of The Thing & The Thing From Another World.
• See also: Cold Fusion Video Reviews.
• Read a book review of John Carpenter: The Prince of Darkness by Gilles Boulenger.
• Read extracts from John Carpenter: The Prince of Darkness.
• Read the script.
• Watch the trailer.
• Read about the Thing prequel planned for 2010.

Voted
# 28
of the
Top 100 Sci-Fi Movies
of all time
by: