Monster masterpiece

Rating: 8/10 (27 October 2010)

This is probably my third review here of this Carpenter classic. An American scientific expedition in the Antarctic is laid siege by a shape-shifting alien, and no one is able to stop it. Kurt Russell stars as the expedition's bearded, quirky pilot. Shot in Canada, the movie is stark and shocking at times, and the creature effects -- prosthetics, the forerunner to CGI -- are simply amazing. They look great to this day. The opening is haunting: a sled dog is pursued across frozen terrain by a gun-toting helicopter crew from a Norwegian camp. The dog reaches the American camp, and it soon becomes apparent this is no ordinary dog. It is an alien in disguise, which the Norwegians inadvertently released from its 30,000 year old frozen slumber. Carpenter respectfully pays homage to the 1951 Howard Hawks version, but takes his remake to levels Hawks could only have dreamed of. Great supporting cast, including Wilfred Brimley and Keith David. For those unfamiliar with the source material, it is a short story called "Who Goes There?" Carpenter's version is much closer than Hawks' to this Cold War tale. Hawks' version is essentially the Frankenstein monster loose in the Antarctic. The remake is notable for its all-male cast and sense of claustrophobia and impending doom.