Identity Crisis

Rating: 10/10 (13 June 2005)

You cannot help but cringe watching this highly atmospheric dramatic-science-fiction-philosophical-who-done-it thriller.
This adaptation of the story "Who goes There?" by John W. Campbell and the Howard Hawks film, "The Thing from Outer Space," takes the fear and confusion to another more personally intense level in the scenes involving the Thing (the creature in the film).
There is a dark-nihilist-view in this movie about a force, without human fallibilities, that cannot be stopped once it begins to replicate--as it was said in the movie--this thing could take over the earth in a matter of months. This is (eschatological/end of time)philosophy at its best, the thoughts of losing your identity and not knowing it is, difficult and existentialist at its base.
Though the sheer terror in this movie, the shocking moments--the reviving scene, dog pens, worm-generator room well as the pernicious mood that soaks into the audience via the confined spaces, single-gender cast, and severe isolation of Antarctica in the northern hemisphere Summer. Probably John Carpenter's best film, technically and emotionally.
If you cannot stomach gore, tingling fear-suspense, sparse set design, acting, direction, lighting, music and love happy endings: you should turn the channel--you will be sick as a dog--pun intended.
If only my college philosophy professor at Hofstra had showed this instead of reading Heidegger I might have gotten his point. From that standpoint the Thing is a tremendous film, well as for fans of horror (especially Lovecraft), Keith David, Wilfred Brimley (the oatmeal guy), Snake Bliskin (Kurt Russell) this movie will imprint fear in you for long times to come.