Splendidly daft sci-fi nonsense

Rating: Null/10 (23 July 2000)

The opening scene where McCready pours booze into the chess game sets the dumb tone for the rest of the pic. As if he would casually destroy property like that when he's got so little to pass the time with. Ah, but little did we know.....
It's hard to believe this notorious el floppo is nearly twenty years old now but it I remember it was rather fascinating at the time. And there was a memorably silly hat, too. The science is dumb. How can an organism imitate a life form exactly and still retain it's own original identity and intelligence? If the thing's cells have changed into a dog's, how can it suddenly change into one of a million different life forms from a million planets at a moments notice? Where are those cells stored after a perfect simulation? And if it is a perfect simulation it should die if it has a heart attack in human form, not keep going and changing. Blair trashes the radio room in a fit of pique shouting, "no dog makes it a hundred miles in this terrain. No, that thing wanted to be US!" But why couldn't the thing turn into a more weather resistant monster out of it's million life forms rather than trying to be a warm blooded mammal that freezes to death easily?
Carpenter was once a master of suspense, but this film marked the turning point and is curiously flat at exploiting the possible tensions between the men. It looks like it had been a difficult and troubled shoot and the script does not help. My favourite cringe-making line: "Do you buy any of this Voodoo bulls**t, Blair?" For an intelligent creature, the thing's behaviour is baffling. If that shadow early on in the film when the dog is stalking the rooms was Norris and by his hair shape it looked like him, why didn't he take over McCready and Doc when they went off together on the second trip to the Norwegian camp? It was a perfect opportunity. Likewise, he is left alone with Chiles and Gary who are tied to a sofa and at his mercy. He could have taken them over through their faces without damaging their clothes like he did to Gary in the final scene in the boiler room. The others were outside in the snow so they wouldn't have heard the screams. Also, Norris was given the early opportunity to be the leader but inexplicably turned it down. It would have given the thing a perfect chance to divide and conquer. Other daft moments include Blair building a mini saucer out of chopper spare parts. As if. Also the stupid moment when a blood sample suddenly acquires a mouth and shrieks. The blood on the floor runs away squeaking like mice as if blood has 'brains' as well as vocal cords. The average Bugs Bunny cartoon has more credibility. And did you notice that at the climax in the boiler room, the thing shoots up through the floor and instead of instantly attacking McCready it just sits their showing off a few heads, allowing McCready time to blow it up? And they wonder why films bomb. Having an ending that makes the audience feel cheated doesn't help, they like to think all that effort wasn't in vain but I rather liked not knowing if one of them was the thing.
Despite all that it's still goofy fun and Carpenter has that ability to tap into that unnerving satanic atmosphere of his. Anyway, if you hate this review you can always console yourself with these words:
"Are you going to listen to Gary? I mean, he could be one of those things!"