An amazing piece of work!

Rating: Null/10 (14 May 2003)

"The Thing" and "An American Werewolf in London" demonstrate what you can do with some puppets, latex, fake fur, and red syrup. And I mean this in the most respectful way.
Undoubtedly Carpenter's greatest accomplishment, "The Thing" is a different sort of horror movie. For one thing, there are no female roles...none, nada, zip. In fact, there really aren't even any "weak" male parts. There are no individually identifiable victims or threatened individuals. Instead there's a strange "socialism of terror" that comes out in teenage slasher movies and Twilight Zone episodes about the end of the world. It's also different in that the special effects DO (as stated in several other reviews) drive the plot. The crew of the station react to the terrifying (and often bloody) situations with a stunning combination of mystified disbelief, bravado, terror, and resignation.
The beauty of this film, and where it differs from the earlier version, is that the threat to the crew is based in what is also their strength. Up until the very last frame of the film, the men must desperately rely upon each other for their safety and security. Yet the threat in their midst is so dangerous precisely because it preys on this need to trust others. The men are able to destroy the creature by various means, but only when they can identify it.
I won't bore you further. See this film. The DVD version with the commentary and features on the making of the film is a "must-have".