Better than Alien

Rating: 9/10 (24 March 2017)

On my mission to watch the IMDb top 250 I have only recently delved into the horror genre and I have been surprised in how much I have enjoyed them. I had watched Psycho (9/10) a while ago but in succession I have watched "The Shining" (10/10), "The Thing" (9/10) and "Alien" (7/10) in that order. One of the criticisms which annoys me greatly about "The Thing" is that is lends itself far too much on the success of "Alien". I don't think it lends itself to "Alien" at all and I hope to explain why this very similar film is superior.
The characters and performances are spectacular from everyone involved and are the most three dimensional I have seen in such a large cast. In most horror films (including "Alien") not all of the characters need to be unique and relatable- especially the weaker, more expendable characters. In "The Thing" EVERY character is important, not just to increase the viewer's investment in the characters and their horrifying situation but the whole plot and concept of the film is dependent on it. The thing imitates other lifeforms so characters need to be fleshed out to make the thing as scary as it is in its ability to perfectly confuse the humans as to what it is. The paranoia, the sense of isolation, the sense of claustrophobia and the sense of innate fear is palpable at all times in the film by watching the genuinely enthralling events occur. There is great variety in terms of characters- even before the thing appears- which is incredibly interesting to see it develop. We see MacReady assume leadership and the doubts over it, we see Gary's leadership deteriorate, we see Blair's madness, we see Clark deal with constant accusations, we see Child's aggression and stubbornness. This is to acknowledge just a few of the more pertinent characters who have layers of depth as the film progresses. The unmentioned characters would be particularly notable if they were in any other horror film but they are even dwarfed by the main cast in "The Thing" showing how great it is. To say that "The Thing" copied "Alien" by having an alien attack an isolated large crew of relatable characters is wildly false- especially when this is a remake of the 1951 and adopted from a short story. Even if it is inspired by "Alien" it is superior to the film in terms of characters which is largely due to their unique situation of an alien that imitates your closest friends thus adding far more nuance to each individual.
The film is far more tense that any film I have seen- including "Alien". There is a constant sense of threat because the people who you are friends with and depend on for survival in numbers include things which are trying to kill you. I don't know what's scarier; being in a group of people knowing that at least one is a thing waiting to kill you or being alone knowing that there is a thing out there who is trying to kill you but nobody is there to help. Its utter genius in my opinion and, again, far more nuanced than "Alien" where there is essentially just a predator in a spaceship who is trying to kill all of the crew- you feel safer in the group but not on your own which already cuts the fear factor in half. Then there is the fact that in "Alien" there is surprisingly little conflict between the humans and alien unless the people are alone and/or looking to come into contact with the alien. In fact there is little physical opposition to the "Alien"- nobody attacks the alien to test its strength unlike in "The Thing" where flamethrowers are used throughout. In "The Thing" there is a constant evolving and escalating situation; the humans defeat a thing and get the upper hand until another thing assimilates another human and shifts the balance. In alien its a predictable one-way street and the outcome is visible a mile away. In "The Thing" we see an incredibly good ending which is highly ambiguous and adds richly to the complexity of the film. The Thing in short is infinitely more complex and cerebral then "Alien". I haven't even mentioned Ennio Morricone's fantastic pulsating claustrophobic score which helps to heightens the tension. That being said the periods of silence in the film are also extremely welcome and effective.
The use of practical effects in this film are simply phenomenal and, whilst alien has some good effects whenever the alien is present on the rare occasion, is far better than "Alien" or any contemporary. its a shame that we don't have practical effects like this anymore and rely too heavily on CGI- it so much less realistic. The direction is great from horror legend John Carpenter and, although this is my first film of his, I can't imagine that he has made a better film. In short this film is fantastic and needs to be seen, I am tempted to go back and give it a 10/10 but I'll save that decision until I venture onto my first reviewing.