Tense, chilling and seriously scary

Rating: 9/10 (6 July 2000)

Released at the same time as ET this is a somewhat different kind of alien. A remake of an old (yet relatively) good B-Movie it was modified by John Carpenter, changing the setting to an isolated Antarctic research outpost and upping the tension significantly. A thawed out creature that can "assimilate" and turn into whatever it touches hacks its way through an all-male cast. This actually works well with lots of angry posturing when nobody knows who is who they say they are. Class acting from Kurt Russell (in another anti-hero role) supported by a great ensemble cast, who work well together, and opposite the very good special effects (by maestro Rob Bottin) that convey the oddness if the creature itself. Definitely one of Carpenter's best and highly recommended to sci-fi and horror fans alike.