Nightmarish special effects highlight this decent film.

Rating: 7/10 (26 February 2001)

John Carpenter's "The Thing" is the type of movie where the special effects (by a young Rob Bottin) make the film. If the film did not contain the gory, slimy and disgusting images that are seen it would be a dull, albeit semi-suspenseful flick. The film stars five or six of the best character actors in Hollywood (Richard Masur, Donald Moffat and Keith David) on top of a slightly generic Kurt Russell performance. All in all, no viewer could ever forget the kind of fun this alien creature has with its human hosts. It literally tries to become the organism it "absorbs". And some characters get it BAD. These scenes of terror are truly disturbing, especially for a younger viewer - which I was when I first saw it. I really won't go into details here, but let me just say that Mr. Bottin's creative genius makes this film exceptional. He must've had a great time designing these 'things' we see on the screen. Grade : B