Who says remakes are never better than sequels?

Rating: 10/10 (13 January 2003)

John Carpenter's "The Thing" is an absolute masterpiece. This film is flawless in nearly every aspect, and really proves how talented John Carpenter is as a filmmaker. From Dean Cundey's stark lighting to Ennio Morricone's solid minimalist score, this film reeks of greatness. A true compliment to pay the film though, is how John Carpenter is able to take the large cast and make each character unique and interesting. It could have become confusing in the wrong hands, but John Carpenter is able to balance character development in with the plotting seamlessly.
Although all the actors are excellent, the real star of the show is Rob Bottin's ground breaking special effects. As I write this in 2003, his effects work in "The Thing" have yet to be beat. Simply amazing gore work is featured throughout the film that is so gruesome and shocking it will have even the toughest of viewers turning their heads.
With all the gore featured throughout the movie, it is amazing how Carpenter is still able to generate suspense by stressing the unseen. He is not merely making a gore picture, he cares about scaring the audience. Some scares come from the gore, but most of them come from the build up to that gory moment. The long tracking shots inside the claustrophobic station are particularily effective.
The icing on the cake with "The Thing" is Carpenter's perfect apocalyptic ending. This is a dark film, and the ending does not cop out with some sappy rescue scene. The ending is true to the themes and characters of the film, and is one of the best in history. The last line of the film beats "watch the skies" from the original "The Thing". In fact, everything about this film upstages the original. This is a remake like only John Carpenter can make, and it is a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. One of the best science fiction films ever made, bar none.