Passable

Rating: Null/10 (30 September 2011)

To its immediate credit, it must be said that 'The Thing' has one of the most impressive, and iconic, opening sequences in film ... the scene of an unknown gunman in a helicopter following the seemingly terrified, yet magnificent, huskie across the barren snows of the Antarctic, remains etched in memory long long after the film has drawn to its finale.
And the finale, too, with its bleak air of uncertainty and unspoken words hanging in the air, too, remains equally memorable ... so much is left unsaid ...
But in between, the film is just another gore and splatter "creature feature", of a malevolent alien visitation on our peaceful planet. I would hesitate to categorize it as horror, for there are no truly scary scenes in the film - the effect of the few "jump shocks", too, fade away too fast. Sfx-wise, true, the metamorphozing scenes from human to monster are well executed, but, beyond that, fail to terrify, or even, for that matter, to thrill. It's the usual man-versus-monster flick, with the majority falling prey, and a dismal few surviving ... if they do at all, that is.
What succeeds for the film is the atmosphere ... set entirely against the blank snow and the claustrophobic environs of an Antarctic station, the blustering winds and flickering lights do build a sense of menace, which continues throughout its length. And to John Carpenter's credit, he does keep the audience guessing - who's man and who's monster? Performances are nothing to write home about ... it's one of Kurt Russell's earlier ventures, but, as is unavoidable in a film like this, he, like the other characters, has little do, except to try and set things right and restore some sort of equilibrium.
But does he? You are still undecided about it at the end, and THAT's where 'The Thing' scores, and elevates itself above the routing creature flick which it otherwise, unquestionably, is.
Otherwise passable, but worth a watch for the beginning, and the end.