Loving Horror

Rating: 10/10 (8 July 2014)

Carpenter has always been a favorite of mine. He's not afraid to let his imagination run wild, and he's one of the few directors out there capable to put together a movie that is interesting, exciting, scary, and even, as it's the case here, adapt material that a few people consider untouchable and turn it into a populist work of art. "The Thing" is the ultimate scary hybrid, a film that takes the best of so many genres and delivers a superb package that few will ever disagree with the fact that it is almost a perfect film.
Based on the old classic, Carpenter has made a grungier and more graphic film, with the exception of a couple of gory scenes, the movie works very well, giving us a closer and more intimidating portrayal of the dangers of facing this monster or space alien. Much, like the feral alien, an evil we dare not face or ever encounter, this "thing" is a formidable creation.
As I mentioned before, he borrows a bit from a few directors, to give us style, majestic vistas, exciting and horrific thrills, intense drama, a ton of suspense, and plenty of uncertainty, and that is the soul of the film. First, the science fiction elements which quickly mutate to a cat and mouse chase that evolves into an experiment in paranoia, as the crew finds itself under attack by an enemy that is difficult to conquer, understand, gauge or even locate. Soon, one by one the crew falls prey to their own fears as they don't know who is real and who is a perfect and lethal copy.
"The Thing" takes us into a wild ride that will give us what we expect in the movies: great acting, great direction, fantastic special effects manufactured by a crew that didn't rely on the sophisticated technology directors can avail themselves of nowadays. The editing hits all the marks as we follow the creature in its indiscriminate chase of the crew.
A lot of people were upset with the ending because it doesn't resolve much, but in truth, it allows us to become participants in the adventure because if the creature is still around, we might have to question ourselves about what the next move might be. It might make you resourceful or just another victim.