Here's the Thing

Rating: 8/10 (27 September 2016)

If Man is a predator, and he is, and there's a prequel to this rebooted Antarctica-based movie also named 'The Thing,' isn't this also another Antarctica-based prequel to a rebooted movie named 'Alien vs. Predator?' Mindblown.
Not really, but they do say imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Ba-Da-Bum, thank you I, or whoever copies me, will be here all week.
They also say this is the best remake of all-time as well as the best horror movie of all-time. While I disagree with both statements, it's still one helluva good movie. It's essentially 1979's Alien on Earth, but less concentration on the characters. Where Ridley Scott's movie really defined the victims in space, this one was all-but a slasher movie where very few of the men (and yeah, only men) had enough personalities to distinguish them to remember their names. Sure, I recognized some of the actors from other films, and the always-excellent Kurt Russell stood out, most of the researchers were just body counts.
The movie revolves around said researchers segregated in the Antarctic when the title character shows up to replicate anything it comes in contact with. Paranoia ensues between both the men and the audience on who is "The Thing" and who is for real. One by one, they're taken apart, sometimes literally and it's up to the strong and smart to outthink the THING
Now, I've seen this movie before many years ago and more recently, I saw the prequel in 2011. I liked both, and still have yet to see the original from 1951. I can imagine the original's total camp from that sci-fi, alien vs. the world-era. In addition to so many things I liked about this movie was the (I suspect) homage in the opening credits where a generic flying saucer, or U.F.O., comes crashing down on Earth. So cheesy in an otherwise incredibly inventive and ahead-of-its-time feature. Nicely done, Mr. (Director) Carpenter.
I know the background. I know this was Carpenter's pet project since he made my personal favorite horror movie, 1978's Halloween. I also know they made the entire set themselves – prettydamnimpressive. So kudos to Carpenter and gang for such a remarkable and non-modern, CGI-feat. We don't get real filmmaking like this today and I, like most film- buffs, miss terribly. Sure, CGI is most cost-effective, it's just not as effectivevisually.
While the two biggest issues I had with the film upon my initial viewing was the paranoia – "Who Is The Thing?" got kinda tedious (until they straightened that out) and at times, they seemed to be making things up as they went along (i.e. What Special Creature Effect Can We Come Up with Next,) the enormously original ending, or last few frames, made up for any shortcomings from my own end. LOVED THE ENDING.
Overall, it's an absolute classic and refreshing to revisit from time to time. Completely timeless, it can be seen many years from now and still have the same effect as it had almost 35 years ago upon its initial release. This well paced, tense and never boring film is completely recommended for not just horror buffs, but movie-lovers, as well.
***
Final thoughts: I have to find that YouTube video again. I remember seeing a review of this in which they showed a bunch of comparisons to the original and made fun of how many doors the characters entered through. Now thatwould be a fun way of (mostly) watching the original without having to put up with cheap, early 50s FX.