Licensed to Chill

Rating: 10/10 (23 December 2005)

"First g--d--- week of Winter." With that line, Kurt Russell as R.J.Macready, the rock solid helicopter pilot, paints a bleak picture of what is to come in John Carpenter's The Thing. Twelve men living in the Antarctic are confronted by a mysterious and terrifying "Thing" from outer space. The Thing it is revealed, crash-landed 100,000 years ago and frozen, was dug up by a team of Norwegians who allow it to thaw with disastrous consequences. After arriving in the American camp in the guise of a dog, the Thing goes after Kurt Russell and his comrades, killing and replacing them, one by one. Who is human? Who is the Thing? The air of paranoia and suspense are practically palpable in a movie that if it does not scare you, then you are already dead. I love this movie. I watch it about once a month. Based on the short story,"Who goes There?" by John W. Campbell Jr., John Carpenter's picture has a group of regular guys thrust into highly irregular circumstances, threatened by a creature that can imitate exactly any living thing it touches. An all male cast and claustrophobic sets are a few of the unique aspects of the production. I see something new every time I watch it. Wilford Brimley is cast as Blair, the scientist who discovers the true nature of the Thing and decides to save the world,isolating the research station by destroying their transportation and radio equipment. Beautifully shot in Canada and Alaska and using then (1982) state of the art special effects, The Thing is the perfect movie to curl up with on a cold Winter's night. The characters are entirely believable and their sense of isolation and panic are easily felt by the viewer. Beware, there are some squeam inducing scenes with plenty of alien goo and guts. I highly recommend this movie for all those who love suspense and horror. I think it is also some of Kurt Russell's best work.