Classic Cold War Science Fiction

Rating: 9/10 (28 April 2009)

As a teenager, seeing this movie in the theater in 1982, I was gleefully ecstatic about the gore factor in this movie. The nightmarish body props coupled with artfully selected sound effects put this film solidly in the "hard R" category -- and my younger brother and my cousin's squeamish reactions bore that out. Unfortunately, at the time, the critics couldn't see past this, and The Thing was panned and then forgotten.
But 20+ years later, the violence scale has slipped enough that when you get past the ooze and the blood and the ripping teeth, you're left with a model of paranoia-packed, "who-can-you-trust?" invasion-type Sci-Fi. The cast's performances and the taut dialogue really string you out then leave you hanging -- in a great way. And Ennio Morricone's understated score perfectly seals the deal. Carpenter should have called him up when he started production of "The Mouth of Madness."
If you're looking for a good Cold War alien yarn, and you want something a little harder-edged than "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," but didn't enjoy the remake, give "The Thing" a spin. You won't be disappointed.