Carpenter's dramatic masterpiece...

Rating: 9/10 (6 April 2005)

Usually mislabeled as a "horror" film, this is really a drama in science fictional clothing. The plot is really driven by the impact on the characters of an alien that can perfectly disguise itself as any organism it's come into contact with. Carpenter ratchets the paranoia and tension almost to the breaking point as the creature slowly destroys the entire crew of an Antarctic research station.
As faithful to the original short story, "Who Goes There?" by legendary sf editor (and usually mediocre writer) John Campbell as the original movie was not, Carpenter's adaptation is a masterful study of humans under the most unbearable tension imaginable.
The special effects retain their punch, 23 years later whilst the intense criticism they brought at the time (the movie opened two weeks after "E.T.; as Carpenter says, "ET was the good movie and we were the bad.") is no longer relevant in the post-9/11 world. We've all seen things far more horrible than anything ever conceived by Hollywood.
The movie that got Carpenter labeled by one critic as a "pornographer" of violence" has stood the test of time; the now criticism but a footnote.
None-the-less, they remain spectacular. The kennel scene is particularly astonishing. A later scene in which Dr. Copper (Richard Dysart) is killed is also a special effects marvel.
Carpenter also treats us to breathtaking scenery (Alaska and British Columbia served as "Antarctica") of vast ice fields and glaciers.
Kurt Russell also turns in one of his best performances. Forced to become the leader of the dwindling band of humans, his character MacCready displays the tough-mindedness of "Snake Pliskin" combined with a humanity the latter lacked. To be fair, the movie also lacks the humor that helped alleviate "Escape from New York's" violence and degradation.
The entire cast does stellar work. Even the dog "actor" playing the alien turns in a great performance, never once looking at camera or crew in the scene's he's in.
Russell and Carpenter also offer a funny, incisive and illuminating commentary on the 1998 "special edition."
If you haven't seen this movie in years (it had been at least fifteen years for me) you'll be presently surprised how well everything holds up, from the special effects to the actor's performances, to Carpenter's directorial trademarks.
Ennio Moricone's score fits Carpenter's style almost as well as one of Carpenter's scores. Low key and unobtrusive, it provides the perfect counterpoint and undertone to the intensity of the images and performance.
Still not for the squeamish or the kiddies, if you like your sf, or horror, served up without the usual clichÃ©s or half-naked females helplessly waiting for the killer, then I definitely suggest this movie.
As Carpenter proved he could master comedy with "Big Trouble in Little China", so with "The Thing" he proves he can handle deadly serious drama. The denunciations have faded with the paper they were printed on. 23 years later what's left is an excellent movie and special effects landmark.
DVD Ratings: Transfer: 8 5.1 remix: 8 "Extras": 9 (for Carpenter/Russell commentary track; the "Special Edition" also contains a nearly 90 min documentary about the movie; also highly recommended.)
Trivia tidbit: associate producer Larry Franco--who also plays one of the Norwegians at the beginning of the movie--was also, at the time, Kurt Russell's brother-in-law.