The jacket is old and worn but the man underneath is as wise as ever

Rating: 8/10 (11 August 2013)

There is no denying that this film's effects and production have not aged well. The special effects are dated and naff to the point of seeming a bad 80's parody (blood spurts that look like an Italian evening in gone wrong). Fortunately the underlying themes and structure of the movie are still gracefully intact.
All that you need to know about the plot is the film title. The less you know the better, for the film has little interest in The Thing or why it is there. What is the focus is the reactions of those stationed at the camp. The audience is constantly left in the dark about things: questions and accusations are brought up but only half answered or at times discarded. You only know as much as the characters. There are not cameras panning around to points of key interests, no internal monologues of any the characters or flashbacks, everything is focused on the present moment. Yet despite being set in the present moment there is little to no time structure. It is hard see when a day ends and a new one begins, which really compliments the sleep deprivation, paranoia and rage experienced by some of the characters thorough out the film.
When watching the film, try and ignore the by today's standards laughable effects and modeling of the thing and instead focus on the characters for as the movie goes on it becomes less about the things and more about the character's reactions to said thing.