A Superior Remake

Rating: Null/10 (24 September 2000)

Very seldom do remakes even approach the quality of their parent film. Most are on a par with Dino DeLaurentiis' "King Kong", overblown reminders of what made the original a classic. John Carpenter's version of "The Thing," however, has the advantage of being able to return to its original source, John W. Campbell's "Who Goes There?", and from there reinvent itself using a fantastic cast and the best makeup effects of the 1980s.
The result is, in my opinion, Carpenter's best film. It's not for the squeamish, or to watch on a cold and snowy night (like I did once -- freaked myself out!), but if you're in the mood for terror and suspense, this is it.