The Thing - Film Review

As this summer has worn on, I have found myself yearning for colder climates and a visit to the inhospitable lands of Antarctica sounds just about perfect! I'm ashamed to say that I saw the prequel to this before actually watching this. Chronologically, I figured it made sense to watch things in order, however it kind of spoiled some of the mystery here. Despite all of that, it was great revisiting this one, and one can appreciate it even more after watching the middling prequel. 

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Where You Can Find It: I viewed this one on Amazon Video where it is available for rent/purchase, however it is also available to Showtime subscribers.

General Information 
The Thing is a science fiction horror film that was released on 25 June 1982. It was directed by John Carpenter with Dean Cunday doing the cinematography. It was produced by David Foster and Lawrence Turman with Universal Pictures distributing. It is both an adaptation of the book, Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell Jr., as well as a remake of the 1951 film, The Thing from Another World. It is considered a cult classic that has spawned its own short comic book series, as well as a video game of the same title. Most recently, a direct prequel was released in 2011 that also bares the same name, which acts as a companion piece to this film. Despite all of the supporting material, the film's initial reception was hardly positive as it was roundly bashed by critics and poorly received at the box office. With a substantial budget (for a horror film) of approximately $15 million, its overall haul was less than $20 million. Critically, it received a sobering 57 Metascore (which likely would've had an even lower average at its release) on Metacritic, along with a more positive 86% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Story

An American research outpost in Antarctica, manned by a skeleton crew of twelve men, finds itself dragged into a strange mystery when a Norwegian helicopter lands just outside their facility. The pilot and co-pilot are armed with grenades and an assault rifle and appear to be in seemingly desperate pursuit of a dog that one of them was shooting at from the air. Their inability to speak English, coupled with their violent dispositions quickly leads to them both dying at the hands of the Americans, however strange occurrences begin happening within the camp shortly after. There's something insidious inside the research outpost that wants them all dead.

In some ways, I'm very much reminded of Alien as this is a film that takes its time where we rarely get to see the antagonist in all of its goopy glory. Additionally, the crew of the research outpost act in mostly logical and well-reasoned ways that befit their positions as men of science, which contrasts greatly from most horror films of that time period like Friday the 13th or even Carpenter's own Halloween. Lastly, (and once again like Alien) despite its title being about a monster, the story centers entirely around the very people it victimizes.

One of the great strengths of the plot is the sense of paranoia it induces as the antagonist infiltrates the ranks of the research outpost while the sanity of the men are each sorely tested. Simple acts of preparing food or repairing a broken door kept me on the edge of my seat as I could never be sure if an unsuspecting worker might be attacked in the midst of their menial task. The most interesting scenes were frequently ones where everyone was in the same room as well, since distrust would be high.

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Suspicions run deep at the outpost once things begin to go awry

One of the few areas where this story hits rough waters is when it comes to explaining the existential threat of the antagonist. In many ways, I adore that the viewers never get a perfect explanation of what it is or how it kills. This leads to some thoughtful discussions as the characters theorize and plan how to counter the antagonist's goals. An area where this somewhat fails is during a scene where the biologist, Dr. Blair (played by Wilford Brimley) receives a bit of exposition as to the threat of the creature via his computer. The projections the computer provides, along with the goofy animations on the screen, were wholly unnecessary and would've likely been better served being cut with viewers simply seeing a brief shot of Dr. Blair hunched over the screen reading data he'd likely discuss later (as he inevitably does).

Special Effects/Atmosphere

I wanted to specifically point out Dean Cunday as the cinematographer for this film as his camerawork really captures the looming threat just out of eyeshot. Throughout the film we are presented with foreboding shots of the research station where nothing is happening besides Ennio Morricone's signature score. It's as though Cunday is telling us that danger lurks just around the corner and that the worst is yet to come. These shots arguably terrify more than the ones with the monster as it plays on our own imaginations. When some of the crew visit the nearby Norwegian research camp that the crazed pilots came from, we see signs of brutality entombed within the remains of a destroyed outpost where no one is left alive to explain what happened there.

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You never know what's right around the corner

The special effects are arguably the most memorable part of this film. There's a lot of blood, gore, and sliminess as we see victims of the antagonist or even scenes that show the antagonist in its truest form. The majority of the effects are practical, which is truly impressive as we get to see some horrifyingly Lovecraftian terrors as the research outpost's team tries to figure out what's going on. Considering this film was in production as early as the mid 1970s, it's incredible how this stacks up against future projects like Leviathian or its own future prequel.

The Acting

For a film centered on paranoia, plots like this require actors who can really sell what they're characters are feeling for it to work. Likewise, it's worth noting that this review hasn't mentioned any specific protagonist by name yet, and this is due to the fact that all twelve members of the research outpost's staff are those protagonists. Nearly everyone gets an equal amount of screen-time, which means this is a real team effort production. I'm excited to say that everyone does a solid job with their respective characters with Keith David, Kurt Russell, and Wilford Brimley probably shining the brightest. 

The thing I like most about Russell's performance as the helicopter pilot, MacReady, is that he's capable of saying a whole lot without actually having to speak. There's a scene near the beginning where we see MacReady get a boneheaded order to fly somewhere despite a major blizzard looming nearby. His silent incredulity was hilarious, and I wouldn't be surprised if this same quality made him appeal to Carpenter's future project: Escape from New York City.

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Uh...Behind you, Kurt

Having only previously seen Brimley in his infamous Liberty Medical commercials, I was surprised to see how good of a job he turns in as the senior biologist, Blair. Blair is arguably the most emotionally diverse character of the lot as he swings wildly from being the most logical man in the room to the most insane then back to something else altogether. Brimley pulls off these extreme shifts perfectly in a way that leaves viewers more and more unsettled as things go. Those folks at Liberty Medical got their money's worth. 

The Best of the Best: When the group submit themselves to a blood test.

The Worst of the Worst: Blair's unrealistic computer.

Calhooey Score: 9/10 - Fantastic

Would I Recommend?

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Bring your friends to this one

The Thing is a paranoia-inducing monster mash with some fantastic camerawork and memorable special effects. Horror movie fans will get a real kick out of this one, while I think fans of thrillers with small casts will equally appreciate it. This film kept me guessing until the end, and I think it's a great movie to discuss with friends as the credits roll.

-------------------------------------------------Spoiler Comments-----------------------------------------------------

• Why do the workers at the research outpost have guns and flamethrowers? I suppose I can forgive the dynamite as that could potentially be used for excavation purposes, but Garry looks like he's equipped to go toe-to-toe with John Wayne.
• I know the dog was a monster, but he was just so darn cute. He was a good boy...until he turned into a spider thing.
• Of all the characters to meet gruesome ends, I felt the worst for those poor dogs in the kennel. If someone played "In The Arms Of An Angel" during that scene, I probably would've cried.
• I do sadly think that the prequel ruined this film's segment where they investigate the Norwegian camp. Nothing beats the imagination, and the initial visit to the remains of that outpost are chilling.
• Blair might've been the sanest one there when he began to destroy all the communication equipment.
• Speaking of Blair, who else noticed that he made a noose for himself when they locked him in the shed?
• Also, when do you all think the creature actually got to him? I'm assuming it happened between the initial segment where he was locked up and when they found him eating. I wouldn't be surprised if the monster got him just before he went to commit suicide.
• Windows had a really rough time during this film...
• Okay, do we think the monster is actually dead by the end? If we go by the prequel, Childs can't be the creature as he still has his earring. With that being said...Childs was missing for a while.
• MacReady could also be the creature since he was the one who systematically destroyed the entire facility. He also had plenty of close-calls with the creature, while his absence during a good chunk of the second act is worth noting. Hm...

----------------------------------------------------References--------------------------------------------------

(1) Amazon. (n.d.). The Thing film image. Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.com/Thing-POSTER-Russell-Wilford-Brimley/dp/B06WRNYJF6.

(2) Classichorrorblog. (n.d.). Paranoia gif. Tumblr. Retrieved from: https://classichorrorblog.tumblr.com/post/152276923219/the-thing-directed-by-john-carpenter-1982.

(3) Horvath, S. (2014, October 23). Dog and the shadow image. Unwinnable. Retrieved from: https://unwinnable.com/2014/10/23/i-know-im-human/.

(4) Douramar. (n.d.). Kurt Russell gif. Gifer. Retrieved from: https://gifer.com/en/gifs/is-not-my-thing.

(5) Ultrakillblast. (n.d.). The Thing on the couch gif. Tumblr. Retrieved from: https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/the+thing+gif?sort=top.