Review of The Thing (1982) by James C — 01 Apr 2013

When the crew of an Antarctic research station discover that a neighbouring Norwegian base has been destroyed, the soon find out that the cause is something they could have never imagined.

Anyone who knows me is fully aware that John Carpenter is my favourite director and this movie has got to be one of the finest examples of his work. The story (based on a 1938 short story) is a masterpiece of SF, horror, action with a tiny amount of humour just in the right places. The cast all play their roles to the max and Kurt Russell really embraces the lead character of MacReady. The production values are immense and the cinematography of the surrounding snow really gives the viewer the feeling of isolation of the US base, and the usage of painted backdrops really adds to the overall look and feel. Rob Bottin's special effects are the stuff of legend and even though the monsters are completely insane creations, they never lose their sense of realism, but towards the end things do tend to go a little over the top. All in all this is a classic movie that any serious movie fan should have in their collection, and if you haven't seen it, I strongly recommend that you go out and purchase a copy today, especially on blu-ray as it looks amazing!!