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The Thing (1982) Comments
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Tin Lunchbox
Jan 24, 2012, 6:23:28 AM1/24/12
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"The Thing" is a 1982 remake of an earlier film about an invasive
alien life form that troubles an Antarctic research station. The
alien's powers of mimicry create a psychologically tense and
borderline paranoid atmosphere because each researcher feels his
fellows have been inhabited by the thing. It's pretty good.
First, I'd mention I watched this on "wide-screen edition" VHS and it
looked surprising good on a small-medium color TV. I wasn't expecting
much because VHS is lowish resolution to begin with, and when you
letterbox it in the middle, you're probably losing another 25% to 30%
of even that. They must've compensated with high-grade tape and the
use of "THX Digital Mastering" which is referred to on the carton. Of
course it's not high-def and the flaws would probably be more apparent
on a modern TV or even just a larger TV. All the same, I've seen many
cruddy quality VHS tapes and VHS transfers, but this one made me think
"not bad!"
Director John Carpenter understands how to film suspense as amply
demonstrated by his earlier "Halloween," and there's some suspense
here, but The Thing is also heavily characterized by grotesque,
sticky, icky, gooey, and gory representations of the alien, and of its
victims. I don't really like all that, but it doesn't much offend me
either, and I have to admit some of it was, ermm, bloody creative. I
would say it's a little too intense for young kids.
Kurt Russell was good as action-oriented and aptly-named helicopter
pilot MacReady, and the rest of the cast (I guess there were like nine
researchers and support personnel) are fine as well.
On balance this is a good, worthwhile horror movie (and certainly with
some sci-fi elements). I was entertained enough by the premise that
now I'd like to see the 1951 original and the "prequel" that came out
just last year.
TiN[]BoX
alien life form that troubles an Antarctic research station. The
alien's powers of mimicry create a psychologically tense and
borderline paranoid atmosphere because each researcher feels his
fellows have been inhabited by the thing. It's pretty good.
First, I'd mention I watched this on "wide-screen edition" VHS and it
looked surprising good on a small-medium color TV. I wasn't expecting
much because VHS is lowish resolution to begin with, and when you
letterbox it in the middle, you're probably losing another 25% to 30%
of even that. They must've compensated with high-grade tape and the
use of "THX Digital Mastering" which is referred to on the carton. Of
course it's not high-def and the flaws would probably be more apparent
on a modern TV or even just a larger TV. All the same, I've seen many
cruddy quality VHS tapes and VHS transfers, but this one made me think
"not bad!"
Director John Carpenter understands how to film suspense as amply
demonstrated by his earlier "Halloween," and there's some suspense
here, but The Thing is also heavily characterized by grotesque,
sticky, icky, gooey, and gory representations of the alien, and of its
victims. I don't really like all that, but it doesn't much offend me
either, and I have to admit some of it was, ermm, bloody creative. I
would say it's a little too intense for young kids.
Kurt Russell was good as action-oriented and aptly-named helicopter
pilot MacReady, and the rest of the cast (I guess there were like nine
researchers and support personnel) are fine as well.
On balance this is a good, worthwhile horror movie (and certainly with
some sci-fi elements). I was entertained enough by the premise that
now I'd like to see the 1951 original and the "prequel" that came out
just last year.
TiN[]BoX
Benoit Meulle-Stef
Jan 24, 2012, 6:38:54 AM1/24/12
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Benoit
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