Rating: 
Summary: A Serious, Suspenseful Thriller. The Special FX still Dazzle
Review: Being a Huge John Carpenter fan and an Even Bigger Kurt Russel fan, I didn't need much prodding to purchase "The Thing - Collectors Edition" on DVD, (even though I had Never seen it) and even though it was a Gamble, it was a Gamble that paid off.Kurt Russel plays part of an American Research team in Antarctica, who seem to be Infested with some kind of Alien Species, as The Thing infiltrates members of the group, (using their bodies like pods) the members left alive begin to fight amongst themselves. It's becomes a "Nobody trust Nobody" scenario that Descends into an Orgy of Violence and Carnage. (if that doesn't excite you, nothing will) Kurt's makes his Character the Strong Silent type, like "Snake Plissken", his character in John Carpenters "Escape from New York". The Entire Cast takes it all Very, Very Seriously, which helps make the film Genuinely Scary. John Carpenter help by getting Maximum Thrills out of the Scenario, the Sets and the Special Effects. Rob Bottin's Alien Effects are some of the most Ingenious Creations in Cinema History. These days, Scary, Serious Monster movies are quite rare. Films like "Deep Rising" and "The Mummy" are played more for laughs, "Anaconda" and "Lake Placid" are about as Scary as "Attack of the Teletubies", "The Thing" is Different. It is a Deadly Serious, Genuinely Scary Thriller that works Just as well Today as it did in the 80's.
Rating:
Summary: Carpenter's finest hour
Review: Critically assaulted upon its initial release and utterly demolished at the box office, John Carpenter's The Thing has slowly but deservedly emerged as one of the greatest horror films ever made - and Carpenter's finest hour. Returning to the source of the original story (John W. Campbell's classic short story "Who Goes There?"), Carpenter, and screenwriter Bill Lancaster, brought the shape-changing attributes of the alien to the fore (jettisoned by Howard Hawks' 1951 version, which had James Arness shuffling about in dark corridors for most of the running time), and gave special effects man Rob Bottin licence to create some of the most truly repulsive creature effects in film history. But much more than a showcase for groundbreaking special effects, The Thing offers a timely reminder of the kind of paranoia introduced by films like Invasion of the Bodysnatchers: loss of personality was a major theme of Fifties horror, and Carpenter here couples it with the idea of the human body in revolt. There is also some subtle playing around with dialogue scenes - Carpenter often cuts away in the middle of a scene when you think there is more dialogue coming - which shows the director's experimental - almost playful - approach to the horror form and the controlling of suspense in particular. Carpenter's film has been severely criticised for its lack of strong characterisation - all of the characters are given absolutely no room to develop - but I think this is intentional on the part of the director and screenwriter; a major theme of The Thing is the eradication of personality due to the introduction of outside "alien" forces. We might not care very much for these characters, but we do care for the humanity they represent. The Thing appears in its original theatrical aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this single-sided, double-layered DVD; the image has not been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. While not flawless, the movie looks good on DVD. The disc contains an 82-minute-long documentary covering different aspects of the production of the film, from the start and location scouting to casting to a detailed explanation of the film's special effects. The documentary also features some never-before seen stop-motion animation footage that was considered for the film's finale as well as a number of behind-the-scenes clips. The disc also contains extensive still galleries, featuring Rob Bottin's effect designs, storyboard sketches, concept art, behind-the-scenes photographs and a number of deleted scenes. Rounded up with pictures from the film's premiere in Los Angeles with a special appearance by hostess Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson in 1982, extensive production notes, trailers, biographies and much, much more, this is as thick a special edition as you could possibly ask for.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites
Review: I won't do a synopsis of the movie since people can find that in half the reviews, but instead I'd just like to share some of my thoughts about why this movie plants its fat, glorious butt over junk that's made nowadays *cough, 13 Ghosts, cough*. The premise of this movie is simplistic, but effective. Instead of having the usual bug-eyed alien or monster, this one inhabits people's bodies. What better way to create tension? Of course, the setting enhances the tension even more and leads to some very cool shots of the arctic landscape. I also love Carpenter's directing. I hate how many movies nowadays use excessive slow motion shots to try to create drama or tension, or do that ridiculous "shaky camera" thing to simulate action when it just ends up being confusing and disorienting (that was one of my few big objections to 28 Days Later). What does Carpenter do? He keeps it subdued, lets things like the dog and the isolated nature of the research base build up the tension at the beginning, and then lets the effects and the completely warped creature ideas speak for themselves. Of course I am not an expert on directing style, but all I know is that this movie doesn't do anything fancy or club you over the head with its style, and it's far more tense than most horror movies I see nowadays. Last but not least, I love Ennio Morricone's score. A great job done with very little. See, keeping it simple is the way to go! (At least until it comes to the gore, hehe). I think that, much like Aliens, this is an already great movie that is simply perfected by music that fits the atmosphere beautifully. I haven't read the short novel it's based on yet, but I want to. Oh, and from what I can remember of the old 50's one, this movie is superior in my opinion. Watch it!
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Summary: John Carpenter's crowing achievement.
Review: John Carpenter has made many films, ranging from pretty damn good (ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED, CHRISTINE), to average (VAMPIRES, THEY LIVE, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK), to downright terrible (GHOSTS OF MARS). Overall though, in my opinion there are only two films that fans of his work can truly rave about, and that would be HALLOWEEN, and this film, THE THING, which is without doubt one of the best remakes ever made. The film centres around three things. The isolation of the research team is expertly conveyed right from the very beginning, with sweeping long shots of barren arctic landscape, miles from any human civilisation. Paranoia is created to the extreme among the men, who can't help but be suspicious of the men they are working with in such confined and isolated conditions. Thirdly, the special effects. You can't fault them. CGI, while impressive for explosions and the like, will never substitute for man-made effects, and this film is a shining example. It's a crying shame that this film wasn't a box-office successwhen it was released, but it is inevitable that it would fail when pitting it against the likes of ET. For me, THE THING is a far superior film, and will reman a horror classic for all time. This film is perfect in every way.
Rating:
Summary: Carpenter at his best
Review: Halloween may be John Carpenter's most popular film, but his re-make of The Thing is probably his greatest film. He does everything right. That combined with a fantastic ensemble cast made The Thing a masterpiece of suspense and sci-fi horror. The story revolves around a research station in Antarctica that has a run in with some crazed Norwegians. Investigating the Norwegian's station, they find that the Norwegians discovered a crashed spacecraft and it's apparent pilot who was frozen in ice for thousands of years. Well, the pilot's awake now. So, where is it? The answer: He is YOU. Based on the story "Who Goes There?" (based more closely than the original actually), we are thrust into a paranoia scenario where the small group of researchers comes to terms with an alien predator that can look like any creature (or person) and one or more of your "friends" may not be who you think they are. Carpenter keeps the cast small and the environment cramped. Outside the station a winter storm is raging. The pressure builds. The creature (courtesy of f/x master Rob Bottin) changes and shifts and never looks the same. The ending is a nihlistic stare-down signaling that either we are finally safe, or that we are all going to die. Carpenter refers to this as the first of his three "apocolypse" films. The other two being "Prince of Darkness" and "In The Mouth of Madness". The weight of knowing that if the creature isn't killed, it will just freeze, and wait to be revived again, adds yet another layer of pressure. The featurette is amazing and tracks the whole process of creating the movie. It is full of interviews and behind the scenes artwork, including storyboards by comic book great Mike Ploog. The commentary track is great as well. Carpenter and Russell obviously like each other and enjoyed making the movie. They tell many humorous behind the scenes stories as well as give some interesting technical insights. I have seen this film probably 10 times minimum and it still effects me today. I love suspense, and if you do too, then get this DVD. Warning, the effects are vicious. But despite the shocks, the treasure is the suspense.
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Summary: the scariest alien movie
Review: the thing is a remake of a 50s movie were scientist are snowed in at a place in alaska and some kind of alien that has been frozen under the ice thaws and attacks the people the original was cheesy and about vegetation but john carpenters award winning remake is 1 of the sickest scariest things youve seen even today the sick scenes are unsurpassed this time the alien gets in your dog or u and mutates in the sickest ways you ever scene the whole movies tense u never know who has the thing in his blood i believe this movie was kurt russels first adult leading role before scape from newyork this collectors edition dvd has extra footage that shows how they found the ice whatever the entity is thawed out from it has alot of interviews and bonuses too this dvd should be right along with aliens on your scifi collection and like the fog and halloween it is 1 of the then youngjohn carpenters masterpieces back when he knew how to create a scary movie this movies audio like the fog is just as scary as the visuals buy today
Rating: 
Summary: Don't rent this. Buy it. Today.
Review: This movie had the terrible fortune of being released the same summer as "E.T -- The Extra Terrestrial." Audiences had their choice of going with Steven Spielberg's take on aliens -- adorable creatures that eat Reese's Pieces and befriend little boys -- or John Carpenter's version, in which the aliens eat people and befriend nobody. We all know which movie was the hit, and that is too damn bad, because "The Thing" is simply one of the ten best sci-fi horror movies ever made. Forget labels, however. This film simply works. "E.T." twanged at your heartstrings: "The Thing" aims to rip them out alltogether, and it does a terrific job. Anyone who has read any of my reviews (I know there must be one of you out there somewhere....hi, Mom) knows that I'm a huge fan of "atmosphere" and this film cranks up some of the creepiest atmosphere around. Imagine this: You and about ten other guys are snowbound on an Antarctic research station, several thousand miles from civilization, completely isolated. A shape-shifting alien that can imitate any form of life it comes into contact with -- dogs, people -- is unearthed from the ice after a 100,000 year sleep and wakes up in an awful mood. One by one, it picks off your buddies in unbelievably gruesome ways. Problem is, you aren't sure which of your buddies is human and which might be, well, "the Thing." Trapped in the remote station with no radios and no way of getting help, you are stuck fighting a monster that can not only imitate anything it wants, and perfectly, but which can form a whole new monster from any chunk of itself you happen to shoot, stab, or blow off. Now start to realize that if the thing wins, it will inflitrate the rescue team that will inevitably arrive, and from there, go on to wipe out the entire planet posthaste.
How do you tell who your friends are? How do you survive? Are you even sure you should? Ladies and Gentlemen, you've just gotten through about half an hour of "The Thing." And yes, matters get worse. Carpenter is one of the biggest hit-and-miss directors around. When he misses, he usually misses big -- did you see "Prince of Darkness?" -- but when he hits, as he did on "Halloween" and yes, "The Thing" -- he sends that expletive-deleted ball flying right out of the park and bouncing into traffic. Everything about this movie -- the special effects, the dialogue, the acting -- especially by Kurt Russel, Wilford Brimley, and Keith David, but really the entire cast with no exceptions -- hits with magnum impact. If you're not creeped out, you're grossed out, and if you're not wondering who the hell the Thing is, you're finding out in a really unpleasant way. Rob Bottin did once-and-a-lifetime work on the SPFX and gore for this film, and while critics dissed it mercilessly for just that reason -- too much of the red stuff -- there is nothing in this film that happens for cheap shock value. Some have accused Carpenter of catering to those who slow down for car wrecks, but they miss the point -- what comes first in this film is the interplay between the characters. This movie is as much about paranoia as it is about blood, and if it exploits anything, it exploits just that -- our fear. Of the dark. Of the cold. Of ourselves and what might happen to us when the lights go out. Isn't that what a horror movie is supposed to do?
Rating:
Summary: The Thing (1982)
Review: Director: John Carpenter
Cast: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Richard Dysart.
Running Time: 108 minutes.
Rated R for violence, gore, and language. This remake of the 1951 classic is so incredibly different and much more grotesque that it bears almost no relation to the original except the title. The John Carpenter version harnesses the same premise--an otherworldly creature inhabits members of an army radar station crew and proceeds to murder, eat, dismember, etc. all those in the area. Kurt Russell plays the main protagonist and gives a fine performance in the lead role. John Carpenter ("Halloween", "Christine") is a pure master of suspense, using a tense musical score and rigid, unique camera angles for many of his shots. He also uses much more gore than usual--particularly the scene in which the creatures bursts out of the dog and gruesomely transforms into something new. Superb makeup and special effects make "The Thing" a disturbing, atmospheric tale of the unknown. Not much of a plot or theme, just a good old fashioned story with the 1980's gory technology. Considered by some to a modern classic; considered by others to be a nasty, cruel rendition of a film that did not need a remake.
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Summary: Feces hurling Fun for the whole family
Review: The movie was awsome but lets talk about the special fetures. During the interviews we couldn't help but notice that the special effects guy who created +the Thing" bared a striking resemblance to the sasquatch creature of yore. One can asume that the saquatch beats's feces throwing must have set back production times by several months and must have claimed at least 12 lives.
Rating:
Summary: One of my top 5 favorite movies!!!! (and I've seen a lot)
Review: I must admit, I was expecting a really crappy movie when I saw the cover of this DVD. I got it along with 12 Monkeys (my 2nd favorite movie)in a 2-pack. I've rarely been so pleasantly surprised. Kurt Russel plays such an awesome role in this movie. Also, the atmosphere that Carpenter builds along with the eerie yet subtle score is fantastic. I would hate to ruin this movie for any one, so I will say that the 2nd half of the movie, especially, is just spectacular. And, of course, the special effects are pretty darn impressive for the early 80's.
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