Rating: 
Summary: Splutter combined with a portrait of human fear.
Review: This I like.Although it's based on some different writers book (I forgot the name) I found this movie particularly lovecraftian. The whole idea of an expedition on the south pole and the fight for survival of a group of scientists seems to come straight out of H.P. Lovecraft's brilliant novel "At the mountains of madness". This movie is fairly graphic it get's 4 out of 5 stars on my blood rate scale. The thing's hideous performances seem to be the product of the imagination of a bunch of sick minds just like mine. Needless to say I find this movie a classic. Besides the splutter elements the psychological part grips you as well, knowing one of your friends is possessed by some alien but not knowing which one can be quite a mind killer. I still think they should have started the movie with H.P. Lovecraft's immortal quote: "The most merciful thing in the world ... is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents."
Rating: 
Summary: The Thing
Review: The 75 veiwers that gave this DVD 4.5 stars. Must have widescreen television and straight stereo sound. I watched this DVD on a 27" full screen television and a Bose surround sound system with a powered sub woofer. I found the widescreen format(not that I had a choice of formats) very distracting and of poor color and diffinition. Surround sound was vertually non existant. I also have an old VHS stereo version and enjoyed all aspects of this format far better that the DVD. Lou
Rating:
Summary: John Carpenters The Thing
Review: This movie was beyond superb. The special effects, acting, and edge of your seat, nailbiting suspense was above Five Star ratings. I would highly reccomend this movie for the not so weak of heart or To all those horror movie buffs.
Rating:
Summary: It doesn't get any better than this
Review: What's with the reviews out there blasting this movie? Sure the gore's excessive and the plot isn't over complicated...big deal. As far as sci-fi horror flicks go I don't think it gets much better than this. Great concept, alien crashes 100,000 years ago and is only now unleased. The acting is all low key so the characters all seem very plausible and there are no real overdramatic moments. This really helps immerse the viewer since it's not impossible to imagine the situation happening. Carpenter does an excellent job of keeping the tension rising throughout the film. People blast the gore but it works great. We don't want to see the Thing show up any more than our characters do so we wind up being stressed out along with them. As with any horror movie things begins to fall apart towards the end and this is done superbly in The Thing. The characters get stressed and strung out but there's really no point where people are acting like insane people, Carpenter resists that overused horror bit. And the hero isn't the usual horror stock either. Russell's character tends to be more reluctant to take charge of the situation. He knows right after they visit the Norweigan camp what's going on but doesn't step in until much later. If you think I'm wrong notice that he hits the alarm and asks for the flamethrower as soon as he hears the dogs going nuts in the kennel. It's the subtle things like that which many of the people who blast this movie don't notice. Definately one of if not the finest sci-fi horrors ever made. *If you haven't seen the movie don't read further* Two last great things about this movie. That dog! Best supporting actor in the film!
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Summary: Science fiction horror is as it should be: Scary
Review: This is something most horror films most definitely are not: scary; suspenseful; chilling. The film music score contributes effectively to those same three elements. It'll gross you out but, more importantly to me, it'll also scare you. Great atmospheric piece.
Rating: 
Summary: Another above-board example of Carpenter
Review: John Carpenter has, in my eyes, really always been the Stephen King of the horror movie. He brought it down to street level with 'Halloween' and 'The Fog' and never quite learned how to refine it. 'Prince of Darkness' could have been shot by him in 1980, not 1987, for example. 'The Thing' is where he fared best. With the inflated ego he may have gained from 'Escape From New York's success, it's easy to think that he might then have forgot how to expend effort in his endeavours. 'The Thing'has all the necessary bits and pieces: claustrophobia, locative isolation, down-to-earth characters who can never hope to deal with the darkness of their predicament. Terrific. Russell is the Duke Nukem of the gang, progressively wielding his heroism without shame. Carpenter's direction exudes sufficient amounts of suspense, augmented by Ennio Morricone's droning score. There is also a nice, dark conclusion here which smashes the first impression you may get from the title if you think it's a remake of the 1951 original B-picture. Great. So why not give it the whole nine yards and do the 5-star thing? No. I cannot afford it that much respect. Carpenter, like Stephen King, strikes home with the horror, but there's never any leanings made toward throwing occultism into the mix. Sure, space contains unknown things but without the primary Satanic impetus to make you want to run, how can a viewer not get to sleep at night after seeing 'The Thing'? Still, quite scary to watch even if you don't end up with ruffled feathers in the aftermath. Give it a chance but not for keeps.
Rating:
Summary: The Thing - Carpenter at his best.
Review: I had seen this title many times both at the cinema when it was released and on video over the years since. I had eagerly awaited its release on DVD and was not disappointed when I finally saw it. Plenty extra features and a good transfer. The film is a true horror film with plenty of suspense, terror and gore to keep the horror fan happy - the effect with the spider head running along the floor may be dated by todays special effects standards but still sticks in my memory as an all time classic. There may be several plot holes but with all films of this type just sit back, ignore them and enjoy this film for what it is - 104mins of real entertainment.
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Summary: John Carpenter is a genius
Review: John Carpenter is a genius! he should have won best director. This movie is one of the greatest science fiction movies ever. (Other than They Live by John Carpenter)
Rating:
Summary: VERY SCARY
Review: MOVIES NEVER SCARE ME BUT BOY DID THIS ONE
Rating:
Summary: Okay, but....
Review: ehhh, it's ok. Not great, not a high point in Carpenters career, but it's worth renting. Not a classic, but if you are in the mood for a horror movie and "Halloween" is rented, I'd have no problems renting this one. Buying it would be a REAL problematic thing though...
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