Rating: 
Summary: Chilling and atmospheric!
Review: First, a little background -- I'm not a movie horror buff (although I enjoy horror books), I do like film sci-fi (which The Thing really isn't, it's horror). Also, I don't particularly care for anything else John Carpenter has done (again, I really don't like most film horror).That said, "The Thing" is one of my all-time favorite films. What I genuinely appreciate in a film is ATMOSPHERE (regardless of genre), and this film has it in spades. A film should create a unique world, a two-hour universe to live in. "The Thing" accomplishes that better than 98% of other movies I've seen. This is one of those rare instances where I really believe people when they say "I was scared," or "I had nightmares." This film really is THAT good!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best horror movies ever!!
Review: This is clearly one of the best horror films that has ever been made. This movie excelled in acting, screenplay, sound, script, etc. There really was no weak point in this movie. When writing a horror film, the primary thing that sets apart the great horror films from "the rest" is the ability to capture true human fear. This movie does it. The worst fear known to all of humanity is to not know who or where your enemy is. This is what the movie is all about. For all fans of this movie, be sure to hunt down the X-Files 1st Season episode "Ice". This is a remake of "The Thing" and done extraordinarily well. This is available on VHS and DVD. Find it and buy it. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: This was great
Review: This is one of my favorite movies of all time. There hasn't been many movies put out in the last 10 years that can compare to this one. Not only was it scary, but it had that weird feeling that youve seen something that youve never seen before. The bloodtest scene is one of the most tense moments in any movie Ive seen. Right up to the end you don't know who's who or what's what. If you like suspense/thiller/horror movies, The Thing is a must see. They just don't make movies like this anymore.
Rating:
Summary: the thing which scared the living snot out of me
Review: i rented this film from my mate who said it was crap but i still took it and watched it.i didnt know what to expect but it is a brilliant film.the music is very very eerie,the f/x and gore are very realistic and sickeningly grusome.this isnt just a gore fest though,as the story and performances are brillliant and the suspence really makes you bite your nails.people of a nervous disposition STAY CLEAR as it contains very grusome and realistic gore.this has got to be the only horror film which stays in your mind and it still scares me . this is a die-hard purchase for horror fans
Rating: 
Summary: Scary!
Review: All-male research team in an isolated Antarctic outpost is menaced by an alien that assumes the shape of the creature it kills. Because the creature looks like members of the team, paranoia, mistrust, and claustrophobia amplify the tension and suspense as they accuse each other of being "The Thing." Unlike Jaws (1977) and Alien (1979), this movie does not conceal the creature but rather uses special effects to shock and build terror as the creature blasts its way into key scenes. The real fear begins to build when camera focus turns to a dog who looks as though it has a lot on its mind. While I enjoy the Ten Little Indians-type "which of us is the killer" atmosphere, the special effects turned my stomach. Kurt Russell plays a great role as Macready, the man who becomes the eventual leader. Macready does not hesitate to pull the trigger on anyone or anyTHING that threatens his own survival - similar to the Snake Plissken role in Escape From New York, but even more icy. Macready is an alpha male who is frequently challenged by the other alpha male, Childs (Keith David). Their abrasive relationship reveals to the audience just how intent on survival the whole group is. Even when you watch every shify eye and strange look, the alien's identity continues to surprise. The scene where Macready has the men tied to a bench to take blood tests will make you toss your popcorn. In the background, the pulsating, heartbeat music adds to the menacing fear in the same way the Psycho, Jaws, and Halloween music does. Those with weak stomachs may need the remote to make quick FFs through the gruesome parts. Otherwise, turn the lights down and watch it at 2am by yourself and good luck to you.
Rating:
Summary: White-knuckle terror!
Review: THE THING is without a doubt John Carpenter's greatest achievement. I have often wondered what Carpenter's career would be like today if THE THING had been a financial success on its initial release in 1982. This is one of those rare movies whose reputation just keeps growing and growing with the passing years. This is undeniably one of the most bleak, pessimistic films of the past generation, and I think its original failure was caused by both the harrowing mood and by bad timing: this was NOT what audiences really wanted to see in the same summer that gave us ET! Despite its initial failure, THE THING became a true cult film by the late 1980's, and only today is it receiving the admiration it richly deserves. Most people focus on the mind-boggling special effects as the film's most obvious achievement, and this is with good reason: because THE THING was made before the digital revolution, its monster was constructed by hand and animated. This technique is used to full advantage here, as the creatures have a physical presence that makes them not just look real, but FEEL real, with a definite existence in 3-D space, unlike the silly dinosaurs of JURASSIC PARK, which just look like fancy cartoons. However, the great effects are fully justified by the story, and, in reality, aren't nearly as prominent in the movie as people seem to think - there are only four sequences which involve the characters actually confronting the monster! What really makes the film work are the incredible performances given by the entire cast - you can see their world collapse around them as distrust and paranoia take hold. Carpenter's direction is superb throughout - the widescreen edition of this movie is the one to get on VHS because Carpenter's compositions are presented in all their chilly elegance. The film moves expertly between vast vistas of dead white space and claustrophobic interiors: it begins in the bright sunlight and ends in total darkness. I also find THE THING particularly significant as an AIDS parable - a mysterious organism destroys a previously harmonious male community, kills from within, and you have to take a blood test to find out who has "it" and who doesn't. I don't think that it can be a coincidence that this movie appeared only a short time after AIDS paranoia began to grip the world. The Morricone soundtrack is as spare and sere as the film's Antarctic landscapes, and the ambiguous ending will prey at your mind for days.
Rating:
Summary: An underrated, lovecraftian classic
Review: Beside being a masterpiece, "The Thing" is a case study on how sone peculiar work of art ends up being perceived on its real strenght an weakness, but on some sort of collective repetition of critical clichees being perpetuated by people too lazy to make the effort to see the actual movie. Since 1982 this movie has been criticized for being just a showcase of spectacular (if maybe spectaularly gross) special effects, entirely overkilling a feeble storyline. Of course, this is not the case, if compared to modern extravaganzas as "Wild Wild West", "The Thing" is a model of cinematic build-up in the history of the horror/sf subgenre. Granted, Rob Bottin SFX ARE among the most spectacular ever done - more so if you think that there's no digital work in it. But what makes "The Thing" a winner is its atmosphere. In an interesting parallel with the other unsung masterpiece of 1982, Cronenberg's "Videodrome", "The Things" look almost like an unofficial filmic version of HP Lovecraft "At The Mountains Of Madness", as "Videodrome" was a crazed adaptation of PK Dick "The Three Stigmata Of Palmer Eldritch", conveing the eerie Lovecraftian mood much more succesfuly than any "official" HPL's adaptation. It's grim, dark, mean downward spiral until the final denuement, as 12 scientist in a remote Anctartica base battle a vicious and alien enemy that could be (literally) hiding inside anyone (if not most) of them. Carpenter choose a direct, almost documentary feel approach to the subject, immensely helped by some very solid performance by a buch of good-if-not-very-well-known actor, and, of course, by a stellar Kurt Russell at his meanest as MacReady, a weary, grizzled elicopter pilot that simply refuse to give up without any fight. The sense of impending doom is enanched by a grainy, dark cinematography, and by a simple but haunting electronic score officially penned by Ennio Morricone, but close to the spirit of Carpenter own scores. And yes, there's the final scene - one of the most stunning ever filmed. In 1982 "The Thing" flopped, probably because in those days of phoney hopes few people could stand such an unflinching vision. As years have passed, it has grown up as a true classic. Give it a try, and you'll not be disappointed
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Sci-Fi films of the 80's and a great DVD!
Review: John Carpenter's "The Thing" is an impressive DVD. Along with it's masterful widescreen presentation, there is a wonderful audio commentary by John Carptenter and Kurt Russell, and there is an 80 minute documentary about the making of the film featuring interviews from the cast and crew. It is insightful and even very entertaining on it's own. The film itself looks great on DVD. The story involves a group of Antartic scientist who discover something frozen in the ice. Then all hell breaks loose. It's scary, extremely graphic and very entertaining. "The Thing" is one of the best Collector's Edition's to come from Universal's DVD's.
Rating:
Summary: John Carpenter was a genius before his time!
Review: Comparing this film to the many special-effects-laden movies of today, you have to admit "The Thing" matches up closely. Back then, there were no computer generated images added. Almost everything was done by mechanics or make-up, which in this movie, there is plenty. I remember when this movie first came out, there was a lot of press about the special effects in it, how real and stomach-turning it looked. It still stands up in this day and age of film-making. The story begins with a shot of a spacecraft entering the earth's atmosphere, crashing and burning toward the surface. Then, the title morphs onto the screen. It IS a remake of a 50's movie, but made more believable by the form Carpenter gives the creature. Which in a word is . . . grotesque. A group of forgotten military scientists in the artic encounter the arrival of the creature unknowingly. But slowly, the group comes to know the danger and turn amongst themselves, not knowing who to trust until the typical, yet very intense, John Carpenter ending. I highly recommend this movie and wish John Carpenter would make more movies like this again. I give it 4 Stars!
Rating:
Summary: The ultimate in alien terror!
Review: Though panned by the critics and ignored by moviegoers upon its initial release, John Carpenter's THE THING has since gone on to become one of the defining moments in the history of the modern horror film. A malevolent alien life form has come to earth. It devours all living matter that it comes into contact with, shaping itself into the form of its prey in the process. The members of an Antartic research team are all that stands between the unseen invader and the total conquest of earth. Carpenter never lets the pace slacken, instead allowing the fear and paranoia to build to the breaking point. Who is really human? Who is just an alien imitation? Will mankind survive? The bleakness of Carpenter's vision is indeed a heavy burden to bear for some filmgoers. THE THING is definately NOT a light viewing experience. However, that is what sets this film apart from so many of its cinematic bretheren(that, and Rob Bottin's groundbrealking spfx). It is a film that dares to dramatize the darkest of concepts(we have met the enemy and he is us) and doesn't pull any punches in doing so. Few films have been as raw and as intense as THE THING. Then again, few films have possessed its power to resonate with filmgoers over successive generations. An undeniably brilliant and classic horror film.
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