Rating: 
Summary: One of The Best (**** 1/2)
Review: John Carpenter's moody remake of the 1951 B-movie classic concentrates on outrageous, stomach-turning special effects, but does not ignore character or story. The plot involves scientists in Antarctica who stumble on a buried spaceship that contains a strange, frozen organism. When the creature thaws out, it escapes, killing and impersonating every life form within reach. Makeup wizard Rob Bottin deserves some credit for the success of the film, but it's Carpenter who manages to add depth to the fright through a sustained sense of isolation and alienation.
Rating: 
Summary: suspense/horror done right
Review: This is the main exception being in cases where the horror isn't so much in the monster itself as the ideas around the monster.
-------------------------------------thats EXACTLY! what made body snatchers and the thing scary.because it could be anyone or anybody and then the suspensfull paranoia kicks in.especialy in the thing.wich was evedent with blair the dr,who has a great weight on his shoulder due to his knowledge of the thing.so it scared him the most cause he understood what it was capable of.the thing has tention that has been rarely matched by any horror movie,alien,and holloween are the only ones that comes close.whats amazing is the f/x still holds up today.and are still eerie and creepy to this day.people think the plot was sacrificed for the gore,but that could be farther from the truth.if anything it added to the story.this movie is probably one of the rare exceptions to the rule where the gore due the movie justice.everything this movie did was done right,the musical score,the tention,the dialogue.this movie in my honest opinion is the perfect horror/suspense movie
Rating:
Summary: classic cult gorefest
Review: John Carpenter's cult classic is given a nice presentation on this "Collector's Edition" DVD. The special effects still hold up, even after two decades, and it's interesting to hear (on the "Making Of" feature) all the problems they had in contructing the various manifestations of the creature. The film also has a grim nihilistic tone that didn't really find favor with audiences then (E.T. had been released about the same time) and would probably be even less successful today, though this is the only logical mood for the story. The "Making Of" feature reveals some nice background stories but, at 83 minutes, is probably a bit too long. You get almost as much info from Carpenter and Russell's running commentary; listening to the two yuk it up through all the death and gore is almost as much fun as watching the film itself. Sure, the movie suffers from lack of characterization and the cliche of people wandering off by themselves, but hey, we're not talking Masterpiece Theatre here. PS: No one mentions that this film was the inspiration for much of the imagery in modern Japanese anime.
Rating:
Summary: A Sci-Fi Thiller Way Before It's Time
Review: I used to be a graphic arts major and I must say that no matter how many times that I see this movie, I am amazed. The acting, the special effects, and the signature John Carpenter music make this movie one of my favorites horror flicks. "The Thing" is for sure a great sci-fi movie before it's time and probably won't get old for a long time to come.
Rating:
Summary: Carpenter's Creepy Cult Classic
Review: John Carpenter's The Thing makes you curse the day that CGI was ever introduced in Hollywood. Why? Because Rob Bottin's make-up effects in this film from 1982 (!!!) eclipse anything done on computers today. If they were making this movie now, the effects would have undoubtably been done on computers if attempted. What a shame! The nightmarish detail and skill of Bottin's disturbing work would never have seen the light of day in today's era of CGI-laden movies. I mean, the creature effects in this movie are so cool that they actually hold up 21 years later! How many other movies can say this? Even more recent sci-fi fare like Independence Day look dated by now. Bottin's work may not be as polished as say the new Star Wars films, but they still prove effective today. I don't understand why this movie was slammed when it was first released. Often, Carpenter is the victim of being ahead of his time, and I don't think many audiences in 1982 were ready for a dark, cynical film like this. The performances in the movie are all solid, particularly Kurt Russell. He is backed by a strong supporting cast, including Wilford "Quaker Oats" Brimley and Keith David (Pitch Black, There's Something About Mary). Carpenter gives the movie a nice claustrophobic and isolated air, adding an ample degree of tension. The radio doesn't work. A snowstorm blows outside. Everyone distrusts everyone else. Help is nowhere to be found. Who is human? Who is an alien? While the idea of a being that can imitate people (a la Invasion of the Body Snatchers) is not entirely new, Carpenter uses the gimmick in innovative ways, leading to Bottin's often-gory, always-terrifying special effects. The film boasts a number of memorable scenes, including one that will make you never look at CPR and those electric heart paddle-thingys the same way again. However, while the the build-up of this movie is great, that sense of dread ever-increasing, I was a bit let down by the film's climax. It seemed too rushed, and the last glimpse of the creature was disappointing. I was mostly thinking to myself "just what am I looking at here?" Still, Carpenter made a wise choice by not using the stop-motion animation that is included as an extra on the DVD. It keeps the movie from looking hopelessly dated. Carpenter closes the film in typical Carpenter fashion: leaving it a open-ended but with little hope. The dark ending may have turned off a lot of early 80's audiences who were into Michael Jackson pop and Family Ties. I, on the other hand, love it. It's one of Carpenter's very best and a fun ride. The DVD picture is good, and the Carpenter/Russell commentary track is informative. They discuss the harsh criticism received by the film at its release, among other things. The film's sound quality is good as well, and the soundtrack by Ennio Morricone is appropriately minimalistic. Also included is a 90 minute documentary about the making of the film, which spends a lot of time on Bottin's effects and the conception of them. This film has a wealth of imitators (including an episode of the X-Files) and has inspired a recent videogame that serves as a sequel to the film. It's a worthy addition to your DVD collection.
Rating:
Summary: Good on VHS
Review: Here's my problem. I watched this on video and was awed by most of the things that the other reviewers talk about...the effects, the music, the sense of paranoia compounded by the isolation of these characters etc.. But when, out of curiosity, I saw a viewing of the film by a local TV station, I noticed that there were (what would you call it?)added comments by a narrator at the end of the film. Does the DVD contain these? & if not, why not?
Rating:
Summary: Classic Carpenter!
Review: The litmus test of a science-fiction movie is to see how it looks 20 or so years after its release. Alien works; Buck Rogers doesn't. The Thing still looks fresh today, 22 years after it was produced. Thanks, in no small part, to Rob Bottin, the hirsute, smiley-faced effects genius who appears on one of the DVD extras. Here we have a man who seems to love what he does for a living, dramatically recounting some of the gorier effects he produced for the movie. John Carpenter must also take a lot of the credit; the casting is spot-on and the suffocating atmosphere in the movie keeps you gripped until the end reel. The DVD Collectors Edition has a great commentary featuring Carpenter and Kurt Russel laughing it up recalling and retelling anecdotes regarding the movie's production. Not worth docking a star for but I would have liked the alternative ending to have been on the DVD, too. Watch the skies!
Rating:
Summary: '' you gotta be f****** kidding me !''
Review: john carpenter, kurt russell, rob bottin- need i say more? an excellent remake, with top notch work from all involved. a tense, claustrophobic, and genuinely frightening horror film. highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Remaster the sound track in DTS EX or DTS 5.1
Review: The collectors edition is good with the special features but the sound is weak. They did "Big Troulble in Little China" in DTS. Universal should remaster this movies soundtrack. It would be played a lot more by me.
Rating:
Summary: John Carpenter's finest hour.
Review: I am a huge fan of John Carpenter's work, and I recently purchased this DVD. After several viewings, it became clear that this is the penultimate horror film. I have seen a multitude of people complain about the gore in the film, stating that it was only used to hide momentous plot holes and fill screen time, but this viewer is forced to disagree. What better way to make an "alien" lifeform appear more unlike us than to make it, at times, something that defies rational description? I think that the creature of the film, in all of it's slime covered glory, actually adds to the tension of the script. You never actually know what you are looking at...that is infinitely more terrifying than a madman hiding behind a hockey mask. Add the smothering isolation of the artic base, the justified and fascinating lack of trust among the men of the camp, and a haunting score, you just may have the finest example of first rate horror filmmaking. Highly recommended.
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