The Thing (1982)
Directed by: John Carpenter
Premise: A remake of The Thing from Another World (1951). A group of scientists stationed at a facility in the Antarctic discover a shape shifting alien that infects and imitates whatever it comes into contact with.
What Works: John Carpenter is a director whose filmography has been mixed, ranging from classics like Halloween and Escape from New York to forgettable films like Prince of Darkness and Memoirs of an Invisible Man. The Thing
was not a box office hit at the time of its release in 1982 but in the
years since it has emerged as one of Carpenter’s best films and one of
the greatest monster movies of all time. For a monster movie to be
great it must have a great monster and The Thing has one of the most impressive creatures in film. The special effects of The Thing
are a high point of mechanical and prosthetic effects and there is a
grotesque genius to the way these scenes play out. As a product of the
pre-digital era, The Thing is an excellent example of
creativity by constraint; contemporary films rely on computer graphics
and although digital tools allow filmmakers to conjure almost anything,
effects in contemporary films (such as the 2011 prequel to/remake of The Thing) are often overdone to the point that they destroy the illusion. Because the majority of the effects in the 1982 version of The Thing are done practically and retain an appropriate scale they are believable, making the film much more frightening. As a result The Thing has aged very well and many scenes of this film look like they might have been shot recently. The enduring qualities of The Thing are due in large part to the human drama. Like Jaws, The Thing
is a deceptively simple film that focuses on the human characters and
how they cope with the beast in their midst. The filmmakers introduce a
cast of twelve men and although we don’t get to know all of them in a
deep way, they are distinguished enough that they remain distinct
characters. As the men become aware that any one of them could be
infected they begin to suspect each other and the film creates an
atmosphere of paranoia like the Red Scare pictures of the 1950s such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Although The Thing
is most remembered for its special effects, it’s the tense moments
between the men that really make the film work. These long stretches of
tension are punctuated by visceral shocks and after each attack the men
are more panicked and distrustful, escalating the film and setting up
the audience for the next surprise.
What Doesn’t: The finale of The Thing gets
away from the primal fear and paranoia that makes the bulk of the
picture so strong. As the film transitions into a more traditional
monster movie, The Thing becomes less scary and more action
oriented. It’s not a bad climax and the filmmakers do provide a
satisfactory conclusion but it’s of a slightly different timbre than
the rest of the film. The dialogue of The Thing also includes
some of the conspicuous one-liners that plagued 1980s cinema. At their
best these moments can provide comic relief or give a scene the
punctuation it needs but at their worst one-liners create a cheekiness
that snaps the viewer out of the movie. In The Thing the
one-liners come just often enough and usually hit the right note but
they do contrast with the more understated tone of the rest of the
movie.
DVD extras: The Collector’s Edition DVD includes a commentary track, documentary, outtakes, image galleries, production notes, and a trailer. The Blu-ray edition only includes a commentary track.
Bottom Line: The Thing ranks among Alien and Jaws among the great monster movies but it manages to be more than that. This is a story about paranoia and how people react in a crisis and because of that subtext the film is far more frightening.
Note: The 2011 film titled The Thing is a prequel (and an unnecessary one at that) to this film.
Episode: #408 (October 7, 2012)