The Thing - Collector's Edition

Starring:Adrienne Barbeau, Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, David Clennon, Keith David, Richard A. Dysart, Larry J. Franco, Charles Hallahan, Nate Irwin, Peter Maloney, Richard Masur, Donald Moffat, Joel Polis, Clint Rowe, Kurt Russell, Ken Strain, Thomas G. Waites, Norbert Weisser, William Zeman
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

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Director John Carpenter and special makeup effects master Rob Bottin teamed up for this 1982 remake of the 1951 science fiction classic The Thing from Another World, and the result is a mixed blessing. It's got moments of highly effective terror and spine-tingling suspense, but it's mostly a showcase for some of the goriest and most horrifically grotesque makeup effects ever created for a movie. With such highlights as a dog that splits open and blossoms into something indescribably gruesome, this is the kind of movie for die-hard horror fans and anyone who slows down to stare at fatal traffic accidents. On those terms, however, it's hard not to be impressed by the movie's wild and wacky freak show. It all begins when scientists at an arctic research station discover an alien spacecraft under the thick ice, and thaw out the alien body found aboard. What they don't know is that the alien can assume any human form, and before long the scientists can't tell who's real and who's a deadly alien threat. Kurt Russell leads the battle against the terrifying intruder, and the supporting cast includes Richard Masur, Richard Dysart, Donald Moffat, and Wilford Brimley. They're all playing standard characters who are neglected by the mechanistic screenplay (based on the classic sci-fi story "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell), but Carpenter's emphasis is clearly on the gross-out effects and escalating tension. If you've got the stomach for it (and let's face it, there's a big audience for eerie gore), this is a thrill ride you won't want to miss. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

I had to wait 24 years to see this movie.......2007-06-25

When I had 5 years old I saw some trailers in 1982 when some guy lose his head and the head run. I can't believe what hapenned and i had about 2 days that I can't sleep well.

I never knew the name of that movie, until talking with an older friend in 2005 he told the name... The Thing. Oh my god !!! I ran to buy this movie. I eliminated all the fears from all this years.

This is a great movie, a great history, Kurt Russel rocks.

Thanks Mr. Carpenter to accept this remake of "The thing from another world" and thanks to give the principal role to Kurt Russel.

U.S. Outpost #31, Antarctica, 1982--Twelve men are commissioned to gather physical and natural science data. It is the dead of winter. With six months of darkness ahead of them, they uncover the find of the century. Of a thousand centuries.

If only they could put it back.

Paranoia Given Flesh.......2007-06-07

It still shocks me that this movie bombed at the box office and very nearly ended John Carpenter's career. The top notch effects, excellent direction and acting, as well as a novel storyline make this a suspense film that eats into your very bones. Kurt Russell and the rest of the cast give soul to the characters who struggle to survive against a foe who threatens to divide and conquer them one by one. The thought behind the thing was mind blowing: an amorphous alien who camouflages itself in order to enter into a group and destroy them from within. If you haven't seen this then you must. You can't be a horror buff without it.

Where's Adrienne Barbeau.......2007-06-02

Where is Adrienne Barbeau in this movie starring Kurt Russell? I guess the review for this would be better if you could get the actors & actresses right

His best movie after Halloween.......2007-05-23

I hope to all that is great that they do NOT make a remake of this movie. You can argue that this was remake but if you read the original story, you will find that this is a closer adaptation of the book than the original movie.

Paranoid at the Pole.......2007-05-23

Making a tautly suspenseful film requires the ingredients of a superbly crafted work such as this science fiction classic. The Thing is not merely a sequence of gore-splashed killings that leaves one wondering who will be the last man standing. Suspense builds, and paranoia grows to fever pitch in this action packed thriller.

Atmospheric conditions of Anarctica and the creepy dark corners in this ice camp provide the canvas for a master to go to work on the nerves. But far worse is in store for the camp dwellers who find themselves out of radio contact with the rest of the world and wondering how they will warn of their horrible discovery. As the story unravels, everyone learns survival has become a game of every man for himself. No one can be trusted in this nightmare at the bottom of the world.

The film opens mysteriously enough. The quiet of the camp is shattered by gunfire from an approaching helicopter. Someone is shooting at what appears to be a fleeing dog. In an unforgiving part of the planet where the pressures are extreme, conclusions are quickly drawn that the helicopter occupants surely have lost their minds. But, the shooter is dropped and the pilot killed in a fiery explosion before questions can get under way. An investigation is promptly mounted and the camp dwellers soon learn from a visit to the neighboring camp that the men in the helicopter were overcome not by insanity but a creature found buried in the ice. But is it soon enough?

Kurt Russell plays the stereotype, no-nonse, machismo hero who ends up leading a struggle to stop "the thing." The cast is populated by a garden variety oddball or two, a few eggheads and the every-man faces that have become customary fare for an alien-eats menu. No character development here. No time for it in this well-paced flick.

The technology is impressive enough that the film's effects hold up even today. This film is gorey by anyone's measure. So, keep a good grip on your popcorn and soda - you're going for a ride.

Average customer rating:

I had to wait 24 years to see this movie
Paranoia Given Flesh
Where's Adrienne Barbeau
His best movie after Halloween
Paranoid at the Pole

The Thing - Collector's Edition
Starring: Adrienne Barbeau , Wilford Brimley , T.K. Carter , David Clennon , and Keith David
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0783227507
Release Date: 1998-09-09

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

I had to wait 24 years to see this movie.......2007-06-25

Paranoia Given Flesh.......2007-06-07

Where's Adrienne Barbeau.......2007-06-02

Where is Adrienne Barbeau in this movie starring Kurt Russell? I guess the review for this would be better if you could get the actors & actresses right

His best movie after Halloween.......2007-05-23

Paranoid at the Pole.......2007-05-23

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