The ultimate in alien terror.

Possibly never a truer tagline has been conjured.  John Carpenter's remake of the Howard Hawks' classic The Thing From Another World is a true classic in sci-fi/horror, but it is less of a remake of the Hawks' film as it is a closer adapatation of the short story "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell, Jr.  Carpenter made the word "remake" one NOT to cringe at as so many do today, and it was not only an ensemble cast, but an elite crew that make this such a fantastic film that continues to hold up, over twenty years later.

In the winter of 1982, a twelve-man research team at a remote Antarctic United States research station discover an alien lifeform that was buried in the snow and ice for over 100,000 years.  They soon realize that not only is it still alive after a deep freeze burial and a fiery defeat by a Norwegian camp, but that it has the ability to imitate any living thing to exact detail.  Before they know it, the alien organism has infiltrated their camp, posing as any number of these men.  Paranoia and distrust runs amock in this isolated compound as no one knows who is human, and who is The Thing.

Beyond anything, what stands out the most in this film is Rob Bottin's amazing creature effects.  What he achieves puts him on the same level with the absolute best in the business.  Effects master Stan Winston also lend a helping hand in a sequence or two, but Bottin is the man responsible for the disgusting slimely alien gore we get here.  The detail he put into his work to create such twisted and purely alien designs remains as impactful and effective as it was in 1982 - nearly a quarter century ago.  That's the work of a master, and speaking of which....

John Carpenter crafted what I consider to be his best film ever here.  It's the perfect blending of paranoia, creepiness, gory horror, tension, and suspense.  Nobody does it like John Carpenter, and only from hsi expert direction could this film have become as timeless and consistently effective as it has become.  And also from him comes a perfectly selected cast fronted by Kurt Russell as "R.J. MacReady" - the cool and rational mind, the level-headed one of the bunch.  Also featured in this ensemble is Keith David, A. Wilford Brimley, Tom Waites, Richard Dysart, and several more.  They all inhabit their characters so distinctly and wonderfully.  Each man has their own look, and aren't easy to mistake one for another.  Their personalities and characteristics set them all apart very nicely.  A beardless Brimley brings forth a fantastic performance as well, but Rusell clearly remains the most central protagonist of the film.

The script written by Bill Lancaster is wonderfully constructed.  Sadly, Mr. Lancaster passed away in 1997 due to a cardic arrest, and was not able to contribute his thoughts to Universal's amazing Collector's Edition DVD.  The Thing was the last piece of cinema Lancaster was directly involved with, and at least he could say that he bowed out of filmmaking on a seriously high note.  This happens to be a pure classic in the genre of science ficiton & horror.  The dialogue is always grat, never ever cheesy or cliché.  There's bits of humor, but nothing that works against the tone of the film or the scene.  Any director would be privledged to work with a script this well-conceived.

The cinematography is an absolute pleasure here.  In the opening minutes of the film, we are given stunning shots of the immense arctic landscape that clearly establish how empty it is, and how isolated our characters are.  The photography can even prove to be terribly creepy at times (reference the storage room scene after MacReady breaks into the compound).  Cinematography in a Carpenter film has always been a strong point, and you cannot deny its strength here.  It helps evoke the proper feelings at the right times.  Another such element is Ennio Morricone's score.  Right from the get go, it sets the tone for the entire film.  It grips you and never lets go.  This score is haunting, relentless, brooding, and terribly chilling.  This is such a powerful score, and despite that Carpenter did not compose it, it does have many elements of his own scores in it.  Morricone had scored many "spaghetti" westerns including The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly, and we would later score The Untouchables.  To this day, Morricone continues to score many films, mostly Italian ones.

When taking all this excellence, one can't help but realize they are watching a classic piece of sci-fi/horror cinema with John Carpenter's The Thing.  From Carpenter's expert direction, Bottin's masterful effects work, the stellar production values, the power fo Morricone's score, the amazing cinematography, and certainly the stellar acting talents of this whole cast you will get a perfect film.  The atmosphere in this motion picture is somethign that many filmmakers fail to inject into their own films - learn from the masters.  John Carpenter's masterpiece gets a perfect, solid rating from me - 10 out of 10.  Pick up the anamorphic widescreen Collector's Edition DVD - it has the best of everything including a better transfer than the original non-anamorphic release from years back.