Carpenter's rethinking of producer Howard Hawks' classic is an honorable attempt to hew closer to the original story.
Comment
07/22/08
The Thing (1982)
78 %
Reviews Counted: 36 Fresh: 28 Rotten:8 Average Rating: 7/10
Consensus:
The Thing is a tense sci-fi thriller that features good action scenes and remarkably gory make-up effects.
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Synopsis: Based on both the short story by John W. Campbell, Jr. and the 1951 film produced by Howard Hawks, THE THING is John Carpenter's stunning masterpiece of horror. A group of weary scientists enduring the winter in an isolated camp deep in Antarctica chance upon an alien spacecraft buried in the... [More]
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Starring: Kurt Russell, Keith David, Wilford Brimley, Richard Dysart, Richard Masur
Director: John Carpenter
Screenwriter: Bill Lancaster
Producer: David Foster, Lawrence Turman
Composer: Ennio Morricone
Screenwriter: Bill Lancaster
Producer: David Foster, Lawrence Turman
Composer: Ennio Morricone
Reviews
Shows more originality, wit and invention than possibly any other film you might call a remake.
06/17/08
The strong cast brings the somewhat underwritten characters to vivid life, and the elaborate special effects (designed by then 22-year-old Rob Bottin) set a high standard for films that followed.
06/06/07
If it's the most vividly guesome monster ever to stalk the screen that audiences crave, then The Thing is the thing. On all other levels, however, John Carpenter's remake of Howard Hawks' 1951 sci-fi classic comes as a letdown.
06/06/07
Top Critic
Russell's sub-Eastwood heroics hardly compensate for the absence of all characterisation, while Bill Lancaster's script boasts the most illogical climax any monster movie ever had.
06/24/06
John Carpenter equaled the unrelenting suspense of Halloween with this nerve-racking remake. Carpenter's The Thing is one of the all-time great horror films.
01/26/06
The original has been built up to classic scale, but Carpenter's remake is actually far scarier and equally thoughtful.
11/05/05
The Thing may be a tad too careful and schematic to stand shoulder with Carpenter’s very best films.
10/30/04
Because this material has been done before, and better, especially in the original The Thing and Alien, there's no need to see this version.
10/23/04
Top Critic
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