The Thing (1982) [Blu-ray]

The movie itself is five stars, one of the best sci-fi horror films ever made. The 4K transfer on this UHD DISC is excellent on every level. There were previous 4K releases by other studios, but this Paramount release, in my opinion, is by far the best. So many 4K movies can be way too bright, or lack a classic film texture. This 4K of THE THING by Universal is the best this movie has ever looked! Amazing amounts of detail, and color. I remember this movie as a dark,, murky looking film. It is not. This is movie is beautifully shot and now, thanks to this disc, full of color! The black levels are dark, but full of detail and the whites are never bleached out. The sound is nicely mixed with big explosions that never over-power dialogue. I never once had to adjust the volume while watching this film (the way I do for so many overly-loud mixed films.) Wish it had more extras, but i found the making-of documentary to be really good, as well as the commentary track by John Carpenter and Kurt Russel. Buy this 4K over the Blu-ray or the DVD. You'll be glad you did! And if you don;t have a 4K player, what are you waiting for?

BOTTOM LINE: It's an easy 5 STAR rating for the intense motion picture horror experience that is John Carpenter's THE THING. The abysmally disappointing Universal barebones Blu-ray is a 2 STAR turd. Don't bother. Pick up the Shout!Factory Blu instead. Their release is what fans deserve and have been wanting. 5 STARS for Shout!'s Blu-ray! Terrific thrills, chills and flat out shocks fill this frosty fright flick to the icy rafters. John Carpenter gives us what many consider to be his very best film. (I'd modify that statement and say it's his best science fiction film. His best horror work is still the original HALLOWEEN, while his best action film is ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13. As always, IMHO/YMMV.) I am among those that love THE THING. I've been an enthusiastic fan of this film and John Carpenter since I first caught it during its debut on cable way back in the day. The barren, brutal and bloody frights of THE THING were unleashed into theaters a mere two weeks after the snuggly hug-fest of Steven Spielberg's E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, and I think a lot of film goers back then were simply not prepared for the senses-shocking visceral horrors that Carpenter and his crew were set to spring on them. In fact, even without ET's cuddly competition, I'm not sure THE THING would have been a box office hit. THE THING was just too far ahead of its time. 25+ years later and it has lost none of its power to shock, make you jump and squirm in your seat. SPFX artist extraordinaire Rob Bottin's incredibly twisted creature designs and disgustingly awesome motion-controlled props & make-ups still physically and psychologically repulse and fascinate the viewer all these decades later. This film is stuffed to the gills with some of THE best examples of beautifully grotesque movie effects ever seen. Give me wonderfully-realized practical effects like the ones on display here ANY day over the ocean of computer-generated stuff. Every cast member gives us a top flight performance; no half-hearted acting to be found here. Kurt Russell makes you instantly forget there ever was a Dexter Riley, with his subtle yet most definitely in-charge role as laconic chopper pilot R.J. MacCready. Charles Hallahan, Keith David, Richard Dysart and especially Wilford Brimley all turn in A-list work in their various supporting roles. Establishing himself as an acting force to be reckoned with, Brimley gives us an unforgettable, multi-layered performance as the slowly disintegrating Blair. And a special call-out to long-time character actor Donald Moffat as the bewildered, beleaguered and undoubtedly in over his head Antarctic outpost commander, Garry. Moffat gives us what is arguably the greatest line reading in the history of talking motion pictures with his "couch" speech. His vocal firepower is the equivalent of a howitzer in this scene and once you've heard it you'll never forget it. LOL. This 1982 remake, based on John Campbell's fantastic 1938 short story "Who Goes There?" hews much closer to the source material than the previous movie incarnation, the classic Howard Hawks 1951 version of THE THING (FROM ANOTHER WORLD). Carpenter's film is every bit as impressive and iconic as Hawks' version is, though for drastically different reasons. Hawks' THING combines a fantastic cast of characters who, despite initially being at-odds with one another on how best to deal with their alien visitor, eventually band together to battle the terrifying extraterrestrial, (a super-intelligent plant-based lifeform that could conceivably pollinate the entire planet with its deadly spores, instantly knocking mankind to the bottom of the food chain). Hawk's THING = US against THEM. The fear in Carpenter's version, (much like INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS), comes from being unable to know for certain just exactly WHO or WHAT the enemy is; no person, (in fact no living thing), can be trusted. Carpenter's THING = ME against EVERYTHING. Carpenter's remake remains one of THE best on-screen examples of paranoia-fueled terror ever lensed, pure & simple. The 1982 version of THE THING is one of those rare occurrences when the remake of a classic movie is every bit as good as the original. Both versions are absolute "must-owns," fully deserving a spot on every movie (and especially sci-fi/horror) fan's video library shelf. BLU-RAYS... The Universal Blu-ray of THE THING is a major let-down. None of the excellent bonus features from the previous Collector's Edition DVD have been ported over to this Blu-ray version, save the audio commentary by John Carpenter & Kurt Russell. Nothing new was produced for this Blu-ray either. That's a damn shame no matter how you look at it. Instead of an ultimate, reference-quality release, you just get a new format version that in all honesty isn't any better than the previous format. Neither the picture nor the sound are much improved from DVD. Universal really dropped the ball with this release. A travesty for Carpenter fans and basically the home video equivalent of a kick in the nuts to those, like myself, who were hoping for at least a worthwhile picture & sound upgrade even if no goodies were included. As I say, the audio & video are somewhat better but not THAT much. If you already own Universal's "Collector's Edition" DVD then I cannot recommend double-dipping for this Blu-ray. UPDATE>>> Forget the craptastic Universal Blu-ray. Pick up a copy of Shout!Factory's new Blu-ray and see how this SHOULD have been handled by those knuckleheads at Universal. The Shout! Blu is a terrific 2-disc offering that is worlds better than Universal's. The transfer, first & foremost, is amazing. Super sharp focus, bringing out a ton of details not seen in any previous format release. The picture looks clear, clean and is free of artifacting, pixelation, edge enhancement, and only the slightest amount of crush (video noise). The crew at Shout! affected a 2k scan of the film's interpositive, overseen by the Director of Photography, Dean Cundey. It looks amazing. The blacks are solid & inky and the mid-tones are firm and strong. Audio is clear, clean and the soundmix is level. There is a wealth of superb bonus content for fans of this great film. Shout! knows how to please. In addition to the best original stuff ported over from previous versions, there are lots of new goodies; some on Disc #1 (Feature Film) and the rest spread out over Disc #2 (Special Features). Bravo! This is the release THING fans have been clamoring for. Wait no longer. Order yours today!

Does anyone besides myself remember when Kurt Russell was the Disney poster boy, appearing in films like The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969), The Barefoot Executive (1971), Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972), and The Strongest Man in the World (1975)? What the heck happened since? Well, perhaps in an effort to distance himself from his carefully cultivated, squeaky clean cut, all-American kid Disney image (and avoid the dreaded curse of the former child star/now out of work actor), he teamed up with writer/director/producer John Carpenter first in the made for TV movie Elvis (1979), then as the quintessential anti-hero Snake Plissken in the film Escape from New York (1981), and then again, a few years later, to do The Thing (1982), which is actually a remake of the Universal/Howard Hawks classic science fiction film The Thing from Another World (1951), which are both based on John W. Campbell's story "Who Goes There?". Also appearing in this film is Quaker Oat man Wilford Brimley, who would have a much more amicable alien encounter in Cocoon (1985), T.K. Carter (Doctor Detroit), David Clennon (The Couch Trip), Keith David (They Live), Richard A. Dysart (Pale Rider)...whew, let me catch my breath...Charles Hallahan (Vision Quest), Richard Masur (Heaven's Gate), Donald Moffat (The Right Stuff), Joel Polis (True Believer), Thomas G. Waites (The Clan of the Cave Bear), and Peter Maloney (Desperately Seeking Susan)...also worth mentioning is one time Carpenter favorite and ex-wife Adrienne Barbeau, who doesn't actually appear in the film, but can be heard as the voice of the computer chess game Russell's character is playing in the beginning...a little bit of useless trivia for you...hey, at least I didn't mention the craft services person...who, by the way was Yervant Babasin... The film begins with a shot of outer space, and soon into view comes a whirling saucer, flying somewhat erratically, headed for Earth...apparently some time passes, as the year now is 1982, and we're in Antarctica. We see a helicopter flying across the icy landscape, chasing a dog. One of the occupants is firing a rifle at the dog, but is missing miserably...poor shot? Perhaps not, as I figure it's hard as hell to hit a moving target from a helicopter...anyway, the chase ends at the United States National Science Institute Station 4, as the two men in the helicopter suffer a fatal mishap, but, you'll be happy to know the dog was all right...for now. Questions arise, as the now deceased men were part of a Norwegian expedition not far from the Americans. This prompts helicopter R.J. MacReady (played by a really hairy Russell) and another to fly over and investigate. Seems the Norwegians found something in the ice, something better left alone, as now they're all....dead. After returning to the camp, all soon learn perhaps sometimes a dog is not just a dog, especially when it's an alien posing as a dog...what follows next should really be seen, rather than explained here... This is one of those films I can watch a few times a year simply because its so well put together and entertaining, especially on a visceral level, thanks, in part, to the special effects artistry of Rob Bottin (The Fog), among others, who worked on this feature. One thing that separated this film from the one from 1951 is the crazy-go-nuts amount of gory madness. There's popping eyes, spurting veins, mutating and burning flesh, dripping mucus, guts a bustin', blood squirting, face eating, spider heads, tentacles slapping, bones and cartilage cracking, body mangling, and so on...if'n you're a gore hound, and you can't satisfy your monkey here, then perhaps you need some serious, professional help. By the way, I have seen movies with much more gore, but not so much in mainstream films like this...if you've got small children, and you're looking to give them nightmarish, bedwetting nocturnal visions for at least a month, then I'd recommend this film along with Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). Don't get me wrong, this film isn't all about the nasty bits, as it's also an extremely tense thriller...if you've seen the film, you know what I'm talking about, especially the scene when the men are testing their own blood in hopes of determining who still human. You see, the alien has the ability to absorb other life forms, and then create an exact duplicate. This aspect ends up driving the paranoia within the characters as they're unsure whom they can trust, and who will eat their face while they sleep. Also, the alien is intelligent, and uses this distrust against the men, in order to further its own cause, all taking place in an enclosed, isolated environment, inducing a definite sense of claustrophobia, which only adds to further the tension and suspense. There are plenty of shocks, also...one scene in particular was the defibulator sequence. If you've seen the film you know what I'm talking about...and we shouldn't forget legendary composer Ennio Morricone's distinct, unsettling, and highly appropriate musical scoring. As far as the characters go, there isn't a whole lot of time spent focused on the individuals, even though we do spend a good deal of time with Russell's character, as the story is more geared towards the group, and their efforts to recognize, contain, and destroy the imminent threat to all. That's not to say there's no individualism among the characters, as there is, but Carpenter and the actors manage to express a lot without actually having to relate it to the audience, by actions, mannerisms, and so on...little time is wasted in this feature as things move along very quickly. Another aspect I really liked was the attention to detail with regards to the sets and locations. One could almost feel the pervasive cold emanating from the film, the wind cutting to the bone. Everything worked here for me, the acting, the script, the directing, the music, the settings, the liberal carnage, and so on...again, this is a violent, graphic movie, but well worth it, if you can take it...overall, this film may be vastly different that the 1951 version, along with the original story, but I think Carpenter did carry a few, important elements in the sense of paranoia inherent within the material. This special edition DVD release contains a beautiful, re-mastered, anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) print, along with a clear Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. As far as special features, there are gobs, including an audio commentary track with the director John Carpenter and star Kurt Russell, along with a featurette titled John Carpenter's The Thing: Terror Takes Shape (84 minutes), a production background archive, cast production photographs, production artwork and storyboards, location design, full motion and frame by frame breakdowns of the saucer and the `Blairmonster', outtakes, post production materials, and an original theatrical trailer. All in all a superior release of an excellent film. Cookieman108

Movie 1 of 1982 and 91 overall in my journey through films of my lifetime. When I started this retrospective "The Thing" was a movie I had in mind as justification for the effort. From the outset I'll just say that this movie exceeded my expectations by bounding degrees. I could not have begun to imagine that this movie was this good. In the first season of "The X-Files" there was an episode that mimicked "The Thing" and I really didn't like that episode. In fact I never watched another episode of "X-Files" to this day. So when the prospect of watching "The Thing" came up I passed. My history with this movie doesn't end there though. In the 80's that family I spoke of in a different, earlier review had cable on all day. I would see scenes from "The Thing" on there periodically and it scarred the heck out of me. The practical effects are great even today but back them, as a child, it looked like a documentary. The highest compliment I can give this movie is that it is just a great story. I'm so dissapointed to read that it was a flop but at least it withstood the test of time. The sound effects and music were great for any time period. I was expecting dated synth but it was far from it. There may have been synth but it was so well done I didn't notice. Another compliment I'll pay this is that it's the best Lovecraft inspired film I've ever seen. I recently saw "The Color Out of Space" with Nicolas Cage and it was abysmal in my opinion. It suffered from similar issues but where they differ greatly is the quality of the story telling. So what criticisms could I share? Well I'm not a fan of the UFO at the beginning. In fact I think it proves my point I made in "Escape from New York" that Carpenter has a raw imagination. This can be a good thing too but I'm listing this as a bane. Why did we absolutely have to know that the creature was a space alien? It would have enhanced the story to leave the origins of the creature to the imagination of the audience. Another issue I had is directoral. Shot after shot lingered far too long on the creature. Again, imagination is the key and the effects would have looked even better in flashes, hints, and suggestions. I remember my dad explaning (years before "The Thing") what made "Jaws" so scary: you never saw the shark. My dad was right and I'm kind of surprised Carpenter didn't understand that. These are small gripes though. The good far exceeds the bad in this movie. Pros -great story -Lovecraftian feel -horror done right -incredible special effects Cons -over explains -lingering shots of effects A note on computer scenes in 70's and 80's movies. Still an area where the public knew so little that the imagination could run wild for film makers. The scene where the computer is diagramming and calculating the alien infection is almost nonsensical to me. I laughed out loud because this computer, in the middle of Antarctica, is the most advanced AI ever conceived. Story, especially cinematic story, needs gravity and the computer scene was creative exposition to accomplish this. One could get away with this back then but I'm very curious what a younger person today would thinking about this scene. We are aware now that computers just don't work this way. We still do this today to one degree or another though. Computer modeling is done for predicting virus outbreaks to weather changes. These models are far more often wrong than right and yet our imaginations make us think they have credence. It would be folly to laugh too hard at their efforts back then because we still hold computers to unrealistic standards.

Here it is. The movie that has become my all-time favorite. It's John Carpenter's "The Thing". I've seen this movie so many times. I own it twice on DVD, I own it on Blu-Ray and I even have a copy on the now defunct HD-DVD format. I regret not seeing it in the theaters back in 1982. I don't know why I didn't go. I was certainly old enough to appreciate it. Instead, I saw "E.T.". I got swept up in happy little alien fever. I went with the crowd. All I had to do was wander over to a differnet screen and watch Carpenter's creation in all its paranoid glory. Sigh... As with all good movies, music, or books, I experience something new every time I view it. I keep trying to piece together how the Thing spread throughout the camp. I keep looking for clues. Like when Blair performs an autopsy on the recently roasted Thing. While he's presenting his thoughts on what the Thing is, he absent-mindedly taps his pencil eraser on the steaming carcass, crosses his arms and brings the pencil eraser perilously close to his mouth. Then he makes a talking point by waving the pencil in the air and ever so briefly...it touches his lip! Did he infect himself? Is it too late?!?!? Has the Thing spread itself to Blair?!?! These kinds of moments fill the movie. It so suspenseful and so paranoid. And the isolation is torture. You know they all have nowhere to go. All those nameless men. Well, they aren't nameless, it's just that it's hard to remember them all. And the strange thing about it is, we still seem to care about them. I think that's because Carpenter has done such a masterful job of building the suspense through threat and isolation that we can't help but subconciously put ourselves into their places. There are so many great scenes. The opening helicopter-chases-dog scene. The horror of finding the Thing in the dog pen. The death and subsequent transformation of Norris. Wow! Is it gory! And in this particular case, I think the gore is absolutely necessary. That's kind of the knock on this film. The gore has been classified as extreme. And it is. But this is a story about such a faceless, out-of-this-world beast that it all seems so appropriate. And those effects. I don't think I need to say anymore than others have already posited about the very special practical effects by Rob Bottin. They have to be the best I've ever seen. Then there's the "blood test" scene. All of the men at the Antarctic station volunteer to give a blood sample and then have it tested, while tied to chairs, to see if it reveals which of them are actually the "Thing". One by one, a heated copper wire is placed into a petri dish of blood from each one of the men. Seeing the smoke rise from the wire when its touched to the dish of blood brings some relief. Will the next dish be Thing-free? You'll have to watch it and see for yourself. The setup and execution of this scene is one of the most intense and frightening things I've ever watched. I am very happy that this film has found it's place thanks to Home Video. It's now considered a Horror/Sci-Fi classic. It is without a doubt my favorite Horror movie, perhaps my favorite monster flick and quite possibly my top SciFi feature. It's that good. I don't understand why this Blu-Ray doesn't contain all of the extra features that are on the Collector's edition DVD. I think the "Making of" documentary is added as a picture-in-picture offering, but there's plenty of room for all of the other extras as well.

The practical effects in The Thing are worth seeing in the highest quality. Still holds up. UHD discs look so much better than streaming it’s insane.

I watched John Carpenter’s The Thing on 4K UHD with the new DTS:X soundtrack on my 7.2.4 Dolby Atmos system, listening right at reference level (0.0dB). This is a major step up from the Blu-ray version, especially in terms of video quality, though the new audio mix isn’t quite the immersive showpiece some might expect. Video Quality: The 4K transfer is outstanding, Universal’s remaster shows real respect for Dean Cundey’s cinematography. Film grain is intact and cinematic, black levels are deep without crushing detail, and the Arctic palette looks natural. The HDR grading adds depth and contrast but wisely doesn’t overdo it, it still feels like The Thing, just sharper, cleaner, and more film-accurate. Compared to the Blu-ray, it’s night and day in sharpness and texture fidelity. Audio (DTS:X): Here’s where opinions will vary. The new DTS:X track is good, dynamic, clean, and far better balanced than older DTS-HD MA tracks, but it’s not as aggressive in its use of height channels as some modern Atmos or DTS:X mixes. Rear and surround effects (howling winds, creaking outposts, off-screen movement) are well-placed and atmospheric, while overhead cues appear mainly during intense moments like the flamethrower scenes or helicopter sequences. The low-end is deep and controlled, giving the score and creature effects weight without overpowering dialogue. But if you’re expecting a full “ceiling-shaking” overhaul, this isn’t that. It feels like a respectful update, a faithful preservation of the film’s original sonic character with added space and clarity, rather than a total reimagining. Final Thoughts: This is still the definitive home release of The Thing. The picture alone justifies the 4K upgrade, and the DTS:X mix, while conservative, enhances immersion without betraying the film’s atmosphere. It’s a strong technical achievement, not a reference demo disc and that’s perfectly fine for a classic like this. Note: Listened at reference level (0.0dB) on the following system: AVR: Denon AVR-X4500H (pre-outs to external amps) Amps: Emotiva & Monolith power amplifiers Speakers: ELAC Debut 2.0 series (F5.2 fronts, C6.2 center, A4.2 Atmos modules, surrounds and heights) Subwoofers: Two REL T/1003 10” subs Player: Panasonic UB420 4K UHD Compared to streaming, the 4K disc is in another league cleaner HDR, more dynamic sound, and zero compression artifacts. It’s a must-own if you love this film, even if the DTS:X track stops short of being revolutionary.

Wish it had Dolby Vision, but HDR 10+ looks amazing!