The Thing (1982) Review

"So, how do we know who's human?"
-Childs



In Antarctica, the crew of an American research station witness a helicopter with two men chasing a dog across the snow and shooting at it.  Both men are inadvertently killed.  As the men try and figure out what is going on, it becomes clear that the dog was never a dog at all.  The station has been infiltrated by an alien creature that can perfectly replicate any organism.  Trust no one because someone in the station is not who they pretend to be.


What Works:

The Thing is really effective film in terms of paranoia.  You really can't trust anyone in this film.  Anyone could be a Thing.  Early in the film, the Thing attacks one of the crew members, but we don't see which one it is.  That really adds to the uncertainty of who is who, even for the audience.  We don't get the full picture and neither do the characters.  It makes it a very exciting film to watch for the first time and still fun on the rewatch as you try to look for clues.

Our main character, R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell) is the type of character we all hope we would be if we ever found ourselves in a situation like this.  He's calm, competent, intelligent, and badass.  Russell does an awesome job in giving us a really likable hero and someone to root for.

The rest of the cast also does an awesome job.  Each character has a distinct personality and understandable motivation.  For the most part, all of these characters make smart decisions to combat the problem.  Sometimes the character decisions are made out of fear, but when they are they still make sense because we understand the characters.  There really isn't a dud among them.

The practical effects are some of the best I have seen.  The various forms of the Thing are just awesome.  The prosthetics and the gore look amazing.  The creature transformations are some of the coolest things I have ever seen.  I can't give enough praise to the practical effects.  They are some of the best ever captured on film.

Finally, I have to mention the best scene in the film, the blood test.  This scene is just ripe with tension as we slowly learn who is human and who isn't.  When the reveal finally happens, it's very startling and unexpected.  The anticipation is brutal, but the results are satisfying and occasionally hilarious.  It's the best scene in a movie that is full of good ones.


What Sucks:

The final confrontation between the Thing and MacReady is a little underwhelming.  It's over quickly and a little too blunt.  MacReady has been nothing but clever throughout the film, so to have him simply blow up the Thing is a bit of a letdown.


Verdict:

While the final confrontation isn't great, the rest of the film is jam-packed with awesome and intelligent characters, amazing practical effects, and an overwhelming feeling of isolation and paranoia.  I cannot possibly recommend this movie enough.  It has definitely got it going on.

 9/10: Great 

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