The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) (see below for preview images)

Directed by John Carpenter
Written by Bill Lancaster

Starring:  Kurt Russell, A. Wilford Brimley, T. K. Carter, David Clennon, Keith David, Richard Dysart, Charles Hallahan, Peter Maloney, Richard Masur, Donald Moffat, Joel Polis, Thomas Waites 
 
IMDb 8.1/10     Rotten Tomatoes 83% Freshness        Metacritic 57/100
 
Believe it or not, this is the first time I have watched this movie.  And judging by the numbers above, the reviews are obviously mixed.  I don’t think this was a bad movie but, I don’t think it was one of the greats either.  I think it’s about average.  The acting is superior to a lot of horror films and they did snag some bigger names.  Kurt Russell isn’t even really on par for what he normally does.
 
The plot is a good one but, it’s not 100% original.  I mean, a species from outer space that comes to Earth and takes over the human race by inhabiting their bodies?  It’s not like we haven’t had that movie plot before.  
 
Nonetheless, I thought this movie was okay.  I didn’t care for the fact that we started the movie with a guy shooting at a running dog from a helicopter.  And then the fact that the thing had to get the dogs BEFORE it got to the humans. And it wasn’t so good that I kept my eyes glued to the screen.  

But, this thing does seem to be very smart…and disgusting.  Talk about some cool horror effects.  Some of this stuff is just plain nasty.
 
The best of the horror, other than special effects, lies in the fact that we the audience and the characters in the movie all know that nobody is getting out alive.  It’s just a matter of time as we watch them get picked off, one by one.  
 
I AM trying to figure out why there is so much hype surrounding this movie when there are much better films that Carpenter has done.  While I thought this film was alright, it left me feeling flat and kind of blah.  I was just like, “eh”.  Frankly, I expected a lot more from it.
 
Now, I know that I am probably not going to be in the good graces of some of you because of my opinion here but, that’s okay.  I am sure we’ll reach common ground again on another film.  But, I can’t in good conscience sit here and tell you that I thought this was an awesome film.  It just didn’t reach that far for me.  Still, I do think it’s worth watching once, though I probably won’t watch it again. Still, I have a profound respect for Carpenter and his work.  You can’t have a huge blockbuster hit every single film of your career.  So, I’m still a fan.
 
RATINGS
3.5/5 Stars