The Thing is a remake of a 1951 science fiction movie, "The Thing From Another World". Both movies are based on a short story by John W. Campbell Jr., called "Who Goes There?", while the 1982 version more closely resembles the story.
The setting for the film is a United States research base in Antarctica. A Siberian Husky is chased by two men in a helicopter...who alternate between shooting at it with a high-powered rifle...and trying to blow it up with hand grenades. The dog seeks refuge in the American camp...and the two strangers in the helicopter are killed. But it turns out...they had good reason for trying to kill the dog...which is not a dog at all...
One of the principle cornerstones of a science-fiction/horror film is once the threat is realized, everyone bands together in an effort to stop the monster. But...what happens when the monster is supposedly your best friend? What happens when you have no idea who the monster is? What happens when the monster just might be you? This general cornerstone is crushed into pieces in this movie...which turns absolute paranoia into an additional character. The growing mistrust and fear felt by the survivors increases in each scene...until is is almost visible and tangible. While this movie is a classic science-fiction work...the true strength of this movie is in the character development and the way that the characters shift from initial teamwork to at each others' throats by the end of the movie.
Any science-fiction fan or anyone who wants to watch a good piece of character drama, this is an excellent choice.
Starring - Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David, and Richard Dysart. Directed by John Carpenter.
Time - 1 hour, 49 minutes. Rated - R (graphic violence, language, science-fiction gore)
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