The Thing [Blu-ray] [4K UHD]

What can you say? One of the best Sci-Fi horror movies ever made, better than 95% of the CGI slop created now and 4K makes it almost like you're there. Awesome

I first watched "The Thing" way back in the summer of 1984 on video, I had read the reviews of it (Starburst magazine, & the Late John Brosnan), and knew that it was going to be a "special"(not in the david brent meaning of the word). Myself and friend watched "The Thing"and "The Wall" back to back--to say this double bill was traumatising is an understatement. I'm going to dispense with a summary of the movie--there is sufficient coverage, by other reviewers on this page anyway. Carpenter has proven a hit and miss director(his catalogue is genius/dud) in equal amounts. But he excells with the cracking script by the late Bill Lancaster-at the time it was Carpenter's 1st Studio product. A great cast led by Kurt Russell, Donald Moffet(who has one of the movies funniest lines) Tk Carter,Keith David, Charles Hallahan, Richard Masur David Clennon and others. Building the paranoia and isolation is done superbly, beautifully lit by Dean Cundey(Jurassic Park), the actors look genuinely "cold/frozen" within the location shooting. Rob Bottin's Superb prosethetic Many have stated here (and in other places), that The Thing failed at the Box office, directly because of ET(also a Universal picture), I feel that is partly true--in actual fact though, such a nilistic picture would be hard pressed to find an audience(especially in the Eighties)popcorn flics such as Star Wars, Raiders and Spielberg/Lucas had domain. That said The Thing is still talked about and had a profound affect on those who viewed it at that vital age (13-19). I havent seen the sequel/prequel yet & cannot comment on its merits. Watch "the Thing" and try not to have nightmares...

The Thing [DVD] [1982] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC ] Firstly, I will try to keep this brief, as The Thing has been reviewed at length many times before...and deservedly so. For many, this is director John Carpenter's best film. A long-spanning film career that includes such classics as Assault on Precinct 13(1976), Halloween(1978) and Escape from New York(1981), to list just three!. I first saw this film years ago on video, panned and scanned, for TV unfortunately!...but it still blew me away!. Since then, I have watched it again many times and have never grown tired of it. The script, dialogue, acting, camerwork and Ennio Morricone's chilling score all combine to make a truly frightening and memorable film almost 30 years on. I cannot recommend it enough. It seems that a remake/reboot/reimagining/prequel/sequel type film is in the works. However, how it will be compared to this orginal horror science-fiction classic remains to be seen?...

Slow build up, the the action will start. Brilliant effects which are amazing to watch. Worth a view.

Yet another movie that was getting positive reviews on X. So glad to get this film in my collection.

Still as good as the first time i watched it.

Sweet picture best it's looked in years

As described, in immaculate condition.

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

O melhor filme do John Carpenter e um dos melhores filmes de terror na minha opinião. Essa edição 4K está impecável, para quem não tem a TV certa, ou aparelho para rodar em 4K, também vem com o Bluray normal.

Llegó sin ningún detalle y rápido al otro día, es una excelente versión , se ve espectacular en pantalla 4k , trae un documental donde el director y todos los involucrados en la película cuentan el proceso de creación, todo subtitulado en español

Oubliez le prequel/reboot et jetez vous sur ce monstre du film fantastique/horreur qu'est The thing, paranoïa et effets gores mais surtout et toujours John Carpenter épaulé par kurt russell

One of my all time favorite movies added to my collection. Can't imagine what the audience in 1982 felt like, definitely were not ready for it. Didn't succeed at the time but became a cult classic and continues to live on. Great cast with a great storyline filled suspence and gore. Featuring awesome makeup and special effects for it's time plus a killer soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. Highly enjoyable in hi-def picture and sound.