Thing, The: Collector`s Edition (US)
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The ultimate in alien terror
Certificate: R
Running Time: 109 mins
Retail Price: $34.98
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie
Synopsis:
The remake of the 1951 classic about an Antarctic outpost terrorized by an alien organism.
In the winter of 1982, a twelve-man research team at a remote Antarctic research station discovers an alien buried in the snow for over 100,000 years. Soon unfrozen, the form-changing alien wreaks havoc, creates terror and becomes one of them.
Special Features:
Interactive Menus
"Making Of" Featurette
Production Photos
Trailer
Commentary with director and Kurt Russell
Interviews
Never-before-seen stop motion animation footage cut from the film
Work-in-progress visual effects footage
Behind-the-scenes location footage
Outtakes
Video Tracks:
Widescreen Letterbox 2.35:1
Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 French
Subtitle Tracks:
Spanish
CC: English
Directed By:
John Carpenter
Written By:
Bill Lancaster
John W. Campbell
Starring:
Kurt Russell
Richard Masur
Richard Dysart
Wilford Brimley
Casting By:
Anita Dann
Soundtrack By:
Ennio Morricone
Editor:
Todd Ramsay
Production Designer:
John J. Lloyd
Producer:
Lawrence Turman
Larry J. Franco
David Foster
Stuart Cohen
Executive Producer:
Wilbur Stark
Distributor:
Universal Pictures
Your Opinions and Comments
Not as much as newer movies - but there again when this came out no-one knew there was going to be DVD and lots of space to fill in. However there is plenty of stuff for John Carpenter fans to be delighted with.
Video
Quality is not brilliant - but what do expect - these were the days where we only had Rubic`s cube and Space Invaders to entertain us.
Audio
So so for quality but hey man - its a John Carponter track so its good anyway!
Features
A bit boring in places but enough to wet your appetite, such as the alternative ending they filmed and how they did it in those days without computers. It gets more interesting as it goes on such as the explanation for why the film didn`t do too well in the box office.
Overall
Worth buying if this film amazed you like it did me all those years ago.
Yet most people have heard of it!
This is because you either love this film or hate it, as you can tell by the score I love It.
The whole subject of Trust/Paranoia/Lack of Hope is explored in this film, making it stylish to some people and morbid to other`s
If you have never seen this film you must see it atleast once, the special effects still hold up today and the quality of acting by the excellently assembled cast is first rate.
The extras are many and for a fan brilliant if a little unpolished.
The Video is pretty good but those red flares in the dark & snow do show a lil pixelation in the scene, the sound is pretty okay too.
I love this film buy it!
The secret to the overall success of this film lies in the one point that many critics cited as it`s main fault, the special effects. The one word that describes the special effects on this film is STUNNING! Sure Carpenter`s direction and Lancaster`s script were great, but the believable of the film was brought to life by Bottin and his team. Over $1.5 million was spent on the film`s effects and it was well worth every penny. Without the masterful transformations of The Thing (i.e. kennel, defibrillator, blood test, and ending), this could have been another bad B-movie (a la a man in a monster suit), but rather we are left feeling hopeless by the creature`s sheer power and in our understanding of the paranoia that each team member must have felt as he tried to determine if the man next to him was who appeared to be. Rather than diverting the story line, the effects propelled it. They made The Thing something that has traversed my nightmares, as well as, many others for years. I really can`t say enough about Rob Bottin and his crews efforts other than they are the cornerstone in the foundation of this great film.
The films strength lies in it`s believable and this is one reason why it is womanless. Even the hero of the film, Macready isn`t your typical one-lining Rambo-type superhero destiny to blow up everything and save the world, but rather he is an average "Joe" bent on trying to survive or destroy The Thing. The paranoia of the moment seeps out and engulfs the viewer into wondering "Who is human and who is The Thing??". We, nor the characters, never really know until The Thing shockingly decides to reveal itself. It is the ultimate who-done-it. The "blood test" scene has to be one of the most tension filled moments ever to grace the silver screen. Classic cinema!