View Full Version : HCR Rates The Movies #21: JOHN CARPENTER'S THE THING
So, our next film, Classic or Crud, Hit or Miss, what say you ALL?
Our next film open for discussion, and ultimately an Overall RATING by you all:
JOHN CARPENTER'S THE THING
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Let the discussions flow. Likes, dislikes, classic film or overhyped trash, and DONT FORGET to place an Overall Rating when youre done.
Its easy, just give a Rating from 1 (Jaws 4:The Revenge) to 10 (Jaws), and thats it. Course I'd love to have you all give reasons as to why you feel it deserves this Overall Rating, and more than encourage discussions with us all about them.
So, what say you all?
Next Film: ??????
ReZourceman
12/30/2005, 16:37
I only saw this when I was fairly young, but from what I remember, I did enjoy the film. Found it kinda weird, and being my age i obviously didnt see it when it came out so the sfx seemed dated.
I shalnt rate it due to first sentence^^
krusticlese
12/30/2005, 18:08
Ah, a classic John Carpenter flick!
Having seen both the original and the remake, I have to say that John Carpenter really took it and made it his own.
The entire film is ridden with suspense, gore, frights and good old fashion parinoia! I couldn't even look at my German Sheppard the same after this movie! :laugh:
The effects may be constrained to a particular time period, but even by today's Industrial Design standards (no CGI, just makeup and props) they are still impressive feats. Go back and watch the scene where they are using the crash paddles on Norris, and you'll see an impressive blend of animotronics and stop motion animation.
The story is very engaging as well, keeping you guessing untill well after the credits have rolled (I'm still guessing!). Also the characters were very well fleshed out, which can often be a problem in large cast ensembles.
This definately ranks up there in my favorite Horror films of all time, and prehaps with my most favorite films ever (definately a top 50).
Garry: The generator's gone.
MacReady: Any way we can we fix it?
Garry: It's "gone", MacReady.
Ranking: 9.5 out of 10
Request for: Goonies!
I couldnt agree with you more Krusti, a A1 write up there. :)
This is one of my all time favorite horror films, done by Carpenter in his Prime (along with classics like Halloween and Escape From NY). Everything for me from the music, to the acting, the suspense, the plot, the alien, the thrills and chills, the effects, the lines and what an ending (I wont go too much into that as some like RZM have not seen it as yet).
Carpenter and long time friend Kurt Russell, in addition to the rest of the great cast, did a phenomonial job is getting us to know the crew of this doomed Arctic expedition and watching as one by one they meet their untimely end dealt to them by this THING from another world.....or do they?
Who is real, who is IT, who can you trust and who is losing their minds thinking of all of this. As for the effects, heck I think Rob Bottin (only a young kid when he did this film) did an amazing job, with effects that still hold true in todays mostly CGI world. And the Ennio Morricone score helped greatly in creating the eerie chills that this film brings.
Ive got to say for anyone that has not seen this, DO SO NOW. Get a good clear DVD copy, any store should have one for rent (I actually think a new version came out within the year), and watch it at night with the lights off and ENJOY. You will NOT be disappointed.
The Thing - 9.5 / 10
Maniac_nmt
12/30/2005, 21:01
The story is very engaging as well, keeping you guessing untill well after the credits have rolled (I'm still guessing!). Also the characters were very well fleshed out, which can often be a problem in large cast ensembles.
The Xbox game of the same name answers it a little more. Although gets kind of wonky on some stuff.
I'm not really a big horror fan (actually, not a horror fan at all). Still it is pretty well done. Definately creepy and suspenseful. No rating from me though. Given my distaste for horror flicks, and nothing to compare it to in that regard, can't give it a fair rating.
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According to the Xbox title, someone in the government knows about the 'Thing'. Macready disappears, but is apparently not consumed in the end (as the movie implies either MacReady or Carl Weathers is infected). Carl was apparently infected, and MacReady kills him and then disappears. A new military team goes in to find out what happened, and discovers the creatures are popping out of the woodwork all over the place.
If you own an Xbox, and want something different, the Thing is pretty neat. You need your squad mates, anyone of whom could turn into the Thing at any moment. Do you arm them to help you out, only to have them go nuts while you aren't looking? Do you test them for the virus and lower their morale so that they soon suspect you are the Thing? Do you open that door over there to let the medic out so he can treat your engineer, or did you let out something far deadlier? Makes it interesting dealing with the trust issues. You never know who is okay, and who is not what they seem.
The story is very engaging as well, keeping you guessing untill well after the credits have rolled (I'm still guessing!).
Well as I recall, in the last scene of the film...
Only one of them has breath that "mists up" in the cold.
Maniac_nmt
12/31/2005, 00:00
Sorry, it's not Carl Weathers, his name was on the brain as I just saw him in a film the other night.
I believe that was Keith David, who later went on to star along with Rowdy Roddy Piper in Carpenters THEY LIVE, and later still as the voice for Goliath in the Gargolyes cartoon (not to mention the father of Cameron Diaz in Theres Something About Mary)
I actually have THE THING Xbox game, havent played much of it yet as I bought at the same time I bought the system and about 10 others games (during my recent trip to America when they were all very cheap, especially Used) There was also a Dark Horse comics book mini series about THE THING, where one of the final crew members was also revealed to be,....well, not himself.
Again, for those that havent seen this film, its really excellent, as a horror fan my whole life I highly recommend it. :)
Current HCR Member Rating:
JOHN CARPENTERS THE THING: 9.5 / 10
So only 2 of us have seen this Horror Classic enough to cast a rating for it?
Inbetweener
01/05/2006, 13:52
I love this movie. It is probably the second greatest sci-fi/horror film ever in my opinion behind only Alien of course. This is typical Carpenter; a strong sound track and an empty sort of feel in the cinematography...this was especially effective due to the feeling of isolation that the film had altogether. The effects here were unreal for the time.
Rating: 9.5
Gacy's Clown
01/07/2006, 02:07
What krusti said. I give it a 9.3. :)
deadshot042
01/07/2006, 02:39
I remember seeing this when I was 8 or 9 and it scared the hell out of me. It's still a good film today and I still enjoy it.
9.2 out of10
Current HCR Member Rating:
JOHN CARPENTER'S THE THING - 9.4 / 10
Shazam!!
01/09/2006, 17:30
I thought, when I saw it, that it was a fantastic movie. Loved the location.
9.7/10
Request: Gladiator
When I think of John Carpeter and Kurt Russell I think of "Big Trouble In Little China". That is one of my favorite movies of all time.
But, I watched the Thing when I was young and it scared the carp out of me but I loved it. I do not like scary movies unless they have monsters in them. I am very strange. As a kid I would have given it a 9 or 9.3. But, having watched it in the last couple of years am going to give it an 8.7. It just did not hold up like I remembered it. But, I still enjoyed it.
Current HCR Member Rating:
JOHN CARPENTER'S THE THING: 9.36 / 10
And hey, dont forget to check out Movie #22, BLAZING SADDLES, up NOW.
Heinrich
01/12/2006, 00:28
What amazed me about this movie is that it was so much ahead of its time. Aliens wouldn't come for years later but I feel it definitely belongs in the same grouping (I mean that in a good way!). This movie I found very believable as in few cheesy effects. And its intensity was great. I feel its a must see for any science fiction fan. On a different note, I was shocked to see Kurt Russel be able to give a tough leaders role after all the years as a child star. But thumbs up to that as well. And considering the shock value of the movie, its a great one to watch with someone who HASN'T seen it. HERE POOCH, HERE POOCH!
I'ld give it a great 8.
One of Carpenter's finest movies, maybe his best one (but there's EfNY too, and Assault on Precinct 13, and etc... I just love them all!(though the ones I named are really his top three as far as I'm concerned - except that here's Christine too, arghhh I can't make up my mind :p)). I support most of what DTM and krusticlese said about it; I especially love the special effects in this movie, they show that you don't need 3D/computer-generated effects to make a movie impressive. Just love the scene when Norris' head tries to get away unnoticed :p (besides the blood test scene, and the ending, etc... the whole movie is just so good to watch :)). Actors are really good, music too, the suspense all the way long also, etc... well this is just an awesome movie.
9.75/10 (I'm still trying to figure out who the Thing is at the end, and it gets me mad, but that's what's great about many Carpenter's movies, once the credits are ended, you can still imagine what happens after :)).
One of Carpenter's finest movies, maybe his best one (but there's EfNY too, and Assault on Precinct 13, and etc... I just love them all!(though the ones I named are really his top three as far as I'm concerned - except that here's Christine too, arghhh I can't make up my mind :p
Uh, I hope youre not discounting probably my favorite Carpenter film, a little known horror movie called, Halloween. :)
9/10
Wilford Brimley's best performance ever!
Uh, I hope youre not discounting probably my favorite Carpenter film, a little known horror movie called, Halloween. :)
Don't worry, he's one of my favorite too (I could have named almost all his movies :p); but I don't know so much people who like it, which I don't understand. It's a true classic :).
"I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... EVIL!"
Don't worry, he's one of my favorite too (I could have named almost all his movies :p); but I don't know so much people who like it, which I don't understand. It's a true classic :).
"I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... EVIL!"
Really? It actually rated quite highly here (currently a 9.19 overall score), most everyone who did so calling it a classic. You should lok Halloween up, add your 2 cents to it here when you get the chance.
Really? It actually rated quite highly here (currently a 9.19 overall score), most everyone who did so calling it a classic. You should lok Halloween up, add your 2 cents to it here when you get the chance.
Hey, what can I say? To each their own I guess :p; I think the problem is that they don't see the "classicity" (if I may say so) of this movie, and judge it more by comparing it with recent "slasher" movies, complaining mainly about the cheap effects (which I don't care for, it's an independant movie, not a many-million-dollar-budgeted-blockbuster). I'll add my 2 cents about this one for sure, as for every movie I've seen and you made a thread about - though there are some that I should watch again before, like "A fish called Wanda", it's been too long since last time I watched it.
I love this film. One of the greatest horror films. The effects were awesome, the mood was creepy and the acting was top notch.
9.5/10
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