The Thing (1982)

I will be honest and say that I feel very terrible for this film. The reason why is because this film was released around the same time Steven Spielberg made his famous film ET: Extra Terrestrial and that film set in the minds of people that aliens were cute and cuddly little creatures that are misunderstood. Then comes this little horror film that basically destroyed all of those idea and made aliens completely terrifying creatures that are hell bent on taking over.John Carpenter's THE THING was subjected to numerous critics that ripped on and disowned this film. Some saying that it is an unneeded re-adaption and remake of the film The Thing From Another Planet. Some that say that the special effects are bad. Me, I have nothing but respect for this film due to how it, over time, changed the basis for claustrophobia films, horror films, and special effects. And to think that some of these stunts were done by puppets and not CGI.Okay, the first good thing about this film is the atmosphere. Carpenter is known for setting the mood for films, and this is one in which he nails it almost as perfectly as he did in Halloween. The use of the music, the completely isolated cold, the fact that all of the men in this film (no female characters at all. Thank God) can not trust one another, it all works.Now, as I said, this is just a retelling of the story of a group of scientist that get stuck in the arctic and has to figure out who is the alien and who is not. The original was pretty good for it's time, but today, it just seems dated and bad. I love older films, but that one bores me to death. Here, you have the same story only told much better, feels like it was made during this day and age, and still able to scare the life out of you. That is what a horror film should be and this is one of Carpenter's greatest examples of that. Kurt Russel is something of an idol to me in terms of an actor. He has stared in countless films, some good like Elvis, some terrible like Sky High, and some that are out of this world like Grindhouse: Death Proof. Here though, he gives his all time best performance to date. He embodies all of the fears of not trusting anyone yet the courage to take control and to figure things out. Russel gives one hell of a performance that outshines the rest of this excellent cast and it is a crime that he, being Russel, got no awards for this performance. He is truly outstanding.Then you have the special effects. As I said, this film is remembered due to the disturbing yet realistic effects that, to this day, still look impressive and wonderful. One thing I love about horror films is that it takes a lot creativity to think of ways how to scare your audience. With this film, they come up with a few tricks that includes a dog's head being split open, testing people's blood, and the complete creation of the creature.In the end of the day, this is still a wonderful horror film that, while now it is honored as the masterpiece it is, was sadly turned a cold shoulder on when originally released. The only other thing I have to say is that: if you get scared or disturbed easily, then I don't recommend this film. There is a reason why Carpenter is known as the master of horror, people!