The Thing [Blu-ray]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

John Carpenter's The Thing is both a remake of Howard Hawks' 1951 film of the same name and a re-adaptation of the John W. Campbell Jr. story "Who Goes There?" on which it was based. Carpenter's film is more faithful to Campbell's story than Hawks' version and also substantially more reliant on special effects, provided in abundance by a team of over 40 technicians, including veteran creature-effects artists Rob Bottin and Stan Winston. The film opens enigmatically with a Siberian Husky running through the Antarctic tundra, chased by two men in a helicopter firing at it from above. Even after the dog finds shelter at an American research outpost, the men in the helicopter (Norwegians from an outpost nearby) land and keep shooting. One of the Norwegians drops a grenade and blows himself and the helicopter to pieces; the other is shot dead in the snow by Garry (Donald Moffat), the American outpost captain. American helicopter pilot MacReady (Kurt Russell, fresh from Carpenter's Escape From New York) and camp doctor Copper (Richard Dysart) fly off to find the Norwegian base and discover some pretty strange goings-on. The base is in ruins, and the only occupants are a man frozen to a chair (having cut his own throat) and the burned remains of what could be one man or several men. In a side room, Copper and MacReady find a coffin-like block of ice from which something has been recently cut. That night at the American base, the Husky changes into the Thing, and the Americans learn first-hand that the creature has the ability to mutate into anything it kills. For the rest of the film the men fight a losing (and very gory) battle against it, never knowing if one of their own dwindling number is the Thing in disguise. Though resurrected as a cult favorite, The Thing failed at the box office during its initial run, possibly because of its release just two weeks after Steven Spielberg's warmly received E.T.The Extra-Terrestrial. Along with Ridley Scott's futuristic Alien, The Thing helped stimulate a new wave of sci-fi horror films in which action and special effects wizardry were often seen as ends in themselves. ~ Anthony Reed, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 1
• Subtitle: Spa/Fre
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Features:
  • 480i Standard Definition
  • English Dolby 2.0

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Kurt Russell - MacReady
       Wilford Brimley - Blair
       T.K. Carter - Nauls
       David Clennon - Palmer
       Keith David - Childs
       Richard Dysart - Dr. Copper
       Charles Hallahan - Norris
       Peter Maloney - Bennings
       Richard Masur - Clark
       Joel Polis - Fuchs
       Norbert Weisser - Norwegian
       Larry Franco - Norwegian Passenger with Rifle
       Clint Rowe
       Jerry Wills
       Eric Mansker
       Nate Irwin - Helicopter Pilot
       Tony Cecere
       Donald Moffat - Garry
       Melvin Jones
       Thomas G. Waites - Windows
       Rock Walker
       Kent Hays
       William Zeman - Pilot
       Denver Mattson
       Larry Holt

• Director:

  John Carpenter

• Producer:

  Lawrence Turman, David Foster

• Screenwriter:

  John Carpenter, Mick Garris, Bill Lancaster, Burt Lancaster

• Cinematographer:

  Dean Cundey

• Composer (Music Score):

  Ennio Morricone

• Editor:

  Todd Ramsay

• Production Designer:

  John J. Lloyd

• Art Director:

  Henry Larrecq

• Co-producer:

  Stuart Cohen

• Associate Producer:

  Larry Franco

• Executive Producer:

  Wilbur Stark

• Set Designer:

  John M. Dwyer, Graeme Murray

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Thomas D. Causey

• Special Effects:

  Roy Arbogast, Michael A. Clifford, Albert J. Whitlock

• First Assistant Director:

  Larry Franco

• Camera Operator:

  Raymond Stella

• Makeup Special Effects:

  Rob Bottin

• Short Story Author:

  John W. Campbell Jr.

REVIEW:

• This remake of the 1950s classic is primarily a showcase for the gory special effects of Rob Bottin. Dogs are ripped open by tentacled beasts, people's faces stretch to inhuman dimensions, and all sorts of bloody mayhem ensues, while the cast stands around covered with ice crystals and sniping at each other. There are a few creepy moments, but most of them result in another of Bottin's admittedly amazing creations. If you like gore and can often be seen reading Fangoria magazine, this is a must-see. If, on the other hand, your preference is for more subtle horror (or even character development), you may want to look elsewhere. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi