Weekly Review -- Alien matters

The Thing (1982) -- One of the (literally) coolest horror films of the 1980s, this John Carpenter remake of The Thing from Another World is a marvelous cinematic exposé of fear and isolation. In an Antarctic research outpost, a group of employees -- among them, helicopter pilot MacReady (Kurt Russell) and scientists Childs (Keith David), Blair (Wilford Brimley) and Copper (Richard Dysart) -- confront a mystery when a Norwegian helicopter chases and almost shoots a dog, before blowing up in front of their research station. After mulling over what just happened, they are threatened by a parasite that takes the shape of the organism it kills. As paranoia and cabin fever sets in, there is no escape and the number of trustworthy colleagues is dwindling... The Thing benefits greatly from its atmosphere. As in many films that utilize locations to deepen the story's context and significance, the remote and menacing snowy locales are a character for themselves in this film, invoking a sense of deafening loneliness in the midst of an invasion. Carpenter is one of those rare directors that can do wonders with sparse settings and proves it once again here. The cast fit the story perfectly, bringing a sense of authenticity to the proceedings with very natural-sounding dialogue and their everyman, unpolished appearance. Russell is excellent as the reluctant leader, but David and Brimley are stand-outs, as well. The visual effects, which include contributions by legendary Stan Winston, are extremely raw and organic; they are incredible to look at and it goes without saying that they have stood the test of time. The film's pacing takes its time to establish tension and is essential to this particular story; however, it loses itself a bit around the middle of the film, making the narrative too slow and not meshing seamlessly with the increasing number of action sequences. This is only one minor gripe, though. The movie is a classic through and through, belonging a to rare breed of suspenseful masterpieces not being made anymore. I hear that a remake is in the works; needless to say, the filmmakers have their work cut out for them and very high standards to reach.

8/10