The Thing Movie Review by MacReady

JC and Stuart Cohen (later co-producer of "The Thing") had the idea of a remake in about 75, and they agreed that the movie had to be more like the book than a direct remake of the 51 film. After finding out who had the rights for the movie, Cohen managed to convince the producer David Foster (later produced "The Thing" together with Foster's partner Lawrance Turman) and Foster convinced Ned Tanen (at that time president of Universal).

But Tanan had not much believe in JC (he hadn´t even made "Halloween" at that time) and wanted Tobe Hopper to direct, because he had genre experience and a big hit with "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". Because TH wanted to change the script in many things and after a few script-writers and a lot of thrown out money, the universal bosses cancelled the project.

 

 

After a few years (Stuart making a name in the business and JC having "Halloween") they went to Foster again. Also Ned Tanen had nothing more to say against JC. Because JC worked hard on "The Fog" and didn´t have time for the script they decided (after some meetings and an about 40 page raw-version) to let Bill Lancaster (son of actor Burt Lancaster) write the script. The rest is history, now for the story.

Do i really have to write the story ? O.K. for the ones that haven´t seen the movie yet (shame on you !).

The USNSF (United States National Science Foundation) sent a group of 12 men to work on geological, geophysical and other scientistic experiments at an Antarctic station called "Outpost #31". One morning they get alarmed by the noise of gun-shots. Norwegian colleagues chase a husky (played by "Jed") and also shoot at the Americans that try to save the dog. After a little fighting scene and the death of the Norwegians, the group decides to check out the Norwegian camp. Besides a destroyed camp and some dead (one commited suicide) they find a gigantic ice-cuboid which had been opened. Something was buried inside the ice for centuries and released by the Norwegians.

 

 

After returning they bring the husky to the others in the dog range. In the following night, suddenly all the other dogs go away from their new companion and begin to bark. When the scientists (i know MacReady is the helicopterpilot, Nauls the cook….) hear the noise, they rush to the range. What they see now is out of anyones imagination. The "new" dogs head bursts, tentacles flip out of the husky´s body and a weired looking "Thing" looking like a raw copy of the dog comes out of the opened skull. After MacReady working on "The Thing" with a flamethrower the man now begin to realize, that this could be the beginning of an unpredictable nightmare.

They begin to study the Norwegians notes, take the helicopter and fly to the place where their colleagues took out the cuboid (with explosives). They walk to the edge of a gigantic crater and see what they were dealing with. Inside the crater lies a spaceship, which indicates that they had faced a highly intelligent living being, an Alien.
Back at the outpost they find out, that this alien follows its natural programm, which is (of course) growing and reproduce. "The Thing" has the ability to choose a host and copy him completely with assimilating the host´s cells and replace them by the copied ones. Next step in this evolution is the human being.

No one can trust anyone anymore. One after another gets assimilated and soon the men figure out, that it´s not only a threat for them. It a threat for the whole world !

 

 

I wont tell you more about the movie, cause i don´t want to spoiler too much.

 

There are some differences to the book, like the number of man in the camp (37 in the book). But Bill Lancaster wanted the audience to identify with the protagonists, which is with 12 instead of 37. Also MacReady (McReady in the book) was an serious meteorologist, and there is no woman in the movie because BL thought he had to put in a romance, what he didn´t like because he always though love-scenes in horromovies killed the tension.

Bill Lancaster also wrote the fantastic transformation scenes. He had the opportunity to write them without any restrictions. He talked to Rob Bottin, Roy Arbogast and Michael Ploog about the effects. And boy, what effects these were ! This movie is 23 years and there are so many new films, that can´t compare. It shows that well placed craftsmanship will always be better than all those fancy computer effect. There is anything human possible in this movie. From animatronics, stop motion, models, puppetry to wonderful make-up. Originally Rick Baker should to the effects, but he had to work on "An American Werewolf in London" that time, so Rob Bottin was employed (he before worked with JC on "The Fog").