When it comes to sci-fi horror, there are not many that do it better than The Thing! This is a movie that I have seen a ton of times and I have never not had a great time! Even though I know everything that is going to happen, it is always a thrilling, exciting, and pretty messed up time thanks to those incredible practical special effects.
How to Download The Thing
The Thing was released on June 25, 1982. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform such as Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
A Perfect Movie: The Thing Review
Look, let me get this out of the way right now, The Thing is a 10/10 movie. There is legit not a single thing about The Thing that I do not like. I loved it when I first saw it when I was way, way too young (the defibrillator scene scared the hell out of me) I loved it even more during my teenage years and it was one of the movies we discussed in my film studies class at University.
The Timeless Plot and Paranoia
The movie was released all the way back in 1982 and to be honest, there is no need for me to tell you what the whole plot is, this is a movie that even those who have not seen it, know the gist of. There is an American research team in Antarctica who see a helicopter chasing down a dog!
Now this is a weird situation, but the helicopter pilot looks deranged so they open fire. They take the dog into their base, but we soon learn that this is no dog! The Thing is an alien lifeform that can take the place of anything it wants and this leads to the research team not knowing who they can actually trust as any one of them can be The Thing! The movie is filled with paranoia as you see their mental states deteriorate as the movie progresses.
The Stellar Cast and Iconic Characters
We have a fantastic cast here, but Kurt Russell and Keith David are of course the standouts, I had an epic t-shirt that had both guys on it that my wife made me get rid of as I wore it so much that it started to get holes in it! I love that t-shirt and miss it to this day, you know, I really should try and get another one. When it comes to sci-fi horror, Kurt Russell’s RJ MacReady and Keith David’s Childs are two of my favorite characters.
Unforgettable Practical Effects
This is just such an awesome movie and from the start all the way to the end, it is one hell of a thrill ride. The practical special effects here are amazing, granted some may say that they look a bit dated, but I think they are fantastic and have always felt that they hold up very well. What I love about a movie like The Thing is that everything we are seeing is actually in front of the camera (well most of it) there is no guy on a computer making this all happen. Just some very talented people actually making this stuff and it looks so gross and messed up that I love it, I would say I even appreciate it more now than I did when I saw this back in the 80s.
The Thing in Other Media: Games and Prequels
I do also want to say that The Thing video game which was released during the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox era is a fantastic adaptation! Honestly, that game does not get the love it deserves and it is one of the best movie-licensed video games. In 2011, we would also get a prequel which while not as good as the original, is still a fun sci-fi horror movie. If you want something cool, exciting, and gross to watch 1982’s The Thing is tough to top.
