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This 4K Blu-ray release is absolutely amazing! An incredibly superior remastering in every regard. The picture quality is truly astounding! It didn't look this good in the theaters (and I know because I saw it on the big screen myself)!
If you are a fan of this movie, this magnificent looking disc is absolutely the version to own!
The Thing is typically thought of as a horror film (and it is one, and a classic in the genre, no argument), but it is also so much more than mere mindless scares. It is also top flight science fiction with a greater purpose, just as the novella it is based upon from legendary science fiction great John W. Campbell was.
John Carpenter's version of "The Thing" is often compared to the original black and white classic, typically by critics who have never read the original source material, "Who Goes There?", which is actually an in-depth examination of the chilling effects of distrust and paranoia on the members of a small community. If they've never read the source they have no idea of how poor an adaptation the original was, or how good an adaptation Carpenter's version is.
The original, although a fine film, threw away the book's entire theme and purpose and turned it into a straight monster movie (and admittedly, a superior one at that), but the entire point and purpose of the story was still utterly lost. It was a terrible adaptation of the source novella, even though it was a much better than average monster movie.
This John Carpenter version, on the other hand, is a phenomenally good adaptation of the original literary piece. Just unbelievably true to the source material. And, it is a very good movie as well.
The novella was inspired by the effects of paranoia Campbell saw among certain groupings and societies of people at variously troubling times.
Campbell, a man who'd always been very interested in human psychology, became, in fact, so fascinated with the effects of societal paranoia that he decided to write a novella exploring the subject in great depth.
In it, he created a minimum microcosm representing a small society out of the inhabitants of an isolated Arctic research station cut off from the outside world. He then created an organism that could take on any form, so that every person at this base knew anyone else could actually be the enemy, a reason nobody could be trusted by anyone else. He did this in order to illustrate very clearly the chilling effects of paranoia that would arise and grow from it--and to study in depth how warped human interactions could become as a result.
At the beginning of the story the Arctic researchers may have their personal likes and dislikes of one another, but they all get along, all trust one another and all work together as a team. Once the paranoia begins, all of this begins to break down. Soon nobody trusts anyone else and they all fear the others around them. We see how their small society no longer functions without trust. Before long any small degree of suspicion puts them at one another's throats. Even in the final scene we see that distrust of one another still at play.
This entire point and purpose of the novella was unfortunately left completely out of the original film and only the scares and frights remained. In the original there is no paranoia, no breakdown in trust, and they instead work together as a strongly unified team against the monster. The point of Campbell's tale has been completely excised from the story.
In Carpenter's version, it is back in full form. And, boy did they get the screen adaptation right!
The filmmakers were, by the way, so proud of how true to the source novella their final film was, that at the advanced screening held for the critics, they actually handed out copies of "Who Goes There?" so that the critics could read it and see just how faithful they'd been to the original novella.
But, apparently, none of them ever bothered to read it, because they pretty much all initially blasted the film as worthless gross-out garbage with no redeeming characteristics whatsoever. They couldn't see past the gory, yet revolutionary transformation special effects (which may have been repulsive to them in an unheard of manner back then, but such things have become quite commonplace in horror films today) and they clearly didn't get it. Only weeks after the release of the warm and fuzzy E.T. they simply couldn't get their minds past the barrage of disturbing and grotesque monster effects to see that the film was also actually saying something--and saying it very well.
Over the years, though, horror films changed, opinions changed and The Thing has eventually been recognized as the classic that it is, both a terrifying horror masterpiece and a phenomenal screen adaptation of the original literary work illustrating the degeneration of a small society which takes place when everyone looks at everyone else through the eye of suspicion. Even in the final scene of the film we see that fear and distrust have not been vanquished.
This is a film the original author would have thought was true to his intended vision. And, it is a phenomenally well done movie.
This 4K disc is the penultimate edition of Carpenter's masterpiece of paranoia, suspense and horror and is a truly superior looking disc in every conceivable way. The sharpness, the color, the depth and richness of the image on this disc are all astoundingly impressive. The image quality is so good it looks like it was literally shot yesterday. I had read in advance that this mastering of the movie was going to be something very special to see, but I was totally unprepared for just how amazingly good this disc looks! It is absolutely incredible!
I can't possibly conceive of a better looking edition of this fantastic film EVER coming into existence--this version is as close to utterly perfect looking as I've ever seen. It went way, way, way beyond merely meeting my very high expectations, it exceeded them!
If you love this movie, you MUST own this disc! I don't think it is possible that there could EVER exist a better looking edition than this truly extraordinary version of this science fiction horror classic!
My recommendation is the highest one possible!
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Top reviews from other countries
Jafet Vazquez Hdz
Buen producto
Reviewed in Mexico on September 17, 2023
Jafet Vazquez Hdz
Reviewed in Mexico on September 17, 2023
Ojalá tuviera slipcover, aunque eso ya es pedir demasiado
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Philippe Harvey
I keep forgetting how good that movie is...
Reviewed in Canada on April 29, 2019
