The Thing from Another World (1951)

 Sci Fi doesn't get any better
There are over a hundred reviews so I don't have much to add. Somewhere Stephen King wrote an essay on this movie. I only remember one thing he pointed out. Notice that there are essentially two groups: the military and the scientists. America was in love with its military (who had just won WWII) and wasn't too sure about its scientists (who had just invented The Bomb). That really shows in the movie. Every time I see this movie I notice subtleties I missed before.

They really capture "cold" in ways other movies haven't, especially "30 Days of Night" which deals with a similar topic--a murderous force set loose in an island of warmth in a sea of deadly cold.

Must see movie. Black and white at its best. April 23, 2008

 The Thing From Another World
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I would recommend it to any sci fi buff. there are seens that are not in a previous copy i've seen. It's a great movie--I don't want to give away the plot if you have not seen the movie. March 30, 2008

 Strongly recommended as a Classic for Science Fiction fans of any age
I must be the only person on the planet to have not seen John Carpenter's version of The Thing, or read the original story. This film marks my first exposure to any version of this perennial classic. What I saw surprised me no end.

Firstly, there's the witty dialogue. Anybody who enjoyed the wisecracking Han Solo's antics in Star Wars is going to love the flight crew in this film. The way they try and matchmake the hapless Captain with the beautiful female Scientist is amusing to watch.

What also makes this film different is its lack of fear in questioning what I assume to be the conventions of the time. The military doesn't shoot first and ask questions later. And the Scientists (especially Carrington) may be highly educated and intelligent but they aren't as wise as they think they are. And they all work together as a team, which is different from the lone hero approach taken by modern films. It makes for a refreshing change from the assumptions that most films make - even today. And unlike its modern successor, it doesn't have a high body count.

I also found it a surprisingly tightly paced film. There's not a single moment that really dragged for me. And some moments are still a little frightening. Such as when "Our Captain" opens the door, and the Thing is standing only an inch away from him. Or when the Thing flings open the door and is silhouetted against the light. This film uses suspence rather than gore and a high body count to keep its audiences attention. I find that rather refreshing.

This is a film that has (surprisingly enough) withstood the test of time. March 3, 2008

 The Thing from Another World
James Arness is an evolved vegetable come from outer space in a flying saucer. The saucer crashes and is frozen in ice. The Thing is retrieved and inadvertently thawed. Havoc ensues until the Thing is killed by electric current. Even in 1951, we were thinking about the directions in which life might evolve in the universe. It is a chilling scene as the men circle the ship in the ice to reveal its shape. We are admonished to "Watch the skies!"

February 22, 2008

 First and Best
The classic in UFOlogy, remade and imitated often, but never equaled for sheer drive and entertainment value, all solidly based on a literate script. Belongs in every aficionado's collection. February 13, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...