The Thing (1982)

Carpenter's direction is slow, dark, and stately; he seems to be aiming for an enveloping, novelistic kind of effect, but all he gets is heaviness.

If it's the most vividly guesome monster ever to stalk the screen that audiences crave, then The Thing is the thing. On all other levels, however, John Carpenter's remake of Howard Hawks' 1951 sci-fi classic comes as a letdown.

Russell's sub-Eastwood heroics hardly compensate for the absence of all characterisation, while Bill Lancaster's script boasts the most illogical climax any monster movie ever had.

Because this material has been done before, and better, especially in the original The Thing and Alien, there's no need to see this version.

Mr. Carpenter has demonstrated that he can make good, comparatively plain, old-fashioned scare movies and effective suspense thrillers, but he seems to lose his own head when he combines two or more genres, as he [does here].

This is one of those rare remakes that remains faithful to the premise of the original but does something unique with the concept.

With a thick, thick air of intense paranoia and jaw-dropping monster effects work, The Thing stands as one of the greatest films of both the horror and science fiction genres.

Like Ridley Scott's 1979 classic "Alien" before it, "The Thing" is science-fiction/horror with a visionary punch that continues to resonate and inspire filmmakers decades later.

John Carpenter's The Thing boasts outstanding special effects, skilled direction and cinematography, and a tension-filled story, making for one of the legendary director's most cherished works.

It personifies the definition of "popcorn entertainment" - that is, the kind of film that relishes the thrill of its many ambitious moments without seeking total transcendence.

Something close to an absolutely perfect exercise in how to construct a thriller.