I’m a massive John Carpenter fan and The Thing is one of my favourite films so when Arrow Video announced they were releasing a 4K restoration of it on Blu-ray I had to take a look. So without further ado here’s my The Thing Blu-ray Review.
- The Thing (1982) 4K Restoration
- UK Rating 18
- Discs: 1
- Released By Arrow Video
- Blu-ray Released: 20 November 2017
Plot
When a Norwegian science station in Antarctica finds something in the ice it turns out to be their worst nightmare. Anxious to kill one of their dogs they take to the air and attempt to shoot it and in doing so fly over the American Antarctica research station before crashing.
The American station personnel take the surviving dog into their camp but just what have they let in?
Maybe a visit to the Norwegian science station will reveal more…
Style / Direction
John Carpenter treats us to the ultimate tense claustrophobic horror film you could ever imagine with the staff of a scientific research lab left stranded in their Antarctica camp. This really ramps up the tension and when The Thing is revealed it’s a true horror. The special effects work really well and have you somewhat panic-stricken.
Dean Cundey provides the cinematography on The Thing and he also deserves credit for helping to make the film so stylish and terrifying.
Music / Audio Effects
Ennio Morricone provides an excellent score although listening to it I would have said it was one of John Carpenter’s it I didn’t know otherwise so maybe he gave some instruction to Ennio Morricone on the style of music required.
Acting / Characters
The acting in The Thing has to be good and is as the film centres around the tension the men stranded in the Antarctica begin to feel. With every one suspecting each other as being the alien imposter there’s plenty of paranoia and this is where the film really shines with everyone at each others throat.
Kurt Russell plays MacReady the helicopter pilot turned leader and he is quite superb in the role. He decides to take the lead and discover who’s who and his performance is exactly what the film needs.
Keith David plays the role of Childs another strong character and rival / ally of MacReady, the two work well together.
A. Wilford Brimley takes on the role of Blair a doctor who works out what’s hell is going on and he’s not very happy with what he discovers. His is yet another excellent performance as we see him begin to lose his mind.
In fact there’s not a bad performance in The Thing everyone adds a little something to proceedings.
Conclusion: The Thing (1982) Film Review
The Thing is a terrifically tense and alarming film that does exactly what you what from a sci-fi horror, it terrifies. I consider it a masterpiece in filmmaking and its a film that hasn’t dated it still works as well today as it did back in 1982. The acting really is superb with Kurt Russell the pick of the actors.
Put simply The Thing is a must see film.
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Conclusion: The Thing Blu-ray Review (4K Restoration)
Arrow Video’s 4k restoration is truly outstanding, trust me there nothing to complain about here. The print is clean and free from any specks of dirt, the colours a perfect and the image sharp.
This Blu-ray version is a must have for all fans of John Carpenter work.
Now to the extras included and again I really don’t think there is anything to complain about. The pick of the extras is the “Who Goes There? In Search of The Thing” documentary which is a very comprehensive look at the origins of the story and the original film before moving on to the John Carpenter film. It all incredibly interesting and a must watch for fans of The Thing.
Extras
- Who Goes There? In Search of The Thing (78 mins)
- 1982: One Amazing Summer (27 mins)
- John carpenter’s The Thing: Terror Takes Shape (84 mins)
- NoThing Left Unsaid: Texas Frightmare Panel (55 mins)
- The Thing 27,000 Hours (6 mins)
- Fans of The Thing
- Production Archive
- Trailer
- Audio Commentaries
- Booklet
- Reversible Sleeve
Popcorn Cinema Rating: The Thing (1982)
MOVIE RATING: MUST SEE
BLU-RAY RATING: EXCELLENT
POPCORN CINEMA: RECOMMENDED
Purchase The Thing (1982) On Blu-ray
The Thing (1982) is available now on blu-ray.
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The Thing (1982) Trailer
For those of you yet to see the film I’ll leave you with a little taster…
Clip may not be representative of the Blu-ray version
That’s The Thing blu-ray review, if you have any thoughts on this film you can leave a commenton our Facebook page.
Summary: The Thing (1982) Blu-ray Review 4K Restoration
Movie title: The Thing (1982)
Duration: 109 mins
Director(s): John Carpenter
Actor(s): Kurt Russell, Keith David, A. Wilford Brimley, Richard Masur, Thomas Waites, Donald Moffat
Genre: Sci-fi, Horror
- Movie Rating
- Blu-ray Picture Rating
- Extras
Summary
John Carpenter’s sci-fi horror masterpiece now looks even more stunning on this new Blu-ray release.
