Director: John Carpenter
Distributor: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Duration: 108 minutes
The Thing (1982) (4K UHD) – Movie Review
The Thing has grown into a proper cult hit since its release almost 40 years ago. Upon its initial release, however, the movie was poorly received and it was actually dismissed by many as garbage. As time progressed, many viewers started to recognize the craftsmanship that went into this project, and many also loved the movie’s spooky atmosphere. Now, the movie gets a new lease on life with a 4K UHD release, and we were lucky enough to get a review copy courtesy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. As always for 4K UHD releases, we won’t do a full movie review, but we’ll discuss the relevancy of this release.
The Thing tells the story of a group of American researchers in Antarctica who come into contact with a strange parasitic lifeform that has been frozen solid in the ice for thousands of years. While at first it’s a mystery as to what this ‘thing’ does, it soon becomes an entire struggle for survival. The team does not know who is infected, and they start being suspicious of one another, eventually leading to violence within the group. This leads to a lot of situations that are not suitable for the faint of heart.
As far as 4K releases go, this one is great. The 4K upscaling does wonders here, and the image quality is very good. While you still clearly see that this is an older movie, it never gives you the impression that this was made back in 1982. We do have to mention that not every filming technique used here was picture perfect, but as a whole, the movie feels very relevant and very impressive thanks to its amazing practical effects. The ghoulish atmosphere lingers throughout the film, and outside of the slow introduction, it’s a great authentic horror experience.
Interestingly enough, this 4K UHD release not only comes with an extra Blu-ray disc, but it also comes with more than an hour and twenty minutes of extra content. Outside of the commentaries, outtakes, and theatrical trailer, there’s a complete documentary-like making-of sequence that revolves around certain scenes, how the movie came to life, and the overall creative thinking behind the film. It was very interesting to get this content on the side, as movies were made completely different back then, especially now that practical effects are being faded out more and more.
Conclusion
We very much enjoyed this lugubrious trip down memory lane with John Carpenter’s The Thing. This movie has withstood the test of time and this is thanks to the amazing practical effects that were used in the film. This film has aged incredibly well, and even now, it still somewhat feels relevant, as being stuck in Antarctica is still not really a desirable situation. Even though the movie may feel a bit slow at times, this is an absolute treat to watch the coming Halloween.
No Comments