This months piece in conjunction with The Cineastes is on John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China, so with that in mind I decided that now was as good as any to finally get around to watching The Thing, the film which many would lay claim to being the definitive John Carpenter/Kurt Russell collaboration. And while I disagree with that point personally (Big Trouble in Little China is still my favourite), one can’t deny the quality, nor indeed the legacy of The Thing.

Shot in the wake of the success of Ridley Scott’s Alien, The Thing tells the claustrophobically entrenched tale of a group of American scientists working in the Antarctic who stumble across the existence of an extra-terrestrial shape shifting life form. The alien assumes the likeness of several different characters, initially as a dog before adopting the appearance of one of the band of scientists. The rest of the film follows the attempt of helicopter pilot MacReady (Kurt Russell) to decipher which of the crew are infected, and which are safe. Paranoia kicks in, and with it comes insanity. With the constant threat of attack on the horizon we see each member of the crew slowly becoming more and more ravished by the alien presence, be it literally or mentally.

At the heart of The Thing, and no doubt the reason for its continued success, lies a really strong character drama. Above everything else, be it the flashy pyrotechnics, the over the top special effects or the incredible sense of atmosphere, the character led drama triumphs. Kurt Russell is on top form, if not a little understated, playing the beleaguered helicopter pilot with a drink problem that automatically assumes the role of “hero”, although his intentions (to save himself) are hardly heroic. Russell is supported by the sort of faces that are easily found in an assortment in TV productions, but thats not a commentary on the quality of the performances. Indeed They Live’s Keith David was the only recognisable name on the credit role for this viewer. To be perfectly honest though, this is the sort of production whereby an array of recognisable faces would kill any atmosphere, what with audience expectation (and to a lesser extent exploitation) at the fore. Anyway, Kurt Russell has more than enough charm and affability to carry off the amount of “star power” necessary for any one project.

The Thing’s special effects, which come courtesy of prosthetics, stop frame animation and photographic/matte techniques impress highly. Some of the creations on screen are genuinely disturbing, with the alien transformations still holding up highly, especially considering the age of the film. The tense and evocative score, provided by Ennio Morricone adds hugely to the atmosphere of the overall film, and while this score is quite removed from his usual work, it is very much a Morricone score.

Upon its initial release, The Thing fared very poorly, due in no small part to the coincidental release of Spielberg’s E.T – The Extra Terrestrial and that films effect on the publics attitude towards aliens (which in itself is incredibly odd). The fact that The Thing would still be so highly revered 26 years on from its original release speaks volumes, and the fact that it took this viewer all of his 26 years to “get around” to seeing the film is highly embarrassing.