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The Thing from Another World (1951)

Rate: 2
Viewed: 10/07, 1/24

ThingWorld
10/07: Just because many critics had called The Thing from Another World a sci-fi/horror masterpiece doesn't mean I must automatically bow to the label.

Well, it's a boring stinker. People talk all the time. I was aching for John Carpenter's picture not long into it. There's one guy who won't shut the hell up. I just want to punch him in the face. Because nobody has killed him, he proceeds to ruin the film.

As for the horror part, there isn't much to see. Hence, there's no creation of suspense. The John Carpenter classic had lots of it. So, all I'm left with is an interesting battle between military and science which did keep me somewhat awake.

Since the setting takes place at the North Pole, I'm surprised to see dogs left outside. The temperature must be what....minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit? And the sun is out a lot? Hm, that's interesting given it always shines on the equator but almost never comes near either of the poles.

All in all, John Carpenter made an excellent decision to remake the horrible picture called The Thing from Another World.

1/24: Heroin addict Charlie Lederer wrote a lot of junk screenplays including this talky borefest The Thing from Another World.

Whenever Scotty complained about not getting his story out, I just wanted to punch him in the face. The cast should've also yelled, "Shut the fuck up!" and threw him outside if he wouldn't. Besides, why was a non-military newspaperman allowed access to the compound? Talk about oil and water.

How did this genius named Dr. Carrington figure everything out in a short amout of time and put it so eloquently in words? By the way, what he said about the acanthus century plant catching mice, bats, squirrels, and any small mammals by using sweet syrup for bait and holding onto its catch to feed on it is pure bullshit. Ditto for the telegraph vine. It must have been the heroin kicking in for the idiot Charlie.

The story isn't close to John W. Campbell's novella "Who Goes There?" Do you know what a Geiger counter does? It detects radiation. And that means what? Acute, if not fatal, poisoning which will begin within an hour. It's not far-fetched to say the amount of radiation the Thing was carrying had to be way off the chart considering it came from outer space. And don't give me the crap about it being a vegetable; of course, they can kill the Thing with fire.

Apart from the sheer impossibility of cutting out a three-ton block of ice that held the Thing, why would anyone in his right mind bring him inside the compound? Yeah, great idea...let's melt him and deal with the problems afterwards while asking some general over the radio if they should kill it or not. Duh. It's amazing how calm everybody is with some of them cracking a joke or two to pass the time.

All in all, John Carpenter did the smart thing by remaking The Thing from Another World.