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Although its reputation has grown considerably over the years,
John Carpenter's big-budget remake of The Thing was a major
box-office disappointment when first released in 1982, and generated
lukewarm critical reaction at best. I would argue that had the
film not been released in the summer of 1982, alongside more typical
summer fare as E.T., TRON and Star Trek II, it would
have done quite a bit better. It is definitely arguable if there
was any logic in releasing a cold, disturbing, winter-bound monster
movie in the summer. How ironic, then, that two of the
most influential sci-fi/horror genre films of the 80's (The
Thing and Blade Runner) were both mistimed for release
within weeks of each other in the summer of '82. Perhaps there
is a lesson in there somewhere...
Of course, as we can't go back in time, we'll never know what
might have happened had John Carpenter's The Thing been
released to a more accepting audience. The film is a loose remake
of the original Howard Hawk's science fiction classic The Thing,
although it actually is more faithful to the original Joseph Campbell
story Who Goes There? A group of military men on an arctic
expedition uncover what looks to be the remnants of some sort
of crashed vehicle, along with something frozen in the ice just
a few yards away. A previous Swedish expedition started the excavation,
and all that is left of them is an outpost in disarray, many dead
crew members, and, oh, their friendly pet dog. It is no secret
to reveal that just what was in that craft isn't exactly friendly
like that ol' lovable mutt, but I'd never dream of spoiling just
what happens next to those who haven't seen the film.
The most oft-repeated criticism against The Thing when
it was first released was that it relied too heavily on special
effects, obliterating the sketchily-drawn characters in the process.
Although a valid criticism (the effects are still amazing, and
there so many characters that it can be hard to tell them apart),
I found that this actually increased the tension a good amount
of the time. As the characters fight, distrust, betray and bicker
amongst themselves, the confusion mounts and adds to the overall
tense atmosphere. John Carpenter stalwart Kurt Russell anchors
the film solidly, and I always found the film compelling, scary
and suitably disgusting. This film has deservedly acquired the
reputation of a scf-fi horror classic, and is not to be missed
by fans of the genre.
So here we are in 1998, and The Thing has remained one of the
most requested special edition titles in Universal's library for
years. Now, they have finally released this new collector's edition
on DVD, but was it worth the wait? In a word, this is the best
set of supplements I've seen thus far on DVD. (I would say it
is the best collector's edition, period, except for one important
reservation described below...)
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Here's my reservation with this disc: the video quality is good,
but not great. This comes from the same master as the previous
letterboxed laserdisc, which was very nice, and the black level,
contrast and smoothness of the colors (especially red) are all
improved upon here. The image is perfectly framed at 2.35:1, and
although no pan and scan version is provided, the full widescreen
image is essential for this film (as any fans of John Carpenter
in general can attest). But, in all honesty, the print does show
signs of wear and tear with a few nicks and scratches present
from time to time. And the picture quality looks just slightly
faded, but it is very slight and most won't notice it (I'm a bit
anal in this regard). The major drawback is the lack of 16x9 enhancement.
Personally, I feel any film getting the collector's edition treatment
should also get a new 16x9 transfer. Still, overall, the picture
is very good and a notch above the laserdisc.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack is also quite good,
and a definite improvement over previous 2.0 Dolby Pro-Logic mixes.
Ennio Morricone's eerie electronic score is well-presented, and
the overall dynamic range and bass response is quite good. Although
this doesn't rival some current 5.1 mixes, and isn't meant to,
a very effect, enveloping sound field is created, and kudos to
Universal for taking the time to remaster it.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
However great the audio and video are on the disc, the true star
or this show is the supplements. Quite simply, this is a DVD enthusiast's
nirvana. You'd be hard-pressed to find anything not included
here. Utilizing RSDL technology, the 127 minute feature film and
the supplements are presented uninterrupted.
First up is a lively and engaging screen-specific audio commentary
by director Carpenter and star Kurt Russell. It is a great track,
as Carpenter and Russell sound like excited school kids and are
full of great and amusing antecedents and facts. There is also
an extensive 80-minute documentary John Carpenter's 'The Thing:'
Terror Takes Shape, featuring all-new interviews with the
cast and crew. This is quite simply one of the best documentaries
I've seen on a DVD. Very thorough, well-edited and full of all
the info Thing fans want, I can't recommend this one highly enough.
It even includes the film's isolated score as a separate
audio track throughout the documentary. Neat-O!
As if that isn't enough, there is also some cool cut stop-animation
footage (including some neat stuff from an aborted sequence,)
storyboard to film comparisons, special effects behind
the scenes footage with comments from Rob Bottin, outtakes
(though sadly the film's full, original ending is not shown in
its entirety,) cast bios and production notes, and the
theatrical trailer to boot. This is the true meaning of
term "Special Edition."
DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc
in your PC?
Not too much here, just some basic weblinks to Universal websites.
Parting Thoughts
If you are a fan of the film, you simply must pick up
a copy of this DVD. It will rock your world. Aside from the lack
of 16x9 slightly wanting transfer, the rest of the disc is amazing.
If you have never seen this film, you owe it yourself to at least
rent it. Just make sure you don't eat anything beforehand...
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