The Thing: Ahead of Its Time and A Product of Its Time

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I saw an article a few weeks ago about how they were rebooting The Thing, again, but this time it was gonna be set in space, and the characters were all gonna be strange thumb things? And the title was gonna Among Us. Which is apparently some super popular game, I dunno, but hearing this news I went back to check out the 1982 version of The Thing, a movie I had heard a lot about but had never actually seen.
0:00 - 1:38 - The Thing Among Us
1:39 - 8:23 - The Thing (2011)
8:24 - 17:25 - The Thing (1982)
17:26 - 19:45 - Ahead of its Time and a Product of its Time
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Outro:
Late Night Driving - Broke In Summer

[@PK_a]

If you understand Norwegian, the '82 film's twist is given away (even without the saucer) in the beginning because the shooter is screaming, "get the hell away from that thing. That's not a dog, it's some sort of thing! It's imitating a dog, it isn't real! GET AWAY YOU IDIOTS!!"

[@Penguinmanereikel]

Even then, that's really freaking ominous. "It's imitating a dog." Like, if you were never exposed to this film, how the heck are you supposed to take that?

[@snupermoto723]

Spoiler alert please, jeeeeesh

[@jrockoclock7088]

@@Penguinmanereikel Yeah, like I'm not sure it would change the outcome of the movie or the next scenes either, even if they crew could speak norwegian, right? It's still a lunatic norwegian who just exploded his own helicopter and shot one of your guys. And as a viewer you find out pretty quickly that something's up with the dog

[@yallTweakin]

@@snupermoto723spoiler alert for a movie that came out decades ago? Chill out 😂 plus you’re on a breakdown video 🤦🏾‍♂️ tf is wrong with you

[@user-rn9ij8rk5c]

I think John Carpenters' version of the THING, remains the greatest sci-fi movie ever made‼️

[@yomama211]

replacing all the practical effects with last minute CGi in the prequel was a classic studio move

[@Cosmicshambler]

They also cut the movie to pieces

[@vladyvhv9579]

Yeah... It's especially painful when you see the making of stuff where everyone working on the movie was so hyped to be working on it. Though, even with all of the stuido interference, it's still a descent enough "companion piece" movie.

[@TheLastSamurai813]

still wouldn't have saved the film

[@mj91212]

@@Cosmicshambler Yup, they cut a BUNCH of scenes out of the movie. If we ever somehow got access to the director’s cut, it’d probably be vastly better.

[@_GeneralMechanics_]

​@@mj91212 Hashtag release the Practical Effects Cut!

[@generalbutterscotch4887]

I'm sure I'm not the only one to point this out but the generally accepted reason why the 1982 version flopped so hard was because it just so happened to release right off the heels E.T. and the whole pop culture phenomenon surrounding that movie, so the general audience really wasn't prepared for a film about an alien that wasn't all cute and child friendly. And from what I understand, this caused many oblivious parents to end up accidentally taking their kids to this movie without realising what they were in for... which understandably led to a lot of outrage at the time.

[@paulohagan3309]

Another reason I heard suggested was that it was made during a severe recession with people feeling generally down. They wanted feel-good stuff like ET not downer films like the Thing. It didn't stop me, I have to say; I saw it in Belfast when it came out and that's a pretty depressing dump at the best of times.

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

That cracks me up! I can only imagine some mom bringing her young children to see this, and realizing her mistake as things start to get gory!! Those poor kids would have nightmares for years! 😂😂😂

[@singletona082]

1982 was a year of abundance in scifi. Wrath of Kahn ET Blade Runner The Thing Dark Crystal Secret of NIHM Swamp Thing Tron .... Should I go on at the competition for this year's best and brightest?

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

@@singletona082 - Oh man, we were spoiled back then and didn't realize it!

[@rnobreaks4579]

This is the first horror movie I ever saw.... Before Jaws... Before the Shining.... However those 3 along with the original Exorcist, remain some of my favorites of the genre.

[@Interrobang2626]

It wasn't caps in their mouth it was fillings. Back in the 60's, 70's, and 80's fillings were generally done with a metal alloy and since this was the height of people eating sugar and not really taking care of their teeth (not like today) almost everyone had dental fillings.

[@thethriftytypewriter]

Ah thank you! Makes a bit more sense now

[@paulohagan3309]

@@thethriftytypewriter BTW, I haven't seen the 2011 version. But from what you mention, it talks about flossing being a death sentence? Certainly at least in my part of the world, Ireland/UK flossing wasn't a thing in 1982. Maybe in the US but in Norway?

[@NickFromDetroit]

Height of eating sugar? Ever heard of high fructose corn syrup & the obesity crisis of today? And everyone who grew up in the ‘40s, ‘50s, & ‘60s, like these characters, brushed their teeth regularly & had fluoride in the water. I’m sure plenty of people still get fillings today.

[@saltzkruber732]

@@NickFromDetroitPeople in the 40s and 50s had terrible teeth. Thats why they experimented on disabled people by giving them loads of sugar to find out what could help. A study in the late 40s in Sweden revealed over 90% of conscripts had bad teeth. Just to give an example

[@NickFromDetroit]

@@saltzkruber732 , My parents had okay teeth. It’s been shown that adding fluoride to water supplies is what has improved dental health in Americans, to whom I was referring. Those who grew up in the ‘40s & ‘50s, not the population of that time who probably grew up on well water.

[@danielbaguley2483]

I have a really fond memory of this film. I got to see it with some friends on the big screen. It was shown at some old theatre house, one with tiny uncomfortable chairs and no air conditioning, during a heatwave. This should sound awful but there was a huge positive: you could go get an ice cold beer for dirt cheap prices and be back in your seat in less than a minute, the bar was that close. It turned into a very fun night, with the room kinda getting the unique contrast that we're watching a film suited for a cold winters evening in a baking hot heatwave. No one in the audience complained, the vibe was good, and we all got pretty drunk by the end.

[@Nighlocktheawesome00]

Man, y'all were some lucky folks.

[@alman5568]

The thing [Bawoom] that people hated about the 2011 one was the fact that they did practical effects work, but at the last minute it was overwritten with CGI. I suspect this was done by movie big wigs to prevent the resurgence of practical effects movies because practical effects artists are unionized and CGI artists are not.

[@bostonsnastiest]

That is an excellent theory!

[@mj91212]

I hadn’t even considered that as a possible motivation, but you might be absolutely right. It certainly _sounds_ like something those corporate ghouls would do.

[@stillhammered3060]

I believe the way we are dropped into the mix in the 80s version without any backstory on the characters works because their interactions seem realistic. You believe they have been stuck together in isolation for months and are already tired of each other before the Thing shows up.

[@gfilmer7150]

And the 82 version of The Thing is actually a remake of a Howard Hawks film from 1951 called The Thing From Another World. It was John Carpenter's favorite film as a kid, with The Thing itself being a bulky dude in make up. Carpenter went with the original idea from the book and removed the whole intro of the flying saucer getting discovered, in a weird way, making it a sequel to the 50s film of sorts.

[@Navrozs]

I seen the 1951 version maybe 10 or 15 years ago online after i seen the 1982 film. I always thought it was called The Thing From Outer Space. Mandela effect I guess. But I'm sure I got it confused cause I do love watching Killer Klowns From Outer Space

[@Count_Smackula]

@gfilmer7150 That bulky dude was James Arness, who went on to be famous as Sheriff Matt Dillon in the long running TV western Gunsmoke.

[@novalisheute]

The original actor in the original film was James Arnez, who later was the sheriff in Gunsmoke.

[@novalisheute]

James Arness, also known as Matt Dillon, the sheriff in Gunsmoke.

[@daddyinthestreetsenpaiinth9250]

Apparently the dude that made The Thing from Another World 1951 hates the Thing 1982. Idk if its true then yikes

[@thematteffer]

One irony - Morricone ‘won’ a Razzie for the Thing, but won an Academy Award for Hateful Eight, which used unused music from The Thing and The Thing was also an inspiration for Hateful Eight. ‘Test audiences’ and studios often ruin potential in movies. Paid ‘critics’ do as well in their own way. I’m with you, I like the 2011 The Thing and it could’ve been even better had the studio let the director do his….well, thing. Carpenter’s Thing is one of my favorite movies and I do like the prequel as well. Thank you for reviewing this sir. Was looking forward to it and not disappointed.

[@petery6432]

Morricone didn't win a Razzie; he nominated for one. The Razzie went to Kit Hain

[@shaiq-nbaiq1826]

The whole "you cant see Child's breath at the end" bit has been debunked...you cant see his breath because of the lighting, additionally the absence of his breath means nothing anways because when Bennings gets turned and is caught outside, he lets out a loud scream. You can clearly see his breath when he does so.

[@_GeneralMechanics_]

Fun fact, the prequel's sets were designed to match the base as it was in the 1982 film but they didn't have the exact measurements of the origianl set. So they designed them based on the height of Kurt Russell. It's given me a new metric for measuring things. One "Kurt Russell" makes something 5'9" tall. That means I am 1 Kurt Russell tall.

[@FernandoRamos-zh7uj]

14:50 the fact that he can’t get the flame thrower on is the scariest part.. it humanizes the entire film, because that could literally happen to you

[@paulohagan3309]

Especially in 1982, when technology was a little less reliable. and of course, it's a harsh environment there.

[@Awolfx]

The Thing is one of my most favorite horror films. The isolated setting, the growing distrust and paranoia the crew start to suffer from. And the practical effects tied it all together to make a great terrifying experience. A real masterpiece from John Carpenter.

[@Wh173c0c0]

I remember playing The Thing video game on the original Xbox with my friends back in the early 2000s. It wasn't the greatest game ever, but being able to experience this awesome movie in an interactive game was absolutely amazing for us.

[@denimschaffer9439]

Well as of today it got announced that it's getting remastered

[@coolcat7011]

My mom actually worked on the practical effects for the 2011 movie. Yes me my mom and my dad were very upset about the lack of her work making it to the finished film.

[@KoiKat_]

The dog they used in the 80's movie was called Jed! He has his own IMDb page, too. :)

[@murraymclean9072]

I'm proud to say that I went to see the 82 Thing, when it was released..came away knowing I'd seen a classic..strong characters, claustrophobic atmosphere..paranoia around every corner..

[@captainace04]

The thing basically inspired among us

[@CarlosSpicyWang]

Trash game

[@bboi1489]

Among Us IS The Thing. It's the game we never got for it. Hell, even the cover art for AU is based off of The Thing poster.

[@rooksclown316]

​@bboi1489 there is a "The Thing" video game

[@LAHFaust]

Imagine being told that your prequel to a movie made in 1982 is "too 80s."

[@jollama]

@@UniverseGlider2You just admitted to not watching the video by typing that comment

[@christophermcintosh4060]

Right!?! Hey, @UniversalPictures give us the Directors version that you guys dropped the ball on and included all of the practical effects. I’ll pay you 19.99 to buy it. Don’t be dumb and release I. Theaters. Release for home digital and on streaming.

[@denisucuuu]

@@jollama I've watched the video, what's wrong with the comment?

[@christophermcintosh4060]

I’d love to hear from others but the OG Thing not “holding your hand” in character introduction is one of the things I like most about the movie. Everything you need to know about each character is inferred, implied, or straight out stated as the movie goes along. I don’t always need a movie to set up a character with a bunch of back story to figure out the actual character.

[@freudianslipandfallover]

Carpenter's movie was part of my childhood and going to the video store on Friday knowing we had three days to watch it over and over again. Of course, as a kid all I knew was i was scared out of my mind, didn't analyze anything, was just along for the ride. Now as an adult and a cinephile, I can appreciate it on another level (but secretly just prefer slipping back into my kid mentality and watch it thru those eyes). Thanks for covering.

[@bboi1489]

Jokes on you, my mom had the 1993 collector's edition 😈

[@bombomos]

The Thing (82) is my favorite horror movie of all time. It's perfect in everyway

[@GSconnoisseur]

Got it never take test audiences word to heart because god damn did this movie have its wings clipped

[@bboi1489]

Thank God for test audiences. The Thing's true form never being revealed is the best part of the whole mystery. The point is its an alien and it's here to assimilate, period.

[@summerking-wq1sd]

@@bboi1489What??? What we got was a LAMER version. I’d take the idea that we find the alien pilot and learn that the thing isn’t even of its species. Hypothesizing that maybe they visited a random planet and it did its thing amongst the alien crew. Learning an advanced alien species was still taken down by something so feral sounds cool. Test audiences are trash. What we got terrible CGI and still no answer to how the thing goes from a mindless attack monster in its likely not base form to someone so articulate when it’s in human form. Did it fly the spaceship????

[@jollama]

@@bboi1489Ratioed

[@UniverseGlider2]

The Thing is quite possibly my favorite horror movie. I’m 26 but when I was a kid, I went to my grandmas house every weekend and she’d take me to rent movies. But she like horror movies. And so I watched what she watched. Which was Halloween. Child’s Play. The Thing. And so on. And so I really did grow up and age into a real appreciation for older movies like this. And on a side note she also showed me Starship Troopers and Robocop and most of the other action movies I love now

[@michaeltape8282]

To date, my favorite horror movie.

[@S_047]

I grew up with starship troopers as well.

[@insuchaway]

The Thing and The Fly = made my skin crawl in the 90s. Both were bizarre and disgusting. I couldn't get enough of them.

[@Atlas_Tyr]

This is the greatest movie of all time, I’m so very glad you’re covering it

[@insuchaway]

Who do you think was infected in the end?

[@Atlas_Tyr]

@@insuchaway childs, mac was too tired in my opinion to be faking anything

[@insuchaway]

@@Atlas_Tyr I agree.

[@Mr_Uncanny.]

For me, the interactions were better in the '82 film since it felt realistic. How they all naturally interact with each other. In the prequel, it felt so obvious they were reading off a script. There was hardly a mystery since it seemed so obvious who was assimilated since they acted way too nervous and suspicious. While in the '82 film, they all continued to act the way they were even before being a Thing. Also, I liked how the '82 film rarely used eye contact between any characters and how most of them had odd names such as Windows.

[@rebeccagomez9955]

The Thing 1982 is the best. I love jumping right into the action & figuring things out along the way. It's like the writers are giving the audience some credit.

[@Gingersockman]

The dog is part wolf. Thus the uncanniness but also well behaved. Carpenter remarked how the cast and crew were a little perturbed by its uncanny behavior on set.

[@Penguinmanereikel]

Maybe the dog actor was abused a lot by its trainer? If the actual animal actor was uncannily cooperative, that's a pretty big red flag.

[@NickFromDetroit]

@@Penguinmanereikel, Spare me

[@kaelang12]

@@Penguinmanereikel bruh, sometimes animals are gonna be weird. because they're animals.

[@Brendanvio]

What the 2011 version does wrong from the 1982 film is the fact that the Thing is trying to hide. It doesn’t want to be found. The film is missing what made the 1982 film work so well, that sense of dread and paranoia, and it becomes just another monster movie for me.

[@selfabsorbedsponge7246]

I could be totally wrong but given the context that the Thing can’t replicate inorganic matter, one could argue that because it escaped the Norwegian camp it may have learned from prior mistakes and wore the earring. It’d be a pretty cool theory given that it would further support the Thing’s ability to adapt and learn.

[@mellowboba9298]

My head canon is that both of them are the thing and they transform to eat each other only to stop and start laughing. They transform back into humans,kiss deeply, and travel to Minnesota to open up a bed-and-breakfast.

[@thethriftytypewriter]

Nah I’m pretty sure that’s canon

[@WarpingFist]

The Thing gave me nightmares as a kid. Now that I'm older it's a bit more cheesy than I remember but there's still this strange uneasiness when I watch it.

[@idiotsland242]

When asking people why they don’t like the 2011 movie they’ll most likely say that it’s the CGI but I believe this is an excuse because they just don’t understand why they hate it well I’ll tell you the real reason. The real reason people hate it is because it focuses it’s characters on stereotypes like the love interest and the villain which makes you feel less invested as you’ve seen these characters before but in different scenarios and the original version gives all the characters unusual and unreal names but gives them original personalities which makes you feel more connected with the characters while also making them far from each other which makes the assimilations work well as you don’t know them well enough to spot differences which makes the fear that it could be anyone of them always there. Btw the dog actors name is Jed :D

[@ShiroyashaVince]

This is still my favorite thriller horror movie ever. The KZbin videos breaking down on this movie just makes you appreciate this movie. Glad you did a video on this!

[@lightyearsfromhome1165]

The early version wins by an 82-11 score.

[@rienstien1]

I think that part of the reason for the strong dislike of the prequel was the state of films at the time. A lot of unnecessary remakes and such. I only saw the prequel the once, but I remember feeling that (CGI aside) it was just "how do we do the film but another way?" Which wasn't appealing to me. The mystery of what happened at the norwegian base did not need to be solved, either.

[@AoKodo]

Funny you posted this, I watched “The Thing From Another World” a couple weeks ago. I feel that it had too many characters, and that ending just was so abrupt. But I guess that was the times back then, you could tell who MaCready was based off of though.

[@JustKandyMan1]

As a huge fan of the original the only thing i found myelf actively disliking was the CGI everytime i saw it, it would break my immersion with the film which sucks because otherwise i didn't think it was terrible. I just wisdh they showed us the work the practical effects crew had done more.

[@gamewriteeye769]

Quite a coincidence timing I just watched both the 1982 version of The Thing first and then the 2011 one and your review pops out roughly the same week! Guess we have similar tastes (and you seem to be predicting the 'future')! Back To The Future? 👀 Great review as always! 👍

[@jameskerr8091]

Really good analysis of these movies. I never realized that Childs had an ear ring at the end. Enjoyed your video.

[@tommyz1082]

I actually like the prequel. They made the movie with practical effects, but cg was big at the time so they cg’d on top of it and made everything look worse. If it had the original practical effects it would get a lot more praise.

[@Snapdragon0112]

Side note on the CG overlay for the prequel. Thought it is true that test audiences didn’t like the practical, the me of the big nails was an executive seeing the filming and thinking the effects looked awful. He tried to explain it was because it looks bad because it hasn’t been edited yet but the exec was set on it looking bad.

[@The1971Cuda1]

I liked the prequel at first, but the more I watched it, I noticed gaping plot holes. The UFO in the prequel uncovers itself, but in the OG the Norwegians blow it up (we see them do it in the footage the Americans watch). Also if the prequel is to be believed there should be a snow crawler at the UFO, but there isn’t. There’s other things too.

[@NickFromDetroit]

Good points. The footage used in ‘82 The Thing is from Howard Hawks’ The Thing From Another World, an homage by John Carpenter. I completely agree about the many egregious plot holes in the prequel

[@richardaiken1]

Don't forget the comics and video game (which WAS considered the canon ending until Carpenter's latest statement).

[@vladyvhv9579]

I'm a long-time fan of Carpenter's The Thing, and was active on the Outpost 31 forums prior to, during, and after the Prequel was made and shown in theaters, and up to a bit after it hit DVD. We actually had some communication with people working on the movie, and it really did feel like they were trying their best. But they got taken to the cleaners by the studio. True Thing fans look past the prequel's flaws and see it as "well, at least the guy was able to not make it a remake", and are fully aware that the director, actors, and practical effects people really worked their asses off trying to make a good movie, only for the studio to try to destroy it. Plus, the cells scene from 2011 is better than Blair's computer graphics. Small win, but it's still a win there. And the director basically confirming what about half the old fan base has been championing since 1982: The Thing's single cell form is the "true/original form". The characters in the prequel is mostly people who haven't worked together before, or small groups of 2 or 3 people who have, all brought together. The guys from Carpenter's version have been at that outpost for maybe close to a year, or longer. They're well-familiar with eachother, and the types of "getting to know everyone" chatter would be narratively out of place. It wouldn't make any sense, unless you expect them all to spew exposition to the Dog-Thing while its roaming the camp. Which, we'd all love to see the actors just sitting opposite Jed the wolf-dog telling him their characters' life stories as outtakes. The main reason cited for the 1982 The Thing's poor reception is that it was released while ET was in theaters, and it's generally felt that people wanted (and/or perhaps needed) the sappy friendly alien movie to sort of "recover from" all of the "mean and nasty" alien movies. Given how a lot of box office bombs that became huge cult classics tend to have this in common (being up against one or more "hype train" movies that few people actually want to rewatch nowadays), it makes sense. They become victims of bad timing. Plus, movie critics from the 80s and 90 were horribly out of touch, and got their rocks off lambasting anything horror, action, or otherwise not "high art". Those of us who grew up in that time period knew that if a movie got ripped to shreds by the critics, that was a must-see once it hit VHS.

[@NickFromDetroit]

The “Cell Scene” makes no sense & is another strike against the prequel. It’s the same time period. Why would their computer graphics look so much better than Blair’s?

[@michaelmcclintick9541]

1982 original, one of the best films EVER. I watch it every year on one of the coldest, snowliest days of the year. Great writing. I don't think you need to know a lot of the characters, just enough to know what motivates them. I compare their story to that of the original Alien movie. I forgot who mention this theory....about McCready and the alcohol. The 1st time you see him, he is playing chess against the computer. He loses and says something about "cheater" and then uses the alcohol to fry it. He couldn't find a way to win, but he knew HOW TO TAKE IT OUT. The person then references how he uses all his empty bottles to blow us the "last" Thing and it's base. Then Childs comes out of nowhere and both men are trying to figure out who is who. I have hear the theory about the light in the eyes and the whole breathing thing. If you can see their breathe they are human and if there is no breathe then they are the thing. However, there are 2 problems. As much as Childs may have been trying not to show his breathe, you can. But, there is one other time of seeing the things breathe, the blad guy with the redish beard. Right before he gets lit on fire, as he is holding his deformed hands out, he let's out a scream and you can see his breathe. Now, bringing this tugboat back in, I still believe McCready is human and Childs is not. I don't think McCready had any alcohol left. I truly believe all his bottles have gas in them. I subscribe to the theory that the thing has no idea what gas tastes like and drank the liquid, and that is why McCready is smiling at the end of the movie.

[@user-rn9ij8rk5c]

What rebukes your theory about Childs being the THING: is he's wearing an ear ring, he has a glimmer of light in his eyes, you can see breathe coming from his mouth, and once the THING fully absorbs you your body functions react to what a human would. So if the bottle contained gasoline Childs world have spit it out because it would have burned his mouth just like fire 🔥.

[@michaelkoturbasz9981]

Glad to see you covering my favourite horror movie of all time

[@dairydregone7146]

"Something is feeling suss around here.... I think it's among us!"

[@lasarousi]

I watched the og for the first time alone, second time was with my father. I have very fond memories of giving him some random trivia i knew about the movie. He didn't quite like it because he is not a "true fear brought by fiction" fan but kept watching to hear what i had to say about the production. The prequel was on cable once and i changed the channel.

[@user-vu1kt5uf8s]

great video bro. You should do a vid for mad max, it was really cool seeing all the practical effects in that one.

[@noneed4me2n7]

2011 version was a fun watch and I felt the producers made an honest attempt that got muddled by studio interference. Really appreciated how they lined the closing shot of the prequel with the opening of the 80s film. Just wish they hadn’t canned all the practical effects in favor of cgi.

[@MrNetWraith]

Honestly, I really don't understand the complaint about the Thing 2011 being faster-paced and "less mysterious". Dude, this is the movie about the team who DUG UP the thing. Okay, it's not *impossible* to do a more paranoid movie, I guess, but the simple fact that these are the people who know there's an alien monster on the loose from the get go undermines how much the Thing can really do the slow infiltration thing it does in the 1982 film. It's just the natural flow of events.

[@peytonhibdon7659]

Try imagining being 15 with your learners permit and winning a ticket to the midnight premiere of this movie. You've never seen anything vaguely this intense or insane before. Can't go back,but I was there and this movie scared the ever loving shit out of me that night.

[@Ri-XBlazer]

The intro is insanely hilarious 😂😂😂

[@babalonkie]

My favourite horror film and probably one of my favourite films of all time (JC original). It's a perfect recipe for a multiplayer survival horror game... and it would not be copying any current game... they are already copying and influenced by the film. The prequal is not bad and is faithful... except the CGI... the original was all about practical and the prequal actually filmed in all practical... but the studio literately forced them to use CGI over the practical... and the test audience was just Universal execs.

[@John_McDonnell_76]

Loved how they answered the weird dog story in the new one

[@rebeccaclementz3756]

The dog was half wolf. That's why he's so intense.

[@Soleil.m]

The Thing 1982 is my favorite film and it’s hard to point out just one aspect of it as the determining factor. I don’t know if others can relate but, in a strange way, it doesn’t feel like a movie when I watch it. What I mean by that is, the characters feel so realistic and grounded and the casting is so perfect that I’m not constantly reminded that it’s a movie. It’s weird. But honestly, almost everything comes together so perfectly to make it the ultimate in alien terror.

[@amandamarinovich6164]

The reason people were so upset about this movie is exactly because of the practical effects issue. Bowdin's effects make Carpenter's version special, and the reboot was initially promoted as going back to that. The CGI was a signal that studios don't know what fans want

[@carlosmorera0924cm]

The prequel wasn't awful by any means, its the first one i watched but the cgi just doesn't age well while practical effects are timeless because they are physically real, i loved the call backs to what theg find in the prequel and using silver cavity fillings to differentiate who is a thing was a great idea, and also at the end the guy is missing the earring which is a clear giveaway, i just get angry at fact that Weinstein once again screwed someone and in this case it was the audience of what could have been a great practical effects horror movie.

[@lucretiamaggio6154]

I loved both of these films

[@derekneville8175]

An argument is Chiles is infected because he drinks petrol from the molotov cocktail offered to him by Mcready. Hence Kurt Russels expression at the end.

[@zStC1]

Okay now I could be totally wrong here, but I think most of us here would like you to pump out the rest of the seasons of the walking dead recaps/your thoughts on it videos! Please do them more often than once a month 😪. I recently binge watched all of the ones you have released and am hooked. Now i get it, you likely are using them as a way to avoid having lulls in content or they may take a while to edit/script due to likely having to recently rewatch that particular season. But pleaaaase they are so well done and i need more 😂

[@TeaCup1987]

All I learned from 2011 film is that studio usually fucks everything up. Everyone knows practical effects just look better even if they're less convincing.

[@irishbatman2917]

Thanks for the vid! The Thing (1982) is my favorite horror film of all time!

[@hi14993]

I think the thing could have very quickly learned that it was given away by not having those artificial features. We know it is a very intelligent creature. It isn't a stretch to think that it simply took Child's earring and put it into it's ears after taking his place.

[@DavidKiwacka]

LOVE the original. It's up there with Alien, Aliens, Terminator and Predator for me. As a kid I remember watching watching this one regular TV and after it was over I went out side to finish helping my dad get the boat ready for a fishing trip. It was dark out, how he could see anything with the boat itself was wild and creepy. Add to it my Dad had that 80's style cut and mustache like Magnum PI and only seeing him in mostly a silhouette was half creeping me out. I just started rambling about the movie and he followed suit. I was excited for the 2011 prequel. Enjoyed it. Still do. Still think its a solid movie. No where near as good as the original but it was fun. I've seen more than a few bits of Studio ADI talking about the practical fx they did and I'd love to see that version. I will always recommend the 82 version for first viewing then the 2011. I think it is worth watching both. For all the faults of the studio I love how the 2011 setup so much of what we see in 82. The credit's ending of 2011 is great. My biggest grips are they change how they found the ship, and ignore them detonating ice to get to it, where as in 2011 it was the ship firing up. The ship interior just seemed to generic. That being said I always wanted to see if Mac and Norris (was it Norris?) went in like in Alien.

[@ShadowDogProduction]

The first "The Thing" was a remake of "The Thing From Outer Space" so it was generally known by most people that it was about aliens. So I don't know that removing the alien ship scene in the beginning would have changed anything

[@NickFromDetroit]

The Thing From Another World

[@BurnsReviews]

If you enjoy a good THING rabbit hole, i recommend the comice they put out that follows both MacReady and Childs after the credits roll. It's not officially canon, but as someone who always wondered what happened it's a good bit of fun. I found it for free online wherever you find comics for free online. You're smart you'll figure it out. The PS2 game is also fun but not nearly as entertaining.

[@Paul-eb2cl]

If you enjoy any of these movies (including the '51 version) and have already, I highly recommend the novella that inspired them all Who Goes There? (1938 John W. Campbell) it's way ahead of it's time, and is very creepy.

[@WAFFENFABRIK]

The Thing 2011 coming out during the CGI craze is such a tragedy, because there really was no way to convince big wig executives that practical effects are the right move when movies like Avatar were coming out. At least we have all of the great concept art and behind-the-scenes looks at what could've been.

[@ScofieldStudios]

How do you make your thumbnails look so polished and high quality?

[@iHaveTheDocuments]

We hate the remake compared to the 1982 version for the same reasons the director won't work with a western studio ever again. I think that's a good answer

[@BullworthGraduate]

I bought both films and the very original one, The Thing From Another World, in a triple-film set from Walmart a while back. I seriously gotta get around to watching them sometime.

[@alanlee67]

This was the movie I was hoping you'd do.

[@DourFlower]

Its interesting you think the blood test scene aged poorly, i think its the single most tense and well constructed scene in horror personally! I love it and even knowing what happens im stil on the edge of my seat

[@TheLastSamurai813]

its not interesting its absurd! one of the most memorable scenes in movie history

[@hammerheadxray8152]

What I really enjoyed about The Thing was the monster itself. How each cell is a Thng

[@clbaker8356]

The back story alien is from the short story both films based on. Who Goes There. The ending original with alien building spacecraft also from novella.

[@NickFromDetroit]

I was going on 15 in the summer of ‘82. Wanted to see this movie so badly, but dad would only take me and my younger sisters to see something we could all see, not R rated movies. So, I had to wait a year, saw it on video or cable, can’t remember which. Loved it! Very scary. Dad had a queasy stomach ( couldn’t eat after JAWS) so he was less enthusiastic. Me and dad didn’t like the ending, though. We were both sick of endings with no explanations, a la 2001. But, the more I watched it, the more I liked the ending. I still think it’s a great movie. And, I do not remember any controversy or slams against it at that time. I do remember Siskel & Ebert panning it for all of the gore, but they always did that. Wimps. Carpenter did direct Starman next, another alien flick with major stars Jeff Bridges & Karen Allen and major studio backing. Dad took us all to see that one! I don’t see how The Thing affected his career for the worse.

[@mjuk1984]

I actually enjoyed both of these films. Go watch "Harbinger Down" if you want to see what the practical effects for this film would've been like. The team which did the practical effects for the 2011 film were so frustrated by their experience they did a Kickstarter for "Harbinger Down". Not the best film, but entertaining and great practical effects. Plus, it's got Lance Henriksen in it!

[@nigeldonaldson1647]

I think they wanted us to know that this creature came from another planet, & was NOT something super natural or evil. The new idea (not used in the 50s film) that the thing is hiding in a Dog worked well, you can't ask an animal where it came from or any questions, people tend to trust dogs as pets more than humans. like you I liked the 2011 version, the cult fans of the original were VERY biased & felt that no sequel/prequel was needed, I also felt that to actually go onto the Space ship worked in the later version, things seemed to look even more freakish (because of the cgi effects in the "prequel)

[@HyphyJuice916]

The blood scene holds up incredibly well. It's one of the best scenes in the whole movie

[@jchope777]

I'd be screwed because of the teeth thing! 🤣

[@moose8896]

I loved this film, my theory about the ending is that Childs is the thing and mac knows is. I reckon it's a candid moment to talk between the two enemies realising they're at a stalemate and out of energy. M "If we got any surprises for each other i don't think we're in much shape to do anything about it" C "Well, what do we do?" M "Why don't we just wait here for a little while, see what happens." The thing drinks and mac laughs. Of course the point of it is to be interpreted in many ways which is why people are still talking about it, Love it.

[@memoreno9]

80’s version is the better choice because of the practical affects

[@John_McDonnell_76]

I was lucky enough to have parents that gave no fucks, and at 6 years old, jammed me and almost a dozen other friends and family into our giant station wagon to see this original version of ‘The Thing’ at the drive in. Man there was nothing like a drive in movie experience back then.

[@victoriabeck2357]

The was an earlier version made in the 50s. That would be the Original version!!!

[@mrdunsparce5138]

Saw them both in a rented cabin in chronological order. The tv was small so the effects weren’t sinful. These are the movies that made ‘monster’ my favorite horror theme.

[@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat]

Thanks. The one big clue that child's is infected is that he takes the bottle from McCready and drinks from it without thinking (despite fuches telling them not to take food from each other), That's why McCready laughs. ❤

[@charlescraft5582]

My introduction to the franchise was through the 2002 video game. Luckily my mother had the film on VHS. Also watched The Warriors that night. Awesome times.

[@jewgatsby3387]

The 82 version just hits different. I watched the 2011 version first, and I went into the 82 expecting it to be a lesser version. But I was totally wrong. I LIKED the 2011 version, but the 82 just does it better. The practical effects does have something to do with that, but it is mainly the ending. The 2011 ending was rough, but the 82 ending was cruel- and it earned my admiration tenfold for it.

[@user-hf3bp2gy6d]

Masterpiece

[@txtainttickler2876]

I think if I remember there is a comic series for this which does end up confirming that Child’s was a thing and then follows Macready surviving and escaping Antarctica but those might not be cannon.

[@ericstaples7220]

I like watching reviews from people who watched the new before the old, so I can hear an unbiased opinion.

[@Fire_soul1796]

"What the dog doin'?"

[@speciimenn]

yes yes yes top 3 fav movies ever I LOVE The Thing

[@fireapplejuice4371]

Love the vid

[@juniper665]

The fact that the 2011 The Thing got slammed by test audiences for being too 80's is wild given the nostalgia craze we've gotten recently. If it came out towards the end of the decade I bet it would have done so much better and had the original vision and effects.

[@swarlly]

For the 2011 Thing, the studio should have just allowed a directors cut. That way they can both have their movie.