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Amazon.co.uk Review
With its modest special effects, lean plot, and small cast of lesser stars, this 1951 thriller remains a sturdy blueprint for fusing horror and science fiction. The formula has been employed countless times since, fleshed out with more extensive and elaborate production values, and manned by higher profiled marquee names, but the results have yet to improve on The Thing from Another World, Howard Hawks's lone foray into sci-fi. The story begins as military airmen are dispatched to a remote Arctic research station where scientists have detected the crash of a spacecraft. An effort to retrieve the saucer-shaped vehicle fails, but the team returns to the station with the frozen body of its sole occupant. When the extraterrestrial pilot is accidentally thawed, the crew, headed by a tough-talking pilot (Kenneth Tobey), grapples with a massive, chlorophyll-based humanoid (James Arness) thirsty for blood and in no mood for galactic diplomacy. Hawks takes only a production credit for this low-budget exercise, but his filmmaking style transcends Christian Nyby's nominal direction: rapid-fire, overlapping dialogue, an ensemble of comrades whose professionalism is tempered by wisecracks, and unsentimental female characters (embodied by feisty romantic interest Margaret Sheridan) recall Hawks's signature works, while propelling the plot over any potential gaps in credibility. It's hardly surprising, then, that The Thing from Another World remains among the most influential science fiction movies ever shot, or that it remains exciting entertainment a half century later. --Sam Sutherland
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45 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is without doubt the best of the '50's aci-fi movie's that followed the onset of the Cold War.It's a simple story,a monster on the loose in a restricted and restrictive enviroment,in this case a scientific station in the Arctic.An airforce crew are sent to investigate reports of an aircraft crashing nearby,which turns out to be a flying saucer.Nearby,encased in the ice,is the pilot and when he defrosts it turns out he's in a mighty hungry after his long journey.And,unfortunately for some of the residents of the station,on the planet that The Thing is from, evolution has taken a different course to ours and vegetables drink blood.Human and animal.
Sounds pretty formulaic,but what really sets this film apart is the acting,direction and script.A fine ensemble cast bring interest to even the most minor characters and Kenneth Tobey,Margaret Sheridan and Robert Cornthwaite give their best performances along with several others.That's down to the dialogue;often smart and sassy,overlapping like a good Altman movie,and when it gets technical it stays believable.
Nothing stays still for long,something's always happening, but the tension,and the film actually is tense despite being 56 years old,is maintained by largely not showing the monster.We catch glimpses;in the distance in a snowstorm,through a briefly opened door,in the chaos and confusion of a fire.Enough to satisfy us,but not so much we take it for granted.
In the past there have been claims made that Howard Hawks directed it,even so the name on the credits still says Christian Nyby ,but whoever did it did a damned good job.Like Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers this film transcends its genre and that's why it's been remade so much,once officially,by John Carpenter,and several times unofficially in theme and plot.
Carpenter's version is easily as good as this original,albiet a lot gorier and with more special effects,and if you like the plot and atmosphere of one you'll like the other.However,if you're only interested in the blood and guts of Carpenter's version you might as well give this one a miss.For myself I find it an endlessly rewatchable late night movie.Up there with Hichcock's 39 Steps or Bob Hope's version of The Cat And The Canary.
Sounds pretty formulaic,but what really sets this film apart is the acting,direction and script.A fine ensemble cast bring interest to even the most minor characters and Kenneth Tobey,Margaret Sheridan and Robert Cornthwaite give their best performances along with several others.That's down to the dialogue;often smart and sassy,overlapping like a good Altman movie,and when it gets technical it stays believable.
Nothing stays still for long,something's always happening, but the tension,and the film actually is tense despite being 56 years old,is maintained by largely not showing the monster.We catch glimpses;in the distance in a snowstorm,through a briefly opened door,in the chaos and confusion of a fire.Enough to satisfy us,but not so much we take it for granted.
In the past there have been claims made that Howard Hawks directed it,even so the name on the credits still says Christian Nyby ,but whoever did it did a damned good job.Like Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers this film transcends its genre and that's why it's been remade so much,once officially,by John Carpenter,and several times unofficially in theme and plot.
Carpenter's version is easily as good as this original,albiet a lot gorier and with more special effects,and if you like the plot and atmosphere of one you'll like the other.However,if you're only interested in the blood and guts of Carpenter's version you might as well give this one a miss.For myself I find it an endlessly rewatchable late night movie.Up there with Hichcock's 39 Steps or Bob Hope's version of The Cat And The Canary.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Although the remake of this The Thing [DVD] [1982] is much closer to the original story, 'Who Goes There' by John W Campbell Jnr, this film has always proved popular. I could go onto the marked differences between this and the remake, but I shan't apart from to say that they are markedly different and both have merits in their own rights.
I first saw this years ago on late night tv and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I have seen it on tv a few times since then, but when I saw it on this site I knew I just had to buy it. The story takes place at an American research centre in the Artic where a strange crash has been seen a few miles away. With a team arriving from Alaska there is a chance to go and investigate, only to find that an alien craft has landed. Managing to salvage the pilot of this vehicle who they believe dead, they return to the base.
Of course this alien creature isn't really dead and so a tale of mayhem and destruction follows. This film isn't scary, but who really cares? It may have been at the time it was released but I am not sure it would have been then. Why this film probably works is that you can't help but like the characters, even the obligatory mad scientist, and the dialogue is way above what you would expect from a B movie, being funny, scintilating and filled with innuendoes. Starring the gorgeous Margaret Sheridan also helped making this film popular. If you love the old B movies, or sci-fi and horror, then you should have this in your collection.
I first saw this years ago on late night tv and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I have seen it on tv a few times since then, but when I saw it on this site I knew I just had to buy it. The story takes place at an American research centre in the Artic where a strange crash has been seen a few miles away. With a team arriving from Alaska there is a chance to go and investigate, only to find that an alien craft has landed. Managing to salvage the pilot of this vehicle who they believe dead, they return to the base.
Of course this alien creature isn't really dead and so a tale of mayhem and destruction follows. This film isn't scary, but who really cares? It may have been at the time it was released but I am not sure it would have been then. Why this film probably works is that you can't help but like the characters, even the obligatory mad scientist, and the dialogue is way above what you would expect from a B movie, being funny, scintilating and filled with innuendoes. Starring the gorgeous Margaret Sheridan also helped making this film popular. If you love the old B movies, or sci-fi and horror, then you should have this in your collection.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
For years I've been a fan of John Carpenter's version of this classic, and have been waiting for a chance to see this, the original, produced by Howard Hawks in 1951. It was well worth watching. For my money this is the better film.
For those of you who don't know, the plot is quite simple. A small group are working in a lonely North Pole scientific expedition. A strange craft crashes nearby, and its inhabitant is thrown free and frozen in the nearby ice. The expedition recover the body and take it back to their camp, where, as it thaws out, it's true nature is revealed and members of the expedition start to die in mysterious circumstances. There follows a tense and atmospheric tale as the crew come to understand the Thing, and defend themselves against its diabolical scheme.
This film is an out and out classic. Personally I love the fact that you almost never see the monster - as with Alien it makes for a very suspenseful movie, and the final `reveal' is nicely effective. There are several very intelligent themes running through the film, such as the scientist's exasperation at the military's instinct to kill everything, which is given a nice twist when the scientist eventually gets his way and tries to communicate with the Thing. This was filmed at the start of the cold war, and seems to be a good allegory for the American view of the struggle against a largely unseen enemy, with all the paranoia that such a situation engenders.
This release contains three versions of the film on two discs. There's the original theatrical release, in black and white, with an interesting commentary from John Carpenter. Also on the first disk is a colourised version, then on the second disk is a digitally re-mastered version of the black and white feature. All are presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio with 2.0 stereo sound. The original has a typical picture quality for the time. The colourised version is interesting, and the colour does add to the imagery, especially in the final scenes with the Thing. The best version though is the re-mastered black and white version, the picture is so beautifully sharp you almost find yourself shivering when the action moves out onto the ice.
An excellent presentation of a superb film. Recommended!
For those of you who don't know, the plot is quite simple. A small group are working in a lonely North Pole scientific expedition. A strange craft crashes nearby, and its inhabitant is thrown free and frozen in the nearby ice. The expedition recover the body and take it back to their camp, where, as it thaws out, it's true nature is revealed and members of the expedition start to die in mysterious circumstances. There follows a tense and atmospheric tale as the crew come to understand the Thing, and defend themselves against its diabolical scheme.
This film is an out and out classic. Personally I love the fact that you almost never see the monster - as with Alien it makes for a very suspenseful movie, and the final `reveal' is nicely effective. There are several very intelligent themes running through the film, such as the scientist's exasperation at the military's instinct to kill everything, which is given a nice twist when the scientist eventually gets his way and tries to communicate with the Thing. This was filmed at the start of the cold war, and seems to be a good allegory for the American view of the struggle against a largely unseen enemy, with all the paranoia that such a situation engenders.
This release contains three versions of the film on two discs. There's the original theatrical release, in black and white, with an interesting commentary from John Carpenter. Also on the first disk is a colourised version, then on the second disk is a digitally re-mastered version of the black and white feature. All are presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio with 2.0 stereo sound. The original has a typical picture quality for the time. The colourised version is interesting, and the colour does add to the imagery, especially in the final scenes with the Thing. The best version though is the re-mastered black and white version, the picture is so beautifully sharp you almost find yourself shivering when the action moves out onto the ice.
An excellent presentation of a superb film. Recommended!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
no frills edition of a classic sci fi film
For everybody with an interest in the fifties' sci-fi this film is an absolute must. Albeit nominally directed by Christian Niby, a collaborator of Howard Hawks in most of this... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Pablo Calahorra Gonzale
that thing
I have seen this when it came out in 1951,so glad now to own it with the others of the same name. Have enjoyed it again, thought it was lost forever but alas when I saw it at... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Edward Mclellan
A CLASSIC AND MUCH IMITATED CHILLER!
A military post in Alaska receives word from a North Pole station that something of unknown origin has crashed nearby and a small team of military personnel, led by Captain Patrick... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Napoleon
the "slow" thing !!
what to say, except it's a classic !! excellent quality & a definetly must have to your collection together with John Carpenter's 1982 edition! .. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Roberto Sedda
It's the Real Thing!
This is a fine story with gripping pace and atmosphere. The script is rapid fire and quite an effort to keep up with. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Kevski
3 great versions of an excellent film
Air force crew and scientists at an Arctic research station discover a spacecraft buried in the ice, they blow up the ice which inadvertently destroys the spacecraft. Read more
Published 11 months ago by West25
Colour
The colour version is fantastic! Whomever has done the colourising has done an amazing job.
Its like watching a completely new movie. Very impressive.
Its like watching a completely new movie. Very impressive.
Published 13 months ago by Mr. W. G. Eatock
The Thing from Another World
This is the original classic upon which John Carpenter's Thing was based.
This film comes with two versions. Black and White and a special colourised edition. Read more
This film comes with two versions. Black and White and a special colourised edition. Read more
Published 17 months ago by The Academate
worth watching, at the right price...
worth watching, if you can pick it up cheap or as part of a collection.
classic 50's "cold war" paranoia sci-fi, and even worth a look as a kind of "prequel" to Carpenter's... Read more
classic 50's "cold war" paranoia sci-fi, and even worth a look as a kind of "prequel" to Carpenter's... Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2010 by edchristopher
50s Sci-Fi Excellence
I first saw this picture on Moviedrome on Sunday night in my late teens. Already being a fan of black and white Sci- Fi pictures thanks to my mum I was immediately enthralled. Read more
Published on 6 Nov 2009 by Patrick Cann
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