Image courtesy of IMDb
Kurt Russell is known for action movies such as Bone Tomahawk, Escape from New York and Swing Shift; he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 1979, won the Life Career Award in 2003 and was recognized for many other rewards throughout his career. Wilford Brimley starred in movies such as Cocoon, The Natural and The Firm; he was the winner of a Golden Boot in 2005, was Nominated for an ACE Award in 1987 and a Maverick Movie Award in 2013. Keith David starred in movies such as The Princess and the Frog, Nope and Coraline; he won three Primetime Emmy Awards in 2005, 2008 and 2016 and was nominated for another Primetime Emmy Award in 2001. The director of this original movie is John Carpenter who is mostly known for Sci-fi, horror and action movies; he won a Bram Stoker Award in 2007.
The movie follows a group of researchers in Antarctica who encounter a form of extraterrestrial life which can transform into any living creature, even humans. When McReady and his friends find out about this creature, they realize that they can’t trust each other anymore since The Thing could be in any one of them and that they are trapped in central Antarctica with it.
While watching this movie, I didn’t expect to feel as much tension and anxiety as I did. John Carpenter managed to build tension in various scenes of the movie, keeping his audience engaged and on their toes with the narrative of this movie. The director was able to also build conflict with the characters, setting and events of the movie since the researchers are stuck in one setting and can’t trust each other; John Carpenter does a great job of demonstrating the paranoia which is shared by the entire group. For the cinematography, the director tends to use quite dark lights which contrast with the clearness of the snow, music which is used to let the audience know when danger is near and the outstanding special effects and stunts which are very impressive for a movie made in the ’80s.
I would recommend this movie to anyone interested in Sci-fi, horror and tension even though I wouldn’t recommend it to very young audiences since it’s still considered a horror movie. Finally, I would recommend it to anyone interested in watching The Thing by John Carpenter which came out in 1982 because it’s a thrilling and tension-packed experience which is not to be missed.
Article by Luisa, Grade 10
Works Cited
“All KURT RUSSELL MOVIES RANKED.” Editorial.rottentomatoes.com, editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/kurt-russell/. Accessed 1 Oct. 2022.
“John Carpenter Awards.” IMDb.com, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000118/awards. Accessed 1 Oct. 2022.
“Keith David Awards.” IMDb.com, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0202966/awards. Accessed 1 Oct. 2022.
“Kurt Russell Awards.” IMDb.com, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000621/awards. Accessed 1 Oct. 2022.
“The Thing (1982) Movie Poster 24×36.” Amazon.com, http://www.amazon.com/The-Thing-Movie-Poster-24×36/dp/B00KAPWQZC. Accessed 1 Oct. 2022.
“Wilford Brimley Awards.” IMDb.com, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000979/awards. Accessed 1 Oct. 2022.