Popular reviews

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  Review by Ian West ★★★★½ 11

  Currently Snowed in… and it brings back childhood memories of blizzards and how my father and I would shovel for what felt like hours before settling in to watch Charlie Chan movies or something like The Thing from Another World. 

  Cherished memories.

  So when the skies dumped 16 inches of snow and ice on me I figured it was time to revisit this childhood staple—love the fast dialogue, creature design, door jump scare, and evil scientist. Oddly enough, this time around this reminded me a bit more of Aliens than Carpenter’s The Thing... right down to the Geiger counter and quasi door weilding with wood. Anyways, this is an undervalued classic if ya ask me, muscular and tight with snappy exchanges and an excellent menagerie of corridor atmosphere where a vegetable alien lurks.

  WATCH THE SKIES.

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  Review by Travis Lytle ★★★½ 2

  Christian Nyby's "The Thing from Another World" is a nicely executed slice of mid-century horror. It is well shot, assuredly directed, and thick with dialogue. Its major issue is that, despite its memorable moments, the film is dry, bordering on stale, and that there is little action to go with all the chatter. Still, it is a neatly made piece of horror worthy of its fondly held status.

  In a remote arctic research facility, a team a scientists and other professionals discover a humanoid creature frozen in the ice. When the creature thaws out, it becomes a destructive, terrorizing force. This well known premise lends itself to a solid story. Blending scientific jargon, militaristic bravado, and a healthy dose of…

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  Review by Marna Larsen ★★★★★ 2

  I liked that this version, there was a very palpable sense of disillusionment and betrayal that the government you dedicated years of life and service to doesn't care about you even slightly. You don't really get that from the 80s version where, of course they don't! Where have you been - the 1950s? Get with it, man!

  This was more unnerving, also, knowing the world was just beginning to uncurl and become a larger place. I often think what it's going to be like when we are cut off from everyone here on this small island. Yet the cynical part of me feels like it's typical of 1951 to want the door slammed tight shut and the point of The Thing from Another World is precisely that: not that you can't trust your employers but that anything else out there has got to be up to no good!

  Which is also a pretty chilling vision...

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  Review by sydney ★★★★★ 2

  We all feel sorry for the scientist and kinda agree with him, right? Ok, moving on.

  I knew I would love this, and I did, but it was not at all what I was expecting. You've got to see this at least twice, the jokes are so perfect and the interactions so fast that I can't imagine anyone catching all of them in one watch. Films like this aren't abundant now, and it's truly impressive to see actors shoot their lines back and forth like it's a race, AND add emotion to their delivery. THE THING is about a bunch of people hanging out, the monster featured much less than usual. The humor is balanced perfectly with terror, each one…

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  Review by 𝙿𝚊𝚘𝚕𝚘 𝙼𝚊𝚌𝙶𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚗 | 🇮🇹 ★★★★

  When a gigantic and unknown flying object crashes near a scientific-military outpost based in polar ice, observers are faced with the frozen body of an alien creature, endowed with an organism similar to that of a vegetable that feeds on blood and is able to regenerate. Like most science fiction films of the Fifties, The Thing from Another World stems as much from the growing fascination for the conquest of space as from the political tensions that fuel the paranoia of a communist invasion. And if the film works very well even just in terms of pure entertainment, it is not difficult to guess a subtext that refers directly to the cold war climate present at that time. At the…

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  Review by MovingPictures ★★★★ 4

  KEEP WATCHING THE SKIES!

  Rewatch 2016-07-21.

  The last time I watched this, several years ago, I thought it was a nice OLD horror story; entertaining but obviously old-looking.

  This time I was really surprised how well-paced, interesting and fast-flowing it felt. It works very well in 2016 as well as it must have done in 1951.
  WHAT A JOYFUL WATCH it is even now!

  Credited directors are Christian Nyby and Howard Hawks.
  Kenneth Tobey and Margaret Sheridan have top billing.
  The THING is played by James Arness, known as Marshal Matt Dillon in the highly regarded television series GUNSMOKE and as Zeb Macahan in another western series; THE MACAHANS.

  The confined space in the polar station is well used to…

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  Review by 🇵🇱 Steve G 🇵🇸 ★★★★½ 8

  Sunday Munch!

  The Thing From Another World is often cited as the best of what 1950s monster / sci-fi had to offer, and it's a citation I've always agreed with.

  One of the earliest such films of the decade, it not only set a benchmark for the weird and wonderful decade to come in this genre, it has a lot more going for it as well. This stands out as a high quality movie beyond its genre due to its superlative performing of overlapping dialogue and its grasp on issues outside of its boundaries.

  Themes such as the suppression of the media and questioning both science and the military are at the centre of a movie that also borders on…

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  Review by Jesse ★★★½

  The Thing’s greatest advisory: fast paced 1950s dialogue. He better have the subtitles turned on. 

  Inferior to John Carpenter’s 1982 masterpiece in every conceivable way but still carves out a path as a great sci-fi thriller. Feeding off of the fears of the Cold War, this film is of its time, giving us a monster that is something strange and unexpected. There are several moments in this film that will leave you stunned including one of the best burn sequences ever put on screen. Featuring a more upbeat ending but with a word of warning:

  “WATCH THE SKIES.”

  You can see the influence this would have on Carpenter and fans of that version should definitely check out this first journey into the frozen tundra.

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  Review by 𝚣𝚎𝚞𝚜 🩸 ★★★ 1

  I’m glad John Carpenter went on to remake this into one of the greatest pieces of cinema ever. This had the makings of a good film but just couldn’t keep me hooked. After recently watching some older horror movies I know it was entirely possible to create a genuinely scary film with the tools of the time. Maybe I’m comparing it too much the Carpenter version, but this felt lacking in atmosphere and general creepiness. There were still some great moments and because I love the concept, it was still worth checking out.

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  Review by {Todd} ★★★½ 3

  "What about this business of starting over again?" -Captain Hendrey,
  "We'll talk about that later." - Nikki,

  - Scavenger Hunt 52: boxd.it/3kIS0
  Task 28: A film that was remade 20 or more years later (12/31)

  In the case of an alien attack it is important to remember to look sharp!

  In The Thing from Another World, a thing from another world drops a catastrophe album in Antarctica where a group of scientists, military and journalists decide to be so human that it has to end badly. Real seeming dialogue and an interesting story ensue. Paced so that it starts off developing the story within a few minutes. The film is well acted (a bit more naturalistic than normal films from this era) and directed with a message that still resonates today.

  One guess what film I'm watching later tonight!

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  Review by Joe ★★★★★ 2

  I'd only seen this once before, ten years ago at least, and as a fan of Carpenter's not-really-a-remake and 50s scifi movies in general I liked it but didn't love it, thought it was too staid or talky or who even knows. Rewatched it in the midst of trying to plug in some of my Howard Hawks gaps and if there was ever a movie about a killer carrot that can benefit from the viewer's maturity, it's this one, packed to the thorns with sophisticated running gags between characters, I might just watch this again in a few weeks or months just to try to take everything in. In that sense the Carpenter it reminds me of the most isn't…

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  Review by jasmin 🌙 ★★★★ 4

  This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

  Well, hi there!

  Wow, this was so different from what I expected in the best way possible.
  I really dig The Thing in this.
  Now, having seen the 1982 version already I can't help but compare them and to me, and most people, the 1982 remake is the superior version.
  I still liked this a lot. l'm just in awe of black and white movies and it felt very cozy to me. Did not anticipate but really loved that the crew had ended up questioning the government that they put their trust in for years.

  Definitely rewatching this in the future. ❄