The Thing

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Scientists working in Antarctica are forced to abandon their research after a helicopter crashes near their camp, bringing a lone dog into their midst. But the plot thickens when the otherworldly canine changes form in the middle of the night. As it turns out, the dog is a shape-shifting alien that can attack animals -- and unsuspecting humans. Kurt Russell stars in this creepy John Carpenter-directed remake of the 1950s classic.
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Netflix Rating: 3.8
NYT Review: Antarctic scientist finds creature. Gory horror remake. Power-of-suggestion original was much better. Read the review
Top Rotten Tomatoes Critics: Carpenter's direction is slow, dark, and stately; he seems to be aiming for an enveloping, novelistic kind of effect, but all he gets is heaviness. full review

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

If it's the most vividly guesome monster ever to stalk the screen that audiences crave, then The Thing is the thing. On all other levels, however, John Carpenter's remake of Howard Hawks' 1951 sci-fi classic comes as a letdown. full review

Variety Staff, Variety

Because this material has been done before, and better, especially in the original The Thing and Alien, there's no need to see this version. full review

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Mr. Carpenter has demonstrated that he can make good, comparatively plain, old-fashioned scare movies and effective suspense thrillers, but he seems to lose his own head when he combines two or more genres, as he [does here]. full review

Vincent Canby, New York Times

This is one of those rare remakes that remains faithful to the premise of the original but does something unique with the concept. full review

James Berardinelli, ReelViews