The Thing (1982)

I saw this recently as a download from NetFlix and it actually looked better to me than the DVD. It's really great to see it being respected so much.
I remember it was derided as an Alien imitation, but I think it's gained more respect with time (and as Alien has been tarnished by the whole Aliens vs. Predator angle).
And the prequel is being released in October.
I don't know if it will be good, but it follows the story of the Norwegian base that first discovers the Thing. There is an American scientist (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead of Scott Pilgrim and Live Free Die Hard) and an American chopper pilot in the cast.
I understand they actually are modeling Winstead's character a bit on Ripley from Aliens for this one.
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To answer the original question: I prefer to think that both MacReady and Childs were human at the end. While Mac says, if they have any surprises neither of them are in any condition to do anything about it, he then says, "let's see what happens" and they share a beer.
To my thinking, the Thing would probably not hesitate to kill the other man at that point. He's much stronger than any one person.
And maybe it's the idealist in me, but I like to think the good guys won, even if they don't live. Because they stopped the creature from getting away.
It's kind of fun because of that doubt though....you just don't know for sure.
According to the commentary on the DVD, Kurt Russell and John Carpenter said they did film an alternate ending where MacReady makes it back to civilization and takes a blood test to show he isn't infected. Ultimately, Carpenter just didn't like that ending and he kept the ending he wanted.
 
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To answer the original question: I prefer to think that both MacReady and Childs were human at the end. While Mac says, if they have any surprises neither of them are in any condition to do anything about it, he then says, "let's see what happens" and they share a beer.
To my thinking, the Thing would probably not hesitate to kill the other man at that point. He's much stronger than any one person.
And maybe it's the idealist in me, but I like to think the good guys won, even if they don't live. Because they stopped the creature from getting away.
It's kind of fun because of that doubt though....you just don't know for sure.

Plus, as was discussed, and clearly never resolved, by Carpenter and Russell in the commentary (which is pretty hilarious) there's the issue of whether or not someone who was the Thing actually knew it, or not; that the imitation might be so perfect that an infected person - to one degree or another - would continue on as normal until the thing was forced to reveal itself.

Either way, I love this film.

I'm assuming a prequel would involve lots and lots of CG, which unless done extraordinarily well, simply wouldn't cut the mustard for me.
 
Plus, as was discussed, and clearly never resolved, by Carpenter and Russell in the commentary (which is pretty hilarious) there's the issue of whether or not someone who was the Thing actually knew it, or not; that the imitation might be so perfect that an infected person - to one degree or another - would continue on as normal until the thing was forced to reveal itself.

Either way, I love this film.

I'm assuming a prequel would involve lots and lots of CG, which unless done extraordinarily well, simply wouldn't cut the mustard for me.
I know. I'm a little worried because they usually dump bad horror movies around Halloween. On the plus side, the director said he reveres John Carpenter's film and purposely avoided doing a remake, as the studio suggested. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is another reason I might see it, but who knows what the results will be?
---On the topic of Carpenter and Russell's commentaries, they are hilarious. On Big Trouble In Little China they forget about the movie at one point and just talk about other things and start laughing before getting back on point.
---As I was watching the movie this last time, I was of the mind that The Thing was a good actor. He knew he was not the life form he was imitating...but then when he mimicked Vance Norris did he have to mimic his heart condition that resulted in that great scene where things get really gory on the operating table?
I don't know.
Maybe the Thing would be a latent presence within the copy that he makes. It's another unanswered question.
But you know what? I actually think it's a more plausible monster than the Alien in Ridley Scott's film. That monster seems to have been engineered to virtually rape and kill people in the most horrible way. What kind of sick intelligence would make that monster? Well, we may find out because I think Ridley Scott is doing a prequel to his movie as well.
One thing that Carpenter justly points out is that his creature is not so much like a bug eyed monster costume. Ridley Scott's Alien is about as scary as a guy in a costume can look. But the Thing is just...a mass of goo, tentacles, teeth, and whatever alien life forms it has encountered. It would present a cool challenge to a talented special effects company.
 
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I have never seen the complete film. When I did go the cinema to watch it, i had had a huge curry just a short while before and settled down to watch it. Fairly early on the curry started saying it wanted out and some of the special effects added to the feeling.

When the dogs head opened up, I though I was gonna be sick so headed for the bathroom. Unfortunately I collapsed part way there feeling really weird hot flushed feeling - left the cinema shortly afterwards.

(Turned out years later that my heartbeat occasionally dropped alarmingly low causing me to faint and I now have a pacemaker to kick in at that point)

Similar thing happened during, "Return of a man called Horse." Heavy food then feeling weird...

Still never watched the ending of either film... bad memories.
 
Maybe the Thing would be a latent presence within the copy that he makes.

Agreed with just about every point of your post and what I've outlined from that post is what I think I like to think.

That the copy is so flawless that it runs by itself until the Thing's survival is brought into question just strikes me as the most effective way of disguising itself. As well as being downright nasty, of course.
 

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