The Thing (1951)(1982)(2011)
There are 3 separate Movies all (based on the story "Who Goes There?") by John W. Campbell Jr.
They all take place in the Arctic and have a similar basic storyline. The second and third productions are interesting in that the one in 1982 was visually loaded with special effects of the time and the third in 2011 also had stunning special effect and many were CG, but this is not what links the two later productions, but rather that the 2011 Movie is a Prequel to the 1982 one. Just for fun I have provided a link to the COLORiZED version of the Black and white original movie included in the Trio.
I am posting in Both Classic and Contemporary Movies since there is one Movie that is Classic, one is Contemporary and the middle one could be classed as either. I hope you all enjoy this post. ----- R
The Thing from Another World (1951)
87 min - Horror | Sci-Fi - 29 April 1951 (USA)
Directors:
Christian Nyby, Howard Hawks (uncredited)
Writers:
Charles Lederer (screenplay), John W. Campbell Jr. (based on the story "Who Goes There?" by)
Stars:
Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, James Arness |
Scientists and American Air Force officials fend off a blood-thirsty alien organism while at a remote arctic outpost.
The Thing from Another World (often referred to as The Thing before its 1982 remake), is a 1951 RKO Pictures black-and-white science fiction film based on the 1938 novella "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell (writing under the pseudonym of Don A. Stuart). The story concerns an Air Force crew and scientists at a remote Arctic research outpost forced to defend themselves against a malevolent, plant-based humanoid alien.
The film stars Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, Robert Cornthwaite, and Douglas Spencer. James Arness played The Thing, but he is difficult to recognize in costume and makeup, due to both low lighting and other effects used to obscure his features.
No actors are named during the film's dramatic "slow burning letters through background" opening title sequence; the cast credits appear at the end of the film. The film was partly shot in Glacier National Park and interior sets built at a Los Angeles ice storage plant.
The Thing from Another World is considered one of the great science fiction films of the 1950s.[4] In 2001 the film was deemed to be a "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant motion picture by the United States Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Thanks to IMDB and Wiki for the text. --------------------------- R
The Thing from Another World (1951) LINK
The Thing from Another World (COLORiZED( (1951) LINK
The Thing (1982)
109 min - Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi - 25 June 1982 (USA)
Director:
John Carpenter
Writers:
Bill Lancaster (screenplay), John W. Campbell Jr. (story)
Stars:
Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David |
Scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the people that it kills.
The Thing (also known as John Carpenter's The Thing) is a 1982 American science fiction horror film directed by John Carpenter, written by Bill Lancaster, and starring Kurt Russell. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a parasitic extraterrestrial lifeform that assimilates other organisms and in turn imitates them. The Thing infiltrates an Antarctic research station, taking the appearance of the researchers that it absorbs, and paranoia develops within the group.
The film is based on John W. Campbell, Jr.'s novella Who Goes There?, which was more loosely adapted by Howard Hawks and Christian Nyby as 1951's The Thing from Another World. Carpenter considers The Thing to be the first part of his Apocalypse Trilogy, followed by Prince of Darkness and In the Mouth of Madness. Although the films are narratively unrelated, each features a potentially apocalyptic scenario; should "The Thing" ever reach civilization, it would be only a matter of time before it consumes humanity.
Thanks to IMDB and Wiki for the text. --------------------------- R
The Thing (1982) LINK
The Thing (I) (2011)
103 min - Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi - 14 October 2011 (USA)
Director:
Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. (as Matthijs van Heijningen)
Writers:
Eric Heisserer, John W. Campbell Jr. (short story "Who Goes There?")
Stars:
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen
The Thing is a 2011 science fiction horror film directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. and written by Eric Heisserer based on the novella Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell. It is a prequel to the 1982 film of the same name by John Carpenter so watch this one first. The film stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Eric Christian Olsen. They are part of a team of Norwegian and American scientists who discover an alien buried deep in the ice of Antarctica, realizing too late that it is still alive.
In 1982, an alien spacecraft is discovered beneath the Antarctic ice by a Norwegian research team: Edvard (Trond Espen Seim), Jonas (Kristofer Hivju), Olav (Jan Gunnar Røise), Karl (Carsten Bjørnlund), Juliette (Kim Bubbs), Lars (Jørgen Langhelle), Henrik (Jo Adrian Haavind), Colin (Jonathan Lloyd Walker), and Peder (Stig Henrik Hoff). Paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is recruited by Dr. Sander Halvorson (Ulrich Thomsen) and his assistant Adam Finch (Eric Christian Olsen) to investigate the discovery. They travel to the Norwegian base in a helicopter manned by Carter (Joel Edgerton), Derek (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and Griggs (Paul Braunstein). After viewing the spacecraft, Kate, Sander and Adam are told the group also discovered an alien body from the crash buried in the ice.
Thanks to IMDB and Wiki for the text. --------------------------- R
Replies
Many thanks, Rick! I saw "The Thing (from another world") in the theater in 1951 (age 7) and it scared the hell out of me. I saw "The Thing (1982)" in the theater and it was very enjoyable and well made IMO. I didn't see "The Thing (2011)" and so look forward to watching it.
May you thoroughly enjoy it. I found the 2011 that I had never seen either and realized that it was a prequel to the 1982 Production. They are excellent back to back with the 2011 first and then the 1982. I also recommend the COLORiZED Thing from another World. The colorized version is in Uploads. There are 2 there but the AVI has better color and clarity. Enjoy them! I just finished watching the Black and White print of Thing From Another World and I really cannot choose which one I like better Color or not. Guess it just depends on my mood. ------------ R