The movie has its fair share of tension and thrills. It also has more than its fair share of frivolities.
Video:
What struck me most about the film´s visuals is the photography. The shots of the base camp, the rugged outdoor scenery, the snow and the mountains, the spacecraft in the ice are all quite stunningly beautiful. The DVD brings all of these images, the beautiful and the grotesque, in reasonably good clarity. Its digital reproduction is made especially welcome in its 2.35:1 widescreen ratio, although an anamorphic transfer would have even been better.
Audio:
Add in some well remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 surround effects, sounding almost as good as newer, discrete five-channel sonics, and you have an excellent home theater movie experience.
Extras:
Since this is a Collector´s Edition, as opposed to some Special Editions that don´t offer much more than any regular DVD does, Universal offer a plethora of goodies. Besides the obvious, like cast biographies and production notes, are a full-length audio commentary by Carpenter and Russell, plus an original eighty-minute documentary on the making of the film, featuring a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage, annotations, reminiscences, and insights. In order to cover everything on this dual-layed disc, viewers would have to spend a good five or six hours in front of their TV sets watching the film twice, checking out the documentary, and then reading all the production details. There is a premium price to pay for this Collector´s Edition, a few dollars more than the average cost of a DVD, but I think Universal offer one's money´s worth.
Parting Thoughts:
John Carpenter´s "The Thing" is a reasonably effective thriller, good horror fantasy, and great entertainment. Just try not to take it too seriously. It´s not exactly "2001" or "Close Encounters."
What struck me most about the film´s visuals is the photography. The shots of the base camp, the rugged outdoor scenery, the snow and the mountains, the spacecraft in the ice are all quite stunningly beautiful. The DVD brings all of these images, the beautiful and the grotesque, in reasonably good clarity. Its digital reproduction is made especially welcome in its 2.35:1 widescreen ratio, although an anamorphic transfer would have even been better.
Audio:
Add in some well remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 surround effects, sounding almost as good as newer, discrete five-channel sonics, and you have an excellent home theater movie experience.
Extras:
Since this is a Collector´s Edition, as opposed to some Special Editions that don´t offer much more than any regular DVD does, Universal offer a plethora of goodies. Besides the obvious, like cast biographies and production notes, are a full-length audio commentary by Carpenter and Russell, plus an original eighty-minute documentary on the making of the film, featuring a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage, annotations, reminiscences, and insights. In order to cover everything on this dual-layed disc, viewers would have to spend a good five or six hours in front of their TV sets watching the film twice, checking out the documentary, and then reading all the production details. There is a premium price to pay for this Collector´s Edition, a few dollars more than the average cost of a DVD, but I think Universal offer one's money´s worth.
Parting Thoughts:
John Carpenter´s "The Thing" is a reasonably effective thriller, good horror fantasy, and great entertainment. Just try not to take it too seriously. It´s not exactly "2001" or "Close Encounters."
![Happy Days [TV Show]](/images/displaymedia.php?id=25233&sizew=70&cat=3)
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]1245[/release]