n a military base somewhere near the North Pole, a peculiar magnetic
disturbance has been noted, something that could only have been made by
a metallic object crashing to Earth--something like an aircraft.
Immediately suspicious of covert Russian activity, a crew is dispatched
to investigate.
Captain Pat Hendry and his men arrive at the desolate site to find an
incursion from not an Earthly invader, but an extra-terrestrial one--a
UFO entombed in the ice. Quick orders are ground out and the crew
attempts to blast the craft from the frozen wastes. Unfortunately, they end up destroying the
ship, but there is something that has escaped the
conflagration, but a few dozen yards away an alien lies
in glacial suspension. A dead alien seems like a meager prize compared to a spaceship, but the crew hauls it, still encased in its icy
sarcophagus, back to base.
Scientists at the station, led by Dr. Arthur Carrington, cannot wait to
fire up their Bunsen burners to begin their analysis. But Captain
Hendry's military caution stays them while he awaits further
orders. They might have a long wait. A fierce Arctic storm has
basically cut all communications with the outside.
It is soon discovered that, regardless of orders, scientific inquiry is
on hold. The thing is apparently very much alive, risen like a wintry
phoenix. Indirect observation shows it is eight feet tall, vegetable in
nature, immensely strong, violent and capable of regenerating body
parts. Gruesome observation also indicates it consumes blood to
survive...
Brilliant technique, and a neat monster
Although accredited to Christian Nyby, this production--based on the Jown W. Campbell Jr. short story "Who Goes There?"--was actually
directed by Hollywood legend Howard Hawks, who gave Nyby the byline as a
favor. This film is notable as an example of a good, tight
action-drama, and for its place in the rolls of SF cinema. Released
in 1951, The Thing not only ushered in the golden age of SF
monster/alien films, but profoundly influenced all that followed.
On its own merit, The Thing is a strong film marked by
sharp dialog, quick, logical action and pacing, and naturalistic acting.
Hawks' technique just about tosses the drama and characters right into
the audience's lap, which is almost disconcerting in a film of its era.
The dialog is constant, quick, and overlapping and the action is a
streaming thread. Especially effective and memorable is the constant
character activity--nearly everyone is always doing something (rolling
a cigarette, discussing the present action) whether lead actor or extra.
Most of the 1950s films that followed The Thing would
emulate its most obvious features--scary alien, military as protector,
scientific folly--but without Hawks' intelligence. Additionally, both
women and science got a fairer shake with Hawks than they would with his
successors. Hawks clearly likes strong, intelligent dames (a legacy of
the '40s), and although Dr. Carrington in the end is proved wrong in
wanting to communicate with the thing, at least he is a fool of his own
convictions rather than evil, or even blundering. From its laconic title
to its guileless last line ("Keep watching the skies!"), The
Thing exuberantly established and reinforced the hallmarks of its
genre.
