Warner Bros. adds another film to its Archive Collection with The Thing from Another World. All fans of the remake should make the effort to pick this up, as seeing the differences in the incarnations that are only a few decades apart makes for a fascinating experience.
”Arctic researchers discover a huge, frozen spaceling inside a crash-landed UFO, then fight for their lives after the murderous being (a pre-Gunsmoke James Arness) emerges from icy captivity. Will other creatures soon follow? The famed final words of this film are both warning and answer: “Keep watching the skies!”
A snappy ensemble. An eerie theremin-infused Dimitri Tiomkin score. Rising suspense. Crisp Christian Nyby direction. All merge in an edgy classic produced by Howard Hawks (Bringing Up Baby, Rio Bravo) and filled with Hawksian trademarks of rapid-fire dialogue and of people united by do-or-die stress. Keep watching the skies and the screen. Don’t miss a moment of “one of the best sci-fi thrillers of the ‘50s” (John Stanley, Creature Features).”
The Thing from Another World opens as a group of military personnel receive notice that some kind of ship has crash landed in the North Pole near a research station. With a star reporter looking for his next story in tow, the group heads to the research station amidst harsh weather, landing to meet the research team including the head scientist Dr. Carrington. The group travels to the crash site, discovering a giant disc-like craft lodged underneath the ice with a portion of it protruding from the top layer. It’s obvious they’ve found a flying saucer. As they deploy thermite charges to attempt to melt the top layer of ice, it has an unpredictable reaction with the ship which destroys it, throwing its sole occupant clear of the ship but still encased in ice. The team brings back the hunk of ice to the research station as they try to figure out what to do. The reporter immediately wants to let the entire world know the discovery, while the Air Force personnel are more concerned with safety. Before they can figure out a plan, the creature encased in ice escapes with its intentions that of speculation as scientists and military clash on how to proceed.
The Thing from Another World, based on the novella Who Goes There?, is the first incarnation in what would later become one of John Carpenter’s most recognized films The Thing. It’s very hard to try and separate the two, with the latter following a lot closer to the source material of the novella. The former, following the trend of flying saucer hysteria of the period, really was ahead of its time focusing on much more than a simple ‘creature feature’, but relying on the interactions of the team that are stuck in the creatures’ path of destruction and their conflict with each other. Given the film’s isolated setting, set design is paramount for the execution of the story and is done wonderfully, giving the impression this was actually filmed in some remote location in the icy tundra.
The ‘Hawksian trademark’ of rapid fire dialogue may bring enjoyment to those familiar with his films and the type of the period. For me, this was a big point of contention, as the sheer size of the cast in any given sequence with sometimes four or more people talking over one another before one actor finishes a sentence was mind-numbingly hard to follow. It may be a delight to those familiar with it, but what purpose does it serve? Honestly, you can’t hear a complete thought, and it isn’t organic in any sense of the word. You simply can’t understand some of the dialogue because of this. At least give the actors a chance to REACT instead of regurgitating lines as fast as possible.
As much as I enjoy sci-fi from this period, there is a certain naivety about this film that sets it apart from what may happen in real life if this sort of thing happened. The fact that they bring a reporter along to a suspected UFO crash is pretty outlandish in itself, but the fact that they give him full reign on doing what he wants, even going as far as to reading the communiques from a general, and finally going live on broadcast radio to describe the incident, really defies everything the public generally believes the government would ever do in relation to this type of discovery. It’s a silliness that really does set it apart from its predecessor, The Thing, which is so dark, horrific, and visceral.
Another disappointment was the frequency of seeing ‘The Thing’. We learn that it has thorn-like, razor claws on its hands, stands taller than humans, with terrifying eyes. You really only see it in two very short sequences, but these sequences are beyond impressive. The sequence where it’s set on fire and everyone does their part in a precise defense only lasts about fifteen seconds, but is done so masterfully it’s hard to believe it could have been planned to happen more than once. Although it doesn’t quite make up for the fact you don’t get to see the creature that much, it was one impressive scene.
With all this being said, there are still clear parallels between this original film and the subsequent remake that happened decades later. With such an amazing story, seeing this on Blu-Ray was a real treat, and watching the different incarnations really makes you appreciate the story on a deeper level and how it can differ so incredibly differently within a few decades.
Video
The video is presented in 1080p High Definition 4×3 1.37:1. The transfer looks pretty good overall, with grain kept at a manageable level. The majority of the film is very crisp and clear, but there are some sequences that look a bit worse, as if they were inserted from another source. Still, this is as good as it gets, with no major defects or blemishes noticed.
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio Mono. The track sounds just fine for what it is, a 50’s sci-fi flick that relies mostly on dialogue. The score is very memorable, with that theremin present in many of the ‘out of this world’ sequences. Although it doesn’t hold a candle to the memorable score for its predecessor, it is still noteworthy and holds its own.
Special Features
Unfortunately, no extras are included on this disc.
The Thing from Another World is leaps and bounds ahead of sci-fi of the period, but simply pales in comparison to the subsequent remake that put this story on the map. Sci-Fi has come such a long way in such a short time, and having this film to compare the differences in evolution of the story is so fascinating. If you’re a fan of John Carpenter’s The Thing, like I am, seeing what came before was a real treat and lets you appreciate the genre even more. Warner Brother’s Archive Collection has released some really great stuff, and I wish they’d ramp up production of some of these gems that might not see the light of day into future mediums.