The Thing From Another World

The advent of DVD has both been a blessing and a curse for many fans of film. We now have ourselves the best medium yet to see our favorite films presented in. Many of the films being remastered and handed over to us in crystal clear presentations that look better than the films probably did upon their initial releases, since not only do we have the crystal clear digital medium, but we also have monitors to view these things one that no theater screen in the world could possibly beat. Plus many of our favorite pictures are showing up on DVD faster than they ever did on video.

But at the same time, with this medium, we have forgotten what it is that really matters, and that is the film. With DVD we have gotten so used to being given hours upon hours of extras that we forget that sometimes it is the film that really matters the most. Which brings us to the film at hand, the 1951 Science Fiction meets Horror film The Thing From Another World.

The Thing From Another World is a story that is more than likely familiar with most of our readers, as it was turned into the landmark special effects extravaganza filmed by John Carpenter in 1982, The Thing. Though whereas one of the major complaints about that film was that the character development was poorly executed, and relied too much on the FX, the main complaint of this version is that the monster FX just aren't very good. Indeed, James Arness who plays our alien bad guy is rather lackluster in appearance, looking like a big bald guy with thorns on his knuckles, rather than a frightening alien.

For those that are unfamiliar with the story, I'll give a little plot outline.

A group of scientists are in the Arctic doing experiments when they come across a crash aircraft. At first the questions are raised as to what kind of aircraft it is, but the questions are quickly answered as the men determine the shape of the craft, and find it to being circular in shape, causing them to realize that they have finally found a flying saucer.

In their attempts to uncover the craft an accident occurs causing the destruction of the craft. But as they stand observing the damage, they pick up a reading that leads to the discovery of an alien being lying a little ways from the craft. They proceed to excavate the body, and bring it back with them for a later examination.

One thing leads to another that eventually leads to a major mistake, and our alien becomes defrosted and on the rampage he goes!

The Thing From Another World is really a remarkable film. I bought the disc on Halloween of 2003. I sit here writing this review in January of 2004, and to this day I have yet to own a DVD that I have viewed anywhere close to as many times as I have now watched this disc! The character development and interplay of characters is unlike any other film. The love story in it could have been cheesy, but is played so real, and with so much enjoyment, that it easily competes with the scenes of scares for what you wish to be watching. Captain Pat Hendry (Kenneth Tobey) and Nikki Nicholson (Margaret Sheridan) are the romantic leads of the film, and our first scene with the two of them together concerns a "practical" joke Nikki played on Pat, after drinking him under the table, and then leaving him in bed alone the next morning. A little risqué for 1951 maybe, but the two pull the scene off with such an enjoyable flare that nobody could possibly find anything to be offended about. Just Nikki's held back laughter itself is one of the most enjoyable things in film history.

Not only is our romantic lead a brilliant piece of character, but so are the parts played by the rest of the cast, especially Pats partners who give him nonstop grief for the whole film, and Scotty, the reporter who just can't seem to get the shots he really needs on account of his being in too much shock each time something happens.

Warner Home Video brings us The Thing From Another World in a very bare-bones disc, with the only extra feature being a trailer. At first fans of the film were disappointed to find that the film, one of the most important and most beloved Science Fiction films of any era, was being given such poor treatment. They do have the rights to feel cheated of what could have been a brilliant disc all around, but when it all comes down to it, just having this film on disc is enough reason to celebrate. The picture itself is beautiful, and the sound is perfect. There is a little bit of grain, and there are a few odd cuts in the picture, but other than that, which might just be the film itself, this is a wonderful disc, especially at the $14.99 USD that I paid for it.

So, though there really is no form of great extra on the disc, this was still my favorite purchase for DVD last year. Most times, I only watch the extras on a disc once, then I usually watch the disc itself a few times after that. With this disc though, as I stated earlier, I have watched it now around 30 times! Pretty friggin' scary, in all honesty. Expect me to start dressing like Nikki at Sci-Fi conventions next year!

So, if you enjoy great Sci-Fi, Horro, or films, get your butt out to the shops and grab this disc, and sit down, and fall in love with people you will never meet! And just keep watching those skies!

Review by Carl Isonhart