Thing From Another World, The (1951) [Blu-ray]

** THIS REVIEW IS ONLY FOR THE NEW BLU-RAY EDITION **My copy of the new Blu-Ray edition of "The Thing" suddenly arrived on my doorstep this morning. I wasn't expecting it for a few more days, but happily it came early. First off, I was really hoping to have it turn out to be a 5-Star review. And this Blu-ray edition is probably the best video that has ever been available. But for those like me who were hoping for a pristine crisp razor-sharp transfer, we won't be getting that in this edition. It still looks like an old movie that was shot 65 years ago, even if it is a cleaner and brighter copy than we ever had before. Whether it's the more than ample grain, or softness of most scenes, it just doesn't jump out at you and surprise you as some other movies of the same era have done when seeing them on Blu-ray for the first time. It just doesn't give you that, "Wow, it's like I'm seeing it for the first time, or just like it was when it was new in the theatre" look.Still, I'm glad that this modest upgrade from our DVD copies is available. And I would recommend it to anyone who loves this movie as I do. I wouldn't want to dissuade anyone from getting this new edition. The contrast and black levels are decent. Audio quality is fine, but it doesn't give you the impression that it was transferred from the best film elements available. It's still probably the best image quality available to us, but just don't expect it to be the huge leap that some other movies have been when released on Blu-Ray. This is a modest step up from DVD at best. Glad to have purchased it, and would purchase it again, but just not what I had expected or at least hoped for.

This review is for the Warner Archive blu ray, released Q4 2018.For those wondering: this is easily the best this film has looked, likely since its original theatrical release. Warners has done an amazing job restoring and cleaning the film. My reference is the version that regularly screens on Turner Classic Movies - which, while not awful, was also generally only acceptable at best, with many shots being blurry to the point of being hard to comprehend.From what I understand, obtaining good prints and complete prints of the film was very challenging. There are certain shots and scenes which lack the crispness we associate with HD releases - they look more like solid DVD or new VHS images. However, these are the minority; the vast majority of the film is crisp, clear, and wonderfully presented. There is grain/some noise, but it's not distracting or detrimental to the film image.Sound is good and clear all the way through. I think it retains the original mono sound, but it may have been remastered for stereo. If so, the sound remains fairly flat but true to the original release.This is a must buy for fans of the film, and for fans of great SF films in general.

This version looks like the best home version ever. The sound and picture are not bad. On a big movie theater screen, details in the film would fall apart more elegantly and less noticeably; where this Blu-ray falls off into more rough digital noise. I watched this on a large 4K Sony LED TV that allows some picture adjusting, and after some tweaking, "The Thing From Another World" looked pretty good. A subwoofer was not connected, so I could not fully judge the sound quality, but it sounded a little tame.I liked it, but was disappointed that it didn't look as deep and rich in detail as I was hoping this Blu-ray would be. It turns out that the original film materials were destroyed, and this Blu-ray was made from the best surviving source copies. It's still good, and I am glad to have this latest Blu-ray version (November 2018).It's listed as presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, which is a little wider than standard TV 4:3. It's Not cropped or enlarged to fit a 16:9 screen, like the version TCM showed (mentioned in another comment). It is close to the old TV screen shape, which is how most people today have come to know it.Too bad there are only two trailers, one for the original release, and one for later re-release ("The Thing" was later re-released to theaters in shorter versions), and this disc no great extras or commentaries. Worth a look or two.

The original film for the book 'Who goes there?'. In my opinion the best but then I love science fiction films from this era. They rely on plot writing rather than flashy special effects. This has James Arness in a starring role long before he became Marshall Matt Dillon - SUPERB!. Anyone who does not like this does not really understand early science fiction - their loss!

This is the best copy you will get, the picture is mostly very clear aside one or two scenes where thev'e had to add from other film elements, the sound is a good mono recording, overall it is an excellent Blu-Ray,

The Thing from Another World is set at The North Pole and finds a bunch of US airmen, scientists and a journalist getting more than they bargained for when they investigate a space craft frozen in the ice.What is most striking about the film is its basic human story of team work, the pulling together during a crisis, this theme is a big shift from the short story by John W Campbell Jr. (Who Goes There?) Where that story and later John Carpenter's wonderful remake focused on paranoia and mistrust, this film is something of the "polar" opposite (literally) as regards the group in peril. It bears all the hallmarks of producer Howard Hawks, who clearly influenced Nyby's direction. The script, with its pros and cons of military and scientific society, is very much of its time, blending po-faced observations with straight backed joviality. But this all works in the film's favour and helps define it as one of the most important science fiction pictures ever made.Along with the other major sci-fi movie of 1951, The Day the Earth Stood Still, "The Thing" firmly brought the visitor from outer space idea into the public conscious. But where the former film intellectualised its alien visitor, resplendent with a message of worth, the latter is about terror, pushing forward the notion that the visitor here is a monster that wants to drink our blood and attempt World domination. No major effects work is needed here because one of the film's bright spots is only glimpsing the creature (James Arness) in little snippets, and this after we are made to wait for some time before things kick off. This begs us to think for ourselves as regards this stalking menace. Putting us firmly with this intrepid group of people, and we want to see them survive and we care if they do succeed.The low end budget doesn't hamper the atmosphere or flow, in fact Nyby, Hawks, cinematographer Russell Harlan and music maestro Dimitri Tiomkin, work wonders to ensure there's a level of authenticity to the Arctic base and that peril is never far away. Not hindered by many of the clichés that would dominate similar themed genre pieces that followed it, film neatly taps into fears that were to become prevalent as the 50s wore on. It may not be perfect, but a genre star it still be, so watch the sky tonight indeed. 9/10

This is not a modern special-effects blockbuster so it is not fair to compare it with the modern re-makes or prequels. Watch and enjoy it for what it is - a classic Black and White sci-fi story with a hero, quirky characters and the obligatory beautiful woman assisting the scientists. It uses dialogue and the isolation of the Arctic to build lots of tension. As well as the dangers posed by "The Thing" itself, there is dramatic conflict between the "practical" military and the "idealistic" scientists. This was made just a few years after the first Atomic Bombs had been used, when Arctic bases were a cover for lots of real Cold War espionage and the USA was getting paranoid about Communism. You won't get fast-paced action full of blood and gore in every scene, you will get a great set of characters and a strong story with some "made you jump" moments!

Finally watching the original The Thing From Another World for the first time and although its a fine Sci-Fi flick on its own it simply doesn't have the overall sense of dread and paranoia of John Carpenters masterpiece and the creature itself looks like a poor mans Frankensteins Monster. This bluray looks great though!