The Thing
Movie, 1982, Named by the director, Set in First in the trilogy
The Thing is #13 of 48 in release order and #10 of 48 in chronological order in the Spiritual Trilogies.
The story
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
The Thing recap
In the winter of 1982, a Norwegian helicopter chases a sled dog into an American research station in Antarctica, firing at it until the Norwegians die. Helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady and the station doctor find the Norwegian camp burned out, with a twisted half-human corpse. Back at base the dog transforms into a mass of tentacles in the kennel. The biologist Blair works out that the creature is an alien that absorbs and copies any living thing, and that it could take over the world within years. He wrecks the radio and vehicles to keep it from escaping. The twelve men no longer know who is still human. MacReady takes charge and makes everyone give blood, then tests each sample with a hot wire, since every piece of the creature reacts on its own. It is the first film in John Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy, three films about forces that could end humanity.
The Thing ending explained
The station is destroyed, and MacReady and Childs sit in the snow, unsure which of them is human. MacReady finds that Blair has been taken over and is building a small craft under the floor. He sets explosives through the base, faces the creature in its largest form, and blows it up with dynamite. As the station burns, Childs walks back out of the dark, saying he got lost chasing Blair. MacReady hands him a bottle of whisky, and the two wait together for the cold to take them.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch The Thing
The Thing is streaming on Prime Video, Philo, and AMC in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes 85%
Where it fits
- Release order: after All the President's Men, before Amadeus.
- Chronological order: after Lady Vengeance, before Prince of Darkness.
Cast
- Kurt Russell as MacReady
- Wilford Brimley as Blair
- T.K. Carter as Nauls
- David Clennon as Palmer
- Keith David as Childs
- Richard Dysart as Dr. Copper
- Charles Hallahan as Norris
- Peter Maloney as Bennings
- Richard Masur as Clark
- Donald Moffat as Garry
- Joel Polis as Fuchs
- Thomas G. Waites as Windows
Directed by John Carpenter.