The Thing From Another World

Starring: Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, James Arness, Robert Conthwaite, Douglas Spencer, James Young, Dewey Martin, Robert Nichols, William Self
Directed by: Christian Nyby
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction
1951

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A group of scientists and air force officials fight off an alien menace in an isolated artic research station.

Review:

Tim: I really enjoyed The Thing From Another World. I loved how the film took a very serious approach to the entire thing. In one sense, this movie could have easily slipped into farce. We are dealing with basically a sentient alien vegetable drinking peoples' blood. That sounds like the perfect premise for a dumb horror comedy. And yet, there's very little humor in this film- the subject matter is approached with utmost seriousness and with scientific backing. I loved that this movie wanted to be taken seriously.

The atmosphere of the film greatly helps its overall quality. The movie looks stark and scary in black and white. It takes place in a remote station in the arctic- surrounded by miles and miles and miles of nothing- only water and ice. The movie felt very isolated to me. I loved that feeling of remoteness and being cut off from the rest of the world. It definitely added to creepiness factor.

I also have to give a great deal of credit to producer Howard Hawks. The Thing From Another World absolutely feels like a Hawksian film. The dialogue is crisp and comes rapid-fire at the audience. I wouldn't be surprised if I missed quite a few good lines because they all happen so quickly and sometimes simultaneously. It did not surprise me to read that there are rumors/beliefs that Hawks may have directed a large portion of this film. His fingerprints are all over this movie, and it is better for it.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the characters. In horror movies today, the characters are often the weakest part- people you don't care about in the least. That's not true here- the main characters all have their own unique personalities, and we can genuinely identify with them. I wanted them to live, which is saying a lot.

I thought the alien itself was approached very well in the story. I admit it seems a bit silly to talk about a living, breathing vegetable, but the film approached it in a scientific-enough manner (1950s standards, anyway) that I happily went along for the ride. I'll believe a lot is possible in the movies, if the subject matter is treated with even a degree of scientific inquiry. I was able to suspend my disbelief. I also love that the alien wasn't given any close-ups. I'm sure that part of that was the close up would reveal some flaws in the alien mask. However, the end result is that the alien seems really scary. We never see it up close- it's always from a distance.

It was difficult to come up with a final rating for this film. I very much enjoyed it- the story, the characters, and the thrills/suspense. One flaw I did see is that unfortunately, the alien looks too much like Frankenstein. The film does a great job with the alien for most of the film- the cut off arm, growing new aliens, etc. However, the face is just too similar to many other "monster" movies. I wanted something a bit different since this is an extraterrestrial- not an earthbound monster.

I also thought the bounds of science were a stretched a bit. The electricity piece at the end felt a bit forced and difficult to believe. The bomb to free the craft from the ice and the subsequent events also felt a bit silly to me. It was hard for me to follow along this aspect.

Despite these flaws, the film is still very good. One of the classic, most amazing scenes is when the scientists all spread out to see the shape of the craft buried in the ice. When they reach their final spots, they form a perfect circle- the craft is a flying saucer. The scene is executed absolutely perfectly. It was my favorite moment of the film.

The Thing From Another World is a very solidly made sci fi horror movie. It likely could have been a bit better, but it still stands up today, even through the passage of time. I very much enjoyed this interesting, exciting movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Thing, The Day the Earth Stood Still