While I
still must watch several of his films, John Carpenter is one of my favorite
directors. Halloween has always been one of my favorite films—and seeing it in
theaters was epic—and They Live
instantly became one too. Shame the
latter wasn’t as successful during its theatrical run. The film I had the pleasure of seeing in
theaters recently has that in common with Carpenter’s satire, as critics of the
time hated it and it flopped (when “Hollywood Accounting” is factored against
gross). Despite this, The Thing has found its audience in the
almost forty years since its release, and it’s the textbook example of how to
remake a film.
While
the audience wasn’t much larger than when I saw Kill Bill Volume 1, participation was vastly greater. With Bill, the audience was sitting on their
hands for a majority of the film, and it felt like I was the only one having
fun; in retrospect, sitting in the back corner might have played a role in
this. They were faster on the draw with
Trivia this time, and unlike January those who raised their hands knew the
film, myself included (this time I won the big prize: two tickets and a free
popcorn). As the film played, I heard cheers, oohs, and laughs at the few comedic
moments. From a personal standpoint,
this improved my experience. While the
interaction started slow, by the time the blood test scene played out, the
audience was 100% invested. Carpenter
had them in the palm of his hand. I’m
smiling just thinking about it.
The
film looked amazing on the big screen.
Viewing the film in this manner allowed me to further appreciate
Carpenter’s mise-en-scene. From Dean
Cundy’s masterful cinematography to Rob Bottin’s groundbreaking practical
effects, everything was beautiful.
Although there were several moments where Bottin’s models looked fake,
the suspension of disbelief wasn’t broken do to scene context (watch the film
and you’ll see what I mean). Morricone’s
subtle-bass score also sounded amazing through the theater speakers. With
this watch, I managed to spot when two characters are assimilated—or at least
where I’d argue they are—and the “Childs is a Thing” theory appears more
plausible than before.
If you
ever get the chance to see this Carpenter masterpiece in theaters, you won’t be
disappointed. It’ll be a fun night of
crazy Nords, paranoid comrades, and bleak coldness. Despite what critics of the time said, this
film wouldn’t have worked without that tone.