ALL SCI-FI

[Pow]

From Sy Fy Wire News:

John Carpenter said that "The blood-test scene is the reason I did the movie. I thought I could do something with it."

Kurt Russell was not JC's first choice for the MacReady character. The list of actors considered for MacReady were: Christopher Walkin, Nick Nolte, Jeff Bridges, Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Kris Kristofferson.

Sidebar: All good choices had Kurt not been available, or rejected the role. Maybe not Chris Walkin though. He's a fine actor but always has a kind of odd and offbeat quality to him. That wouldn't really work for the hero of the piece in this film.

John Carpenter: "Kurt's big beard was his idea for the film; I came up with the hat."

[WadeVC]

[Pow]

Agreed. I can see any of these actors in the MacReady role with the exception of Chris Walkin. Chris is a terrific performer but he would have been too offbeat in this role.

[WadeVC]

For me, The Thing is one of the best remakes, or re-imagined films Hollywood has come out with.

I am, for the most part, not a fan of remakes, regardless of how bad the original movies is or was, but Carpenter nailed it with The Thing.

The SFX were intelligently crafted, and added to the story nicely rather than being the showcase of the movie, although the SFX were in themselves quite stunning.

This is a movie I still watch on occasion, and enjoy it every time.
_________________
"You look like a pooped out pinwheel."
-Robot Monster

[Pow]

Agreed. Few remakes ever can equal classic originals for being compelling. Sure, with the evolution in production tools, visual effects, and so forth, you might manage to create a better looking movie compared to one from decades ago (who did the best they could at that time with the tools and budgets available).

However, a superior looking production doesn't mean you have managed to catch lightning in a bottle as was done on the original film.