User blog:ARTaylor/35 Years of The Thing

Today is the thirty-fifth anniversary of the premiere of The Thing. Based on the 1938 novella Who Goes There? and a remake of the 1951 film The Thing from Another World, the film follows a small group of scientists in the Antarctic who must find and stop a deadly alien creature that can imitate anyone and threatens to take over the planet. Upon its initial release, the film was met with mixed reviews and barely made its money back. It was hurt by competition from the optimistic alien movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and high profile science fiction film Blade Runner. However, it has since garnered a cult following and is now considered one of the greatest science fiction and horror movies ever made. It was followed by a comic series, canonical video game, and prequel film. The film features the talents of Keith David in his first major acting role as Childs, the man who drastically butts heads with hero R.J. MacReady and eventually is one of the last two survivors.