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The Batman (2022)
Pretty dang good
Only problems were Catwoman, I would've liked a little less of her and focus more on batman. And remove the final driving under the bridge and looking back in the mirror, ending it thesame way it starts with Nirvana.
M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder (1931)
This is a very different movie now that I am a father.
I loved this movie but there are some choices made though that I do not agree with towards the end of the film so other than that it was masterfully done. I just have those different views but it doesn't take away from the brilliant way this movie was made.
Reign of Fire (2002)
What a scene
Five stars just for Mathew McConaughey jump twenty feet screaming holding an axe into a dragon's mouth. What a scene.
A Quiet Place Part II (2020)
Just as good as the first
This is an amazing sequel. And an amazing movie. It is a little short but I'm kinda glad. It might have drug out but it never stopped the tension and I loved it.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
A movie about animal rights activists that are pissed off
The movie starts off with a character from the prior movies saying let the dinosaurs die. Even in the first jurassic Park he says they had their chance. And all of the main characters agree. But hey screw that movie that everyone loved and do what the new characters want. There is not one explaintion as to why I should care that the dinosaurs are saved it says we are right they are wrong here is the movie. The first jurassic world had an okay story with annoying characters and this movie doubles down on that making them even worse. Justice Smith might the worst comedic relief ever. I didn't crack a smile at anything he said. In fact ian Malcolm and owen are the only characters i like. Very weak story. These people that are taking the dinosaurs own them it is their property. But the bad guys are completely bad so make them do one random gross thing like pull out the tooth. With an extremely weak ending. This entire movie was to set up a third film. Best part of the movie is when people kick the bucket.
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
Meh
It is enjoyable but once again human characters doing nothing and acting completely zero to the plot. As well as that Kong is getting destroyed the entire movie even gets so close to dying that they have to resuscitate him. This movie was just awesome abuse start to finish. Poor guy.
Miracles from Heaven (2016)
Good but really hard to watch
Has a good message but throughout the entire duration of the movie you watch a little girl in terrible pain.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Rewatchablity
I loved this movie and would love to give it higher than a 8 but I have had zero desire to watch it again. It had the great twist that blew me away and made the movie even better but I really don't care to watch it again. I wouldn't say because I have seen the twist because I will rewatch the others about once a year.
Toy Story 4 (2019)
Betrays the first three
The first three are about the toys being a family and working to stay together. This is fought for by the characters for three movies and this fourth movie is good until this underlying theme and drive is turned on.
Just didn't make sense to me
Finding Dory (2016)
Kinda obnoxious
All of the characters are kinda annoying in this one except Marlin. They all repeat their point over and over. The first movie was much more heart felt.
Soul (2020)
Pretty uneventful and boring
I didn't laugh at all. It was a whole lot of nothing really probably my least favorite Pixar film. Took two watches to get through fell asleep mid day trying to watch it the first time. Tina Fey was kinda annoying the whole time.
Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1966)
Every scene was about 5 minutes too long
For a movie with so much hype it took so long to get through and frankly I really don't care about any of the characters what so ever I never thought that they were gonna die because I say the 3 hour run time and the one scene he might die is only 2 hours in
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Up there for top 10 worst superhero movie
I went in not looking at a single review just excited to finally see a movie in theaters this year. Man it really sucked though.
The only reason it has a 3/10 is because Pedro Pascal was really good with what he got. His motivations aren't clear but he did a good job. As well as that Chris Pine did good with the jumbled part he got. His character doesn't really add anything though except some laughs.
Everyone else was very stale. Just so boring with terrible action...in the like 3 scenes that there are action.
I had more fun watching quest for peace.
Actually thought about it more and it doesn't even deserve the 3 star it is so bad
Pride and Prejudice (1995)
What a story!
I love this adaptation. On the third time through it hit me that nothing could make this better a great story and acting.
NOTE: I have not read the book my wife wanted me to watch it with her though so I'm gonna read it now
Forrest Gump (1994)
Great except for the girl
Jenny is up there for best villain for me, she is a terrible person
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Bad mother******
Very cool fun story just a ton of language otherwise I love it
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)
Just had to pander
Had to pander to the liberal audience so you throw tons and tons of it in our race for the entire run time of the movie. The only good part is when Jay and silent bob are doing their own thing then they meet SJWs and we are lectured the rest of the way.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Pretty good
I have my flaws with the movie little gripes here and there but nothing that makes me hate the film. My biggest problem is the same sex kiss at the end. There is no need to pander to the LGBTQ community this is Star wars not a political add
When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
When he had sex and she had sex
When Harry Met Sally is a romance film about some people who were acquainted and meet each others throughout their lives in New York to make a new relationship. These characters fit very well together in this story and the actors work very well off one another the supporting actors in the film are also well in keeping the story going the entire 95 minute runtime. Which I believe is a perfect runtime of the story it did not need to be any long then it was as it only needed that time to reach the end.
I was fairly entertained throughout the entire film it was fun to watch the characters bounce off of one another to make a heart warming story for two people who didn't really know how to love. This film, directed Rob Reiner and written by Nora Ephron in 1989, worked really well as a fun relationship story but I thought it was alright overall. It is a good movie and put together very well but it is just not my cup of tea. The dialogue was fairly good, I however felt that the movie could have been sweeter and more heart warming if it didn't revolve around sex. There is not a conversation in this movie that doesn't talk about sex and I felt that the character's were kinda gross at the end as they threw themselves at everyone who walked by. Other than there being a large concentration of that topic the dialogue felt very real and natural.
This was my first time watching this film and it was not what I expected it and I thought it was a little refreshing to the other love stories I have seen, that all seem to have a Romeo and Juliet template. This was just two average joe people who who had similar problems, that they couldn't accept their pasts. It was fun to watch them work it out in their different ways, but both ways went back to having sex with random people again. It is fine to have in a movie but the movie was surrounding the sex life of the characters and the "science about sex, for men and women".
One of my favorite parts of this film that i thought was done very sweet and cute, was the phone calls between Billy and Meg. At this point in the film the characters have been very good friends and talked to each other about everything in their lives. You could tell that they both wanted a little it more from their relationship but neither one wanted to ruin it and admit that a Women and a Guy couldn't be friends. So they liked to call and talk with one another, to vent about their days and they did this while watching Casablanca on TV. I loved this scene so much because of how it was edited, making it seem as though the characters were sitting next to each watching the film together even though they were both alone at home in bed. Looking at them from behind, it looked like they were on a couch together. It was done very well.
One last thing that I noticed in the movie that is probably very common in movies from this time, but the background in this movie was very strange. The direction for the characters in the background was look busy, or at least that is what it looked like it was to me, they just stood there some times and looked confused or they were whispering as though they didn't want to talk over the main characters covently.
This movie was put together, acted, directed, shot and written fairly well but I just didn't get connected to the characters. I can see how this movie could be someone's favorite romance and be rated so well as sex sells but it was a little too much for me. So on a scale of one to 10 I'd give this a 6.5 out of 10. It was done technically well but I just didn't connect.
Black Panther (2018)
Ehh
Black Panther is the story of a king with super powers whose throne gets questioned by someone who sees themselves as the rightful heir to the throne. Chadwick Boseman plays T'Challa in this film who is the King of wakanda, an African Country that is hidden by technology. Michael B. Jordan plays a kid a kid from California, Erik Killmonger, who believes that he has been cheated from the throne and decides that he will challenge T'Challa for it. These characters both want to prove they are not possers of the power and are not pushovers.
This movie was fairly entertaining, it had very good visual effects and fun action scenes. The movie just didn't hit that big not for me that it seemed to by everyone else. I had fun watching the film but I didn't think that it was great in anysense if the matter. The story seemed like a very played out of a man who thinks he should be king so he fights the king for it, just with superpowers. It was fun but again just not the best superhero film of the year or the past couple of years.
This movie came out early last year following the huge buzz that was Captain America: Civil War, where the Black Panther was introduced. The movie didn't need to be another origin story and it wasn't so I give props to the filmmakers for that part of it. I just do not see how this movie got nominated for an oscar, all of the performances were fine, the dialogue was fine and the story was fine.
All aspects of this film were done great, I believe with the script that the movie had it did the best it could on every level. The editing and sound were put together well to create seamless scenes and fights. All of the dialogue seemed real, for the most part. Not that the lines weren't written well, but the film takes place in an African Country and have been in that country forever, advancing far past the world, and staying hidden, but they all speak english. This is something that bothers me in a lot of movies, it might be very convenient but why don't they speak some African language, they have accents. Even the tribe that lives up into the mountains who seem to be a little primitive, when looking at how far they have advanced looking at how the other tribes have, they speak english as well throughout the film. Other than that though technically this film is very well done.
Going through and watching this film There was a scene that I really enjoyed, the scene in which Erik challenges T'Challa for his throne. The scene takes place in the throne room, Erik is taken into the the room where he is being prosecuted. Only to find out that his has rights to be the King of Wakanda and the Black Panther. The camera use in this scene is very minimal, just cuts to who is talking going back and forth. It is a very common technique used to just show what everyone's thinking and feeling and that was probably the best way to go with this scene as what was happening was shocking a lot of people so all of their emotions. There is nothing notable about the lighting, the scene is in a room with a big window during the day so you can see everyone's face well. What I like about this scene is something that has been done a million times over is the build up with music until you find out what Erik was hiddining from them when he revealed his blood right and that he wanted to be the king. Just a simple build up in music before that delivery was done well. The pacing in this scene was fun to watch everything seemed fine and going a nice pace, then once they start to exchange information back and forth the camera cuts begin to speed up. From this scene which has no action you can see that on a technical aspect there are zero problems with this film. Another problem this film didn't have was acting, there was an all star cast. Everyone does really well to make their character believable and give true emotions for what is happening and what might happen for them in the future.
I have only seen this film three times, in the theaters, once when I caught it on tv and when I just rewatched it this week to give a review, I do not have that big of a problem with the film, I am not a big fan of it though, as I have said I think that there are better superhero films, even better redemption films, which is a big element of this movie.
With all of these different grips with the movie i do not want to give the impression that I hate this movie, just a tad bit overrated. I enjoyed it for the most part and if you like the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe than you would probably enjoy this film as well. If i was tot give this a film a rating from one to ten I would say 6/10. It was good on a technical scale but it was an overused story.
Young Frankenstein (1974)
"Wasn't that on the other side?"
Young Frankenstein Movie Review
A young college professor, who is haunted by his family's past, has just inherited his Grandfather's estate and ends up following the footsteps he tried to hide. Young Frankenstein was released in 1974 and is a parody of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, directed by Mel Brooks and written by Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks. The cinematographer was Gerald Hirschfeld. John C. Howard did the film editing, and the lead roles in the film were Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, and Marty Feldman.
In this movie Frederick Frankenstein is faced with the past of his grandfather when he inherited his land....and his laboratory. Once his finds this out he decides that he too will try to reanimate life like his grandfather once did. Once he has done this the creature has motives of his own and wants to go off to live life and not be kept up in the castle or killed by people in the town.
I love this movie and have problem seen it a dozen time each time, I being a little older realizing another joke in the movie. I first watched it at a young age and did not understand many of the jokes at all but upon further viewings I found myself laughing more and more. Every joke in this film is done perfectly, from delivery to the picture and the sound to let the joke breathe for a second.
This is such a good parody, along with brilliant acting and direction and it is comedic gold. Everything was put together so well in this movie for a great, fun, and silly movie. Movies like this are great because it is meant to be a sit back and enjoy it is supposed to be funny. It doesn't try to sell itself as something serious and come off just being dumb. This movie puts a smile on my face everytime and just make me forget about the surrounding world to watch Igor's hunch switch sides.
Nothing in this film seems too out of place, there are some things that are meant to be funny but that is being it is a comedy so they contribute to the film in the best way possible. When we are meant to see certain things the camera doesn't move towards them but the characters look at them and then we see what the characters think about it. There are a few times when the camera has a zoom in but that is for a character reaction as well and to let us see something.
One of my favorite parts of this film is one the movie poster when Frankenstein and Igor are walking down the street with the cart when it breaks and then the police officer shows up. This scene was done perfectly, it starts with an open view of the street that the two characters can see then the cart breaks and you can see where the cart broke and then the police officer's view of the scene. It is a little dark in the scene because they are outside at night but you can see everything that you need to. It is all put together for a very memorable comedic bit.
The Exorcist (1973)
"She's in here with us"
One day you are planning a date with your eleven year old daughter about what you are going to do for her birthday and the next day you are planning on who to go to try to figure out why your little girl is no longer their, not because she is missing but because there is more than just a little girl behind that "devilish" smile. (The Exorcist), there is a lot of good publicity surrounding this film, and by good I mean people talking about how it is an evil film and how the film is not a thing that should be watching by anyone with any sort of faith. All of which leads to pretext that this is one scary horror movie.
Chris McNeal an actress who is at the peak of career is raising her daughter by herself. She has a lot of time for her daughter, her friends, her career but none for faith, as she is an atheist and has taught her daughter nothing that has to do with religion. She is happy living a good life with her daughter and making films until there is an intruder, someone that came to plague the innocence. It ravages this family to the bone as they try to expel the evil from their home. All while this taking place there is a young priest who is faced with a trail, a crisis of faith.
This was my favorite horror film for the longest time, it is only passed by (Alien) in my book. From the start of this film you are know that something is wrong going on as Max Von Sydow's character becomes frighten from an artifact that he has collected, this leads him to go find another artifact, that is when he is stricken with fear nodding that something awful might be headed this way. From then on out this movie is golden it gets you closer and closer to the edge of your seat with every scene. All of the acting in this movie was spectacular, I can feel every bit of the pain that is expressed by the characters in the movie. Linda Blair might not have been able to make those awful voices that the demon had but she did all of the acting it is so off putting throughout the film. There is a scene in which she is just sitting on her bed giggling with her hands up to her face that sent chills throughout my body. This movie hits every level that it looks to right on the head, it is perfect.
The imagery in this movie is golden, just letting it sit on some scenes, and then cutting away from some scenes. I know that that upset some people when it cut away from the scene when something insane happened, but I thought it was great it put the characters in such an awful position with nothing to do but take in what happen and we are given the same horror, we have to deal with the scene we just saw knowing that there was no real way to stop it. Along with that imagery came the music, the high pitched squeal that gets louder and louder. This has been used in so many horror movies and has just turned out to a just turned out to be a cheap jump scare. This movie gives nothing cheap and is all real horror from beginning to end. Costumes in the film are fine everyone is wearing clothes of the years it was made so it looks fine. One thing that this movie excelled with though is the practical effects the makeup on Regan along with the actions sometimes make you forget that this was once a little girl because all I could see on scene was a horrifying demon. Along with that there might be a scene or two where vomit is involved and it is so repulsive that I can feel the disgust of the actors.
There are a couple of messages I found to be very prominent in this film, first being that of faith. This film is very much faith affirming despite having the "devil" in about three fourths of the film. A man of God, a man who spends his time in worship is at a loss with his faith and doesn't know what to do this film brings him to a spot in which he must believe to succeed. To talk further work spoil the film but the ending confirms this theme even more. There is another part of the this film that I found a theme, it has to do with the the character Chris McNeal's profession as an actress. At first when watching this the only problem I had with the film was that I didn't understand why Chris was an actress or what it added to the story. However with having watched it 3 times in the past week I realized it has to do with everything. Chris is at the top of world she is high and mighty, when I think of people who are at the top of piles of money it is some actors and directors. So that is where she is sitting, then she has something awful happen, so she goes to a doctor and then another and another, all of the best in the world as money is of no issue, while all of this is happening, Father Karras is on the opposite end of that he is broke and is living somewhere very low end and when someone close to him becomes sick they are placed in an awful hospital that no one should ever be kept in but he has his faith. Chris does everything that she can with money but is eventually humbled when she realises that she can not buy he daughter out of what is going on and that she must also have faith to get what is best for Regan. Money is not everything.
When looking at the novel versus the book these two are about as close as they get. This is due to the author William Blatty being the screenplay writer of the film. He had taken writing classes but it is not that simple to transfer an entire novel to a two hour movie but it is done seamlessly. I happen to like the movie a bit more but that is because I am more naturally drawn towards movies as they are a passion for me.
This film is perfect for me as I have not been able to find any flaws. This is the pinnacle of horror films and it has earned all of the publicity that it has. This movie is not evil though it might be about it. On a scale of 1 to 10 this film gets a 10/10. It is perfect in my eyes and I suggest it to all those who do not mind the swearing.
The Shining (1980)
A Push Past the Source Material to Something Greater
All alone in a hotel for months on end, nothing but you your family and the ghosts of the family murdered there. (The Shining) is known as the greatest horror film ever and it has earned that title. This film is able to get you closer and closer to the edge of your with every second passing and keep you guessing at every turn. Terror seeps from just the title of this not only due to the horror themes but because of the direction, story telling, acting, and imagery.
A recovering drunk is trying to land a job to support his wife and five year old wife, so he gets an interview to be the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. The ensuing months at the hotel turn out to be a little more than the family can take at this hotel. Accompanying the Jack Torrance (the recovering alcoholic) is his wife Wendy who is a typical housewife and their son Danny who happens to have special power. There are a couple other characters in the film but only that plays a role into the story, Halloran. He is the cook of the hotel who happens to share the same ability as Danny.
This movie is not only seen as the greatest horror film but as a great film among all genres. This film is absolutely brilliant it Kubrick hits on every note here. He has a very interesting way of making his films that I find odd sometimes, I like some of his films while I hate some of his others but I love this one and the direction that he took King's story. However the biggest the part of this movie that has stuck with me since first watch and is part of what made me want to be in film is Jack Nicholson's performance. The progression of his character was so perfect and made for such a nail biter. There is in a scene in this movie that made my skin crawl due to his his portrait of Jack Torrance, the "dull boy" scene. I saw this movie at a very young age it was never the scariest movie for me upon the first couple viewings but as I got older I started to appreciate the filming techniques used and the acting and the brilliant imagery.
Next to the performances in the movie my favorite part of (The Shining) is the setting. The narrow hallways and open lounging rooms feel very small. Something that I love more anything in horror films is isolation. (The Thing), (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and even (The Exorcist) all of them create such a tight feeling of isolation. This feeling is created here ten fold with the family being in this huge hotel you wouldn't think so but the surrounding snow keeping them in and having someone in the hotel start to lose it as well as the thoughts that someone might be in the hotel with you harming your child, makes the hotel a lot smaller and smaller. Kubrick made the this place so small and awful for the characters. When the characters have nowhere to run to and nowhere to hide than the viewers feel the same way trapped and stuck and this was felt very strongly for Wendy and Danny.
There is a lot that kubrick added to this story that made it the film the that it is today. A big thing that Kubrick added that King didn't have in the book was the feeling of suspense, the feeling made by unanswered questions. He leaves so many things unknown as far as the mystery of what is going on and what is happening in the hotel. This is what makes the movie a horror film for me. It leaves so much to keep you thinking then all of the sudden another curve ball is thrown and you have to find out what is going on this time.
There is one message that stuck with me throughout this film and was solidified in the end shot is the message that you can not escape your fate. This feels very strong throughout the film as things progress, and it can be seen in some of the characters. I can not get to much into this message or any message without giving away some of the movie for those that have yet to see it.
Before I rewatched this movie the other day I read the novel, I had always wanted to read the novel to see what all the fuse that Stephen King put up about he film. After finishing it I can understand why there was a lot of stuff that was left out including some of the turmoil that Jack Torrance felt about his addiction to alcohol. So I understand why he was upset but I felt Kubrick enhanced the story to make an amazing adaptation of this film. I have seen the film countless times and I love films So naturally I draw more towards them than books but I have read and watched a lot of the greatest horror stories and have liked a lot of the books more and I do not understand how moving the story to the silver screen could mess it up that bad. Watching this movie and reading the book I get why there is a large group that is lead by King in the hate for the adaptation. With all of that being said I felt as though King was spoon feeding me every little detail that he thought of so I am and have always loved the film more that is not to say that I didn't like book I just happen to love the movie.
This is one of the greats. The shining was groundbreaking for films, not just on the horror side of it. The cinematography in this movie is some of the best I have ever scene and the way we are able to dive into a crashing mind to see what is going on is brilliant in this movie there are some thing that happen towards the end of the movie that upset some people but I loved it and I feel it adds to the feeling of the Overlook Hotel as a character. The acting in this movie was amazing and almost perfect. One flaw I had with the movie was Shelley Duvall as Wendy, she played very well when she was terrified but for the scenes when she is calm and happy I find her acting very out of place and like she has the script in her hands to deliver those lines. That is the only problem I can see in this movie though, it "Shines" on every other level for me. With only one flaw it is hard to rate this movie on a scale of one to five, so I would give Stanley Kubrick's (The Shining) a 9.5/10.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
"The Function of Life is Survival"
Surrounded by friends and family and loved ones, but you're all alone. The world is being taken over and there is nothing for the characters to do but run. This suspense filled horror is a sweaty palm ride from start to finish. You don't know what is going to happen the movie gets you so wrapped up in what is happening you can't stop to think of the possible outcomes.
In the city of san Francisco everyone is living their everyday lives but they start to notice something wrong with strangers and then friends and then family. The paranoia starts to build as you don't know what is going on and then the conspiracy against them is rising. There is a large rising fear along with the enemies among the crowd.
Added to the list of favorite horror films. This movie does such a great job of leaving you as blind and scared as the characters not knowing if anyone you are talking to you can trust. It was really good with the exception of a few things.
The character development is fine and it works for the film these are characters that are contempt with their lives but have that feeling of just wanting different or more and they end up getting that in the worst way possible. It worked for the film and I felt for them but it took a bit to get there. Another part that bothered me a little bit was the soundtrack. To me it felt like a video game soundtrack just a same tune that would intensify in danger. Where as films like The Thing, Jaws and The Shining all have great soundtracks that help carry the feeling and theme of the movie. So I thought it felt a little lackluster. The setting and costumes throughout the film was very real though. It all felt like it belonged and nothing was out of place, there were a few strange shots but that was because strange things were happening everywhere. A big part of this movie that I wasn't expecting to see a whole lot of was the special effects. It was very prominent for a lot of the scenes and it looked very alien and foreign and I guess since we haven't actually seen anything of the sort I cannot say that it doesn't look real. There was a scene or two of blood that felt a bit cheesy but it was effect nevertheless.
One of my favorite parts of this film was the slight monotone voices of some of the background characters. It left so much in the air early in the film, making you question everything that is going on. A filming technique that I picked up on was the silence a lot of the time. There was some strange music throughout a lot of the film but there was a ton of silence just before the music. I enjoyed this very much it made for a very eerie feel for a lot of the film. One technique that I understood but felt was a bit out of place in the movie was the scene in which Donald Sutherland's character is trying to talk to someone about what is going on and the camera is zooming around creating a distressed feeling for him. I liked what it was going for but it felt out of place in the film.
"Jack Bellicec: It's a big conspiracy. Matthew Bennell: What's a conspiracy? Jack Bellicec: Everything." (W. D. Richter 1978). A huge message in the film was conspiracy and how it was you against the world with not escape. This feeling was shown very well through the constant worry and distress shown through the lead characters. Paranoia is a huge theme and feeling that is throughout a large portion of the film, it has so many little things that go on the just catches the eye of the main characters for a second making you stop and wonder what exactly is going on. I believe the main theme deals directly with the quote from the film that I used to title this review; Survival. All everyone is trying to do it survive and fit for their independence and be themselves. This is throughout the entire film they even start to lose hope that they will be able to fight back against the invasion but the characters know that they must continue to fight.
This Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1978 film has some technical flaws here and there but overall it is a very good horror film and it has one of the best movie endings I have ever seen, right up there with Keyser Soze from The Usual Suspects and The Sixth Sense. On a grading scale of A+ to F, I would give Invasion of the Body Snatchers a B+.
The Thing (1982)
Novella to One of the Best Horror Movies Ever
John Carpenter takes a brilliant concept and lanches it ten fold. This movie scared me for such a long time after the first viewing then to learn that it was not only a remake but an adaptation as well it blew my mind. When talking about some of the best horror movies ever this movie comes up on several lists even all of the way at number three. This in my opinion is one of a few films that surpasses the source material.
The film opens in space and shows a ship being pulled into the atmosphere and thus the movie begins. After the title opening a dog is seen running in the snow from a helicopter that is shooting down at it, It goes to a camp of twelve men who all seem a little bored and a little anxious to leave, Things only go down from there for these men as the begin to loss complete trust in one another Already things are shrouded in mystery and it escalates dramatically as the movie progresses. To say anymore of the plot would spoil the movie as knowing as little as possible gives the movie a huge advantage to frighten the viewer.
Some of the aspects and themes that contribute to what makes a horror movie for me are something unknown that lacks normal human morals, panic by the characters, isolation, and a large lack of knowledge of what to do and what is going on. These are all aspects of this film from start to finish. It hits all of the right notes and makes a constant level of mistrust and lack of knowledge. This can not be done without good direction and great acting. The cast is a group of just men fourteen men in total, the two Norwegian men and then all of the Americans, This is a big change from the novella as there are thirty-six men but this way the men have some character development and are fleshed out, so when things start to get tense in the film and you don't know what is going to happen you care for each person their. This is not only done by the acting but by how Carpenter set up each scene and leaving all of the windows open so that you feel the same mistrust that the men at the facility feel. Some of this and more themes lead to this film surpassing the novella. I watched the film before knowing about the novella so going into this film with not knowing what to expect and wanted to be scared and I can say without a doubt I was, from the mystery to the stunning practical effects this movie is one of the best.
Every aspect of this movie felt real, from all of the costumes to the practical effects of the beast and the setting, it feels as though I am watching these events first hand. The setting of the film is one of its strongest points, stranded in the middle of a desalite continent with no where to go as the storm covering the glacier would kill you within the hour. It creating such a feel of isolation for these men as they could not escape this thing. This film is probably most famous for its effects. They are perfect. A question was asked about how the effects look today and if they hold up, I heard some people mention that they are dumb looking now but I guarantee that if they were in the presence of the thing they would turn running with their tails between their legs. They are so real and terrifying that it has become one of the most renown horror movies of all time.
There is a definite main character of this story, R. J. McReady, as he takes charge of the group and it follows him, but not for the entire film. This film follows a handful characters to expand the view of the mistrust. Even if it is just with a character for a moment it gives a look to what they are thinking and feeling, adding some small things to each of the scenes brings it so much further than the novella was at. Like the scene when McReady goes to ask Blair a question in the shed and they open the little hatch in the door to see him and there is a noose hung by Blair at the table and it is never mentioned, and Blair walks by it not even looking at it. I thought that this was brilliant and it brought a lot of mental distress his character, even though he just walks past it and asks to leave. This sort of pain can be seen in a lot of the characters as they are having inner conflicts not knowing if some of their best friends have been taken over by this monstrosity.
One of the most prominent themes of this movie is mistrust. The men all have their composure and are level headed until they get to the Norwegian and realize something very bad is going on. Soon after that everything starts to fall apart for the men, as they can't trust each other at all in fear that the person they are standing next to might not be a person. This leads everyone to be very upset and even to do rash things throughout the film. This same feeling is felt for the viewers as you have no idea if any of the characters are themselves or not.
John Carpenter's The Thing is one of the best horror movies of all time. It far surpasses all of the source material. The film as a whole was almost perfect with a few technical flaws here and there concerning time lapsing, not knowing how much time has gone by when they find the tunnel and the amount of fuel they have for their flamethrowers. Other than that I thought the movie was great and I would give it an A on a letter grade scale from A+ to F. I gave it 10/10 on here but I'd give it a 9 and a half if I could do halves