Dewey Martin, Douglas Spencer, Eduard Franz

According to many film fanatics, The Thing belongs in the pantheon of science fiction classics. This celluloid chronicle follows a team of scientists and researchers who discover an unclassifiable cre...( read more  read more... )ature frozen in a block of ice. When the ice thaws, it unleashes a powerful, destructive creature that's bent on annihilating everything in its path.

Flixster Users

72% liked it

1,408 ratings

Critics

88% liked it

26 critics

Unrated, 87 min.

Directed by: Christian Nyby

Release Date: January 1, 1951

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DVD Release Date: August 5, 2003

Stats: 383 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (383)


  • November 1, 2009
    Along with Don Siegel's Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this is probably my favourite of the 50s Sci-Fi horror movies I've seen to date. Watching it again, what impresses me most is the sheer volume of dialogue crammed into these 90 minutes. Produced by Howard Hawks, with ...( read more)uncredited screenplay contributions from Ben Hecht, The Thing from Another World is like the His Girl Friday of the sci-fi era. Not only does the sophisticated, overlapping, bantering dialogue keep the movie fresh, it also ensures that there is insufficient time for us to snicker at the usual cod-scientific technobabble without being left behind. It is a measure of how well made the film is that it can dispense with the strongest idea in John W Campbell's original story, namely that The Thing is able to mimic other life forms, and still manage to be a masterpiece!
  • December 31, 2008
    Unfortunately for this film the remake completely overshadows it in every imaginable way. Though the plot and events are rather similar John Carpenter's version is truly terrifying. He made the most of the isolated setting, here however it is never fully capitalized on. The monst...( read more)er is also not very effective. In some shot it is laughable. The explanation of it being a vegetable is no better and we also have the most unrealistic and annoying scientist character I've ever seen. When the monster and scientist are not on screen there are great character moments thanks to the realistic and endearing dialogue. People talk as though they know each other and there is also an abundance of funny quips. For fans of 50's Sci-Fi, but if you want real terror, watch the remake.
  • November 16, 2008
    fuck creatures from another world
  • August 3, 2007
    Good buildup, but then a hokey veggie-man runs around the camp, trying to scare us. I recommend the John Carpenter 1982 version only.
  • March 27, 2007
    An alien lifeform is accidentally revived on a research station in the antarctic, and as a result, it's inhabitants are stalked by what can only be described as Frankencabbage. It is actually rather more based in scientific logic than many of these old sci-fi horrors, but it has ...( read more)the rare privilege of being considerably inferior to it's remake, the classic chiller "The Thing" by John Carpenter, and obviously suffers greatly in comparison.
  • September 18, 2009
    Good sci-fi. I actually was very fond of the fine script. The plot may seem a little cheesy and classic, but was very well managed for its time.

    79/100
  • August 5, 2009
    Although old as fuck this was a sweet film though it did seem to start the trend of awful romantic subplots The Thing and main story was kick ass. hahaha BURN CARROT BURN!
  • July 26, 2009
    Psychological, creepy. Good Cold War stuff...not as pretensious as "The Day the Earth Stood Still."
  • July 9, 2009
    Excellent and great fun to watch!
  • July 5, 2009
    Original for the remake that had Kurt Russell in it...

Critic Reviews


August 13, 2003
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine

The conflict between Hendry and Carrington is one between Force and Reason, and represents a debate over whether America should cope with its Soviet adversaries through military confrontation or intel... full review

View more The Thing from Another World reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • MorpheusOne
    February 24, 2008
    Vastly subpar and substandard in comparison to the John Carpenter remake of 1982! The only real good thing about this movie that I was able to comprehend was the plot, which John Carpenter made excellent use of in his version.

    Christian Nyby & Howard Hawks didn't even try!

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The Thing from Another World Trivia


  • In n"The Thing From Another World," (1951) what did the creature's metabolism most closely resemble?  Answer »
  • What Horror movie ended with the quote: "Keep looking to the sky"?  Answer »
  • Which 1951 Howard Hawks horror classic featured James Arness as a bloodthirsty alien who comes out of the North Pole ice?  Answer »
  • The Thing from Another World (1951) and John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) are both adaptations of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend. True or false?  Answer »

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