| MOVIE |
|
Well here it is, one of my
favorite Sci-Fi movies.
Directed by John Carpenter, this was one of the scarier movies made in the
early eighties. The Thing centers around a group of American Antarctic researchers. One day a group
of Norwegian researchers come to the American base trying to shoot an
innocent dog, realizing they are threat the one Norwegian is shot and
there helicopter blows up.
Wondering what happened to them, Kurt Russell decides to take a trip to
there base, while there they stumble across the
crash site of an alien ship. But there's one small problem. They have
brought back the remains of an alien who looks like several different
species. Meanwhile the dog that originally came to the camp has mutated
into human form and now is slowly taking on the identity of everyone
around. Not knowing who is who, the
men turn on each other until the final outcome. Man vs. Alien.
|
| VIDEO |
|
Pretty poor quality actually. From what I hear this transfer was taken
from an early laser disc print. That would explain the lack of 16:9
enhancement as well. This movie is full of film artifacts, this is the
fault of the original master not this DVD transfer.
There were no MPEG artifacts were present in the movie,
colors in the
movie are quite acceptable and well rendered.
The Thing is framed at 2:35:1 and is not
16:9 enhanced.
This is an RSDL disc. The layer change occurs at 88:20.
|
| AUDIO |
|
Sound is definitely better than the video transfer. The Thing has been
remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 and it sounds mighty fine too, but more on
that later. There is also a Dolby Digital 2.0 French soundtrack, and
Italian 2.0 stereo mix and a Dolby Digital 1.0 sound mix in Spanish and
Polish. There is also a commentary track in Dolby Digital 2.0
For a movie remixed in Dolby Digital 5.1, Universal certainly have done
an excellent job. Even though the movie mainly centers towards the front
of the soundstage, there is a moderate use of the surrounds in the movie
and when they are used they are used effectively. The .1 was not used.
The dialog was clean and clear throughout.
|
| EXTRAS |
|
This is yet another Universal collectors edition disc and is loaded
with extras
Feature: An 80 minute documentary called "The Thing Takes
Shape". This is a great documentary and is more than worth a watch
after the movie.
Audio Commentary: This is a commentary featuring John
Carpenter and Kurt Russell. This is a very good track and you can tell
they are very excited about watching the movie again right off the bat.
Theatrical Trailer: Your bog standard trailer in DD2.0 sound
in 4:3 format. Not very exciting by today's standards.
The other extras contain the following:
Outtakes
Storyboards & Production Art
Production Photos
Location Design
Production Archives
Production Notes
Post Production
Cast & Crew Notes
A Good package of extras.
|
| FINAL THOUGHTS |
| The
Thing is a classic horror movie. The Video quality sucks, plus
it's not 16:9 enhanced. The audio is above average and the extras
are aplenty. |
| 16:9
ENHANCEMENT |
DISC
RATING |
|
|
|
|
REVIEW
EQUIPMENT
|
Display:
48" Sony RPTV.
DVD Player: Panasonic A350 Player using S-Video Cables.
Receiver: Pioneer VSX-D508
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround.
Speakers: Accusound speaker
system. |
Copyright © 2000 by [Roger
Ward].
Revised: 25 May 2000 22:43:12 +1100
.
|
|
| Region
Coding: |
Region
4 |
| No of
Discs: |
1 |
| OFLC Rating |
M15+ |
| Running
Time: |
104
Mins |
| Case
Type: |
Keep
Case |
| Release
Date: |
15/4/1999 |
| Catalog
Number: |
DU30363 |
| List
Price: |
$39.95 |
| Distributor: |
Columbia/Tri-Star |
| Disc
Format: |
PAL |
| Disc
Type: |
Picture
Disc |
| Disc
Format: |
SS-RSDL |
| Chapters: |
37 |
| Macrovision: |
Yes |
| Manufacturer: |
WAMO |
| Aspect
Ratio:
|
2:35:1 |
| Anamorphic: |
Yes |
| Film
Format: |
35mm |
| Dolby
Digital:
|
5.1 Surround
2.0 Surround |
| DTS: |
None |
| PCM
Stereo: |
None |
| Other: |
None |
| Languages:
|
English |
| Subtitles: |
Yes |
| Audio
Commentary: |
Yes |
| Theatrical
Trailer: |
Yes |
| Teaser
Trailer: |
Yes |
| TV
Spots: |
None |
| Dolby
Trailer: |
None |
| Documentary: |
Yes |
| Cast
& Crew Bios: |
Yes |
| Deleted
Scenes: |
Yes |
| Music
Videos: |
None |
| DVD Rom
Content: |
None |
| Collectable
Booklet: |
None |
| Scene
Access: |
Yes |
| Animated
Menus: |
None |
| Production
Notes: |
Yes |
| PURCHASE
THIS DISC ONLINE |
| INTERNET
MOVIE DATABASE INFO |
 |
| OFFICIAL
WEB SITE |
| NONE |
| VIEW
TRAILER |
| NONE |
|
