Only a small handful of remakes within the sci-fi genre have improved upon the originals. Denis Villeneuve’s Dune beat David Lynch’s, although it remains inferior to the book, and the version of The Fly with Jeff Goldblum is also brilliant, but for every worthy sci-fi remake, there are 20 others that should never have seen the light of day. Weirdly, the greatest sci-fi remake of all time failed to get the reception it deserved upon release.
Plenty of classic sci-fi movies have opened to negative reviews only to be reappraised as classics once viewers can watch from the comfort of their own homes. Alien and Blade Runner both experienced that phenomenon. Sometimes, however, critical opinion on a great movie is so staggeringly wrong, it’s hard to imagine what those early reviews weren’t seeing, and so it proves in the case of sci-fi’s best remake.
Why John Carpenter’s The Thing Is Sci-Fi’s Best Remake
43 years later, The Thing is still the blueprint for intelligent and effective sci-fi horror. The icy climes of Antarctica turn the setting into its own character, hunting Kurt Russell and his fellow survivors as doggedly as the alien itself. The tension tickles on the border of being unbearable, but Carpenter reigns in the suspense before that point comes, creating one of the most satisfyingly uneasy cinematic experiences of all time.
The Thing remakes 1951’s The Thing from Another World, which was itself an adaptation of the book Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell, and Carpenter achieves what so many remakes can only dream of: surpassing the source material. Who Goes There? is great, but wouldn’t be widely-known in 2025 were it not for Carpenter. The Thing from Another World, meanwhile, turns the story into a straightforward horror and replaces the shape-shifting element with a more generic monster.
The Thing from Another World is entertaining, well-made, and impressive for the era it was released in, but isn’t particularly ambitious and doesn’t honor Who Goes There? enough to be considered a true adaptation.
1982’s The Thing remake is the best of all worlds. The shape-shifting aspect is not only restored but informs the entire tone, making for a more authentic adaptation, but Carpenter also turns the dials up on the gore, the intensity, the darkness, and the suspense. At the same time, Carpenter utilizes his trademark combination of visual and musical storytelling to convey key details and subtle inflections. Every clank of the base, musical note, facial expression, and moment of silence contributes to the incomparable atmosphere, which is then punctuated by moments of extreme violence in a thrilling ebb and flow.
As a result, The Thing becomes the most terrifying version of the story, as well as the one most likely to make the viewer think. And, as evidenced by the fact that its “remake” status often gets overlooked completely, The Thing can also be considered the definitive telling of MacReady’s struggle.
Why The Thing Was Trashed By Reviews Upon Release
Unfortunately, not everyone could see The Thing‘s virtues at the time. The amount of blood and guts proved contentious, leading to a narrative that Carpenter’s remake was a cheap and distasteful exercise in shock value that just wanted to make audiences queasy. On reflection, it’s understandable that The Thing‘s gore would stand out more than anything else during a first watch at the theater.
While it’s certainly hard to disagree that The Thing is filled with fleshy terrors, reviews at the time failed to see the depth and purpose behind such scenes. It’s not gratuitous; it’s horrifying because the scenario is horrifying, and the action builds like an orchestral crescendo. Visually, the craft behind The Thing‘s practical effects deserves great appreciation too. The creature’s Lovecraftian design has the same instantly recognizable quality as H.R. Giger’s distinctive work on Alien.
The other common accusation The Thing faced was being too miserable. A quick glance at the sci-fi landscape in 1982 might explain why – Blade Runner (happy ending, especially in the theatrical cut), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (happy ending, but will make you cry), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Spock dies, but it’s an epic sacrifice).
Even among its peers, The Thing was an outlier daring to be true to its story. No saving the day, no certainty for the future, no miraculous escape. It’s not the kind of crowd-pleasing ending one would expect, and it’s considerably bleaker than both Who Goes There? and The Thing from Another World.
But that’s why The Thing has stood the test of time as a sci-fi movie. It manages to deliver a satisfying and logical ending that stays true to the story’s core themes of trust and hidden threats. Rather than providing a tidy conclusion in the third act, The Thing continues posing moral dilemmas until the bitter end.
- Release Date
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June 25, 1982
- Runtime
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109 minutes
- Director
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John Carpenter
- Writers
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Bill Lancaster, John W. Campbell Jr.
- Producers
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David Foster, Lawrence Turman
