text: When John Carpenter's masterly version of "The Thing" was released in summer 1982, it was panned by critics and bombed at the box office. The audiences couldn't handle another 'bad' alien, they wanted ET. Their loss in the long run.<br /><br />I would kill to be able to see this great movie on the big screen. This is a movie that was way ahead of it's time; now it has influenced a new generation of filmmakers, showing it's trail on things like "Se7en", "Alien 3", and even "The X Files", which unceremoniously ripped it off page by page. And the structure, which eschews character development in favour of incredible SFX, is commonplace in today's blockbuster flicks.<br /><br />Carpenter shows the same skills he honed in "Halloween", using the camera to create an unsettling and claustrophobic atmosphere. The performances are all fine, and the ending is terrific - still unique today.<br /><br />A paranoid masterpiece.