This film proves why The Thing was such a bad film.
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twoshedsmcginty — 18 years ago(August 20, 2007 09:32 AM)
I love both 'The Thing' and 'Starman' - Carpenter is a genius who can straddle many camps and genres at will, and hopefully will recover soon from a bit of a slump after the truly awful 'Ghosts Of Mars'.
It's clear from his commentary with Kurt Russell on 'The Thing' that he rightly loves the film and the time he had making it. It's equally clear from his commentary with the great Jeff Bridges on 'Starman' that he loves this film too.
The guy's versatile, live with it! -
hawk5 — 18 years ago(August 30, 2007 04:37 AM)
The OP is right on spot. Carpenter has really stated before that the film did not end up the way as he wanted to. That's all true! Anyone sensible and reasonable can see that this is not actually a good film, and Imdb voters/moviebuffs dont't speak for the average people out in the world who went to see this film. Why is it that anytime my brother says it is a good film everyone around give him such a silly look. Figures.
I like my coffee the same way I like my women..strongblackand proud. -
Dubz1300 — 15 years ago(March 15, 2011 11:20 AM)
"Indeed, even though The Thing is truly bad film according to most people, it is still fun film"
what??? where are you getting your information?? try using FACTS to back up your awful statementthe thing is NOT considered a bad film by "most people" as you say..it is the complete opposite..most people love carpenter because of halloween AND the thing..get your figures straight, idiot. -
AnotherSchmoe — 14 years ago(May 11, 2011 04:30 PM)
Indeed, even though The Thing is truly bad film according to most people, it is still fun film.
Right, that's why out of 90,485 user votes it manages an overall rating of 8.2, clearly most people think that The Thing is a truly bad film. LOL.
http://www.youtube.com/anotherschmoe -
jaymcc445 — 18 years ago(September 12, 2007 12:07 AM)
I really enjoyed both movies. But, I would consider The Thing a better movie. If I had to rank my fav movies by John they would be:
- The Thing
- Halloween
- Starman
- Escape from New York
- Big trouble in Little China
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scubachicken7 — 18 years ago(September 27, 2007 11:35 PM)
Carpenter has said numerous times that he made "Starman" because he wanted to show Hollywood and audiences a different side of himselfbut has never said it was an apology for "The Thing", nor that he was disappointed in that film. In fact, John usually names "The Thing" as being the film he has done that he is most proud of. I don't think I've ever heard or read him say a negative word about that film. He HAS complained on a few occasions about Universal's decision to release it in the summer, as opposed to the fall like he wanted, but never about the actual film or the making of it. As far as I know, Universal gave him carte blanche on the project and never interfered. Hell, Carpenter received final cut on the picture, just like with most of his films. What is there on film is EXACTLY what John had wanted to do with the project. It is a film of brooding terror and isolation that is packed to the gills with atmosphere.
I can completely understand if you don't like the film and if it just isn't your kind of movie, but to call it an abomination among Carpenter's works is just crazy. If you want to talk about a film that ended up being very different from what Carpenter originally intended, then let's talk "Memoirs of an Invisible Man". "The Thing", however, is frame for frame exactly what John had wanted to do with the project and is extremely representative of his style of cinema as a whole. Now do I wish John had made some more films in a similar vein of "Starman"? Absolutely. Variety is a wonderful thing and I think he would have made some great films in that direction. The fact is that, for better or worse, John has always been primarily considered to be a "genre picture" director (horror, sci-fi, etc.)so he hasn't had much of an opportunity to expand since. Maybe if we are lucky he'll do something else way off his normal beaten path in terms of cinema. I will agree that "Starman" is an excellent film and criminally underrated, but I cannot agree that "The Thing" is horrible. In fact, most agree that it is Carpenter's best filmincluding John himself!
As for it being a mockery of the original Hawks-produced version? I think you need to read up on the project some more. Carpenter went back to the original classic sci-fi novella that the concept is based on ("Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell) and what is in the film is an extremely close adaptation of the original tale itself. Now I love Hawks' film to death, but it pales in comparison to the original tale. Basically, since SFX weren't complex enough at that point, Hawks took a terror tale about a shapeshifting alien and turned it into a Frankenstein-esque lumbering creature. There's nothing wrong with that, as it works extremely well in the film and is pulled off masterfully, but saying that Carpenter's film is a mockery is just silly since it is way more faithful to the original story than the Hawks film.
Basically, not liking the film because it isn't your cup of tea is one thing. But to blatantly make statements that many of us Carpenter fans know are not true (i.e. Carpenter having problems on "The Thing" and being disappointed with it) is a little extreme and somewhat silly. How about you just use your post to praise "Starman" for what you love about it and how it doesn't get the attention it deserves, instead of using it as a jumping point to bash and make false statements about another film. -
nbubacz — 18 years ago(March 17, 2008 11:05 PM)
The OP is out of his mind.
Starman? Is better than The Thing? Starman is an apology for The Thing?
Starman had two good things about it, Karen Allen and Jeff Bridges.
And Bridges is questionable in all his films except The Big Lobowski, I get done watching him and can't figure out if I just saw a performance of genius or is this guy a monotonous, sh***y actor? In Lobowski though, there is no question, genius.
The Thing (1982) is brilliant. One of the best sci-fi films ever made. Unless it happens to be on cable, I forget Starman was ever made. -
clarkemsmith — 12 years ago(January 09, 2014 10:18 PM)
Well said. The person who posted this clearly doesn't know what the hell he is talking about. Really not a clue. Putting words in Carpenter's mouth arbitrarily. An apology for The Thing? Don't make stuff up, moron.
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clarkemsmith — 12 years ago(January 13, 2014 03:37 PM)
Because how its regarded as one of the best sci fi movies in the world. Perhaps its the ultimate hated-to-loved film of all time. Me? I'm proud to say I saw its brilliance when I saw it in the theater in 1982.
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spookyrat1 — 12 years ago(January 13, 2014 07:22 PM)
Perhaps its the ultimate hated-to-loved film of all time.
You could be right. I never thought it was brilliant, (I thought it borrowed heavily from Alien) but did think it was a good reworking of the original and was disappointed for Carpenter in that it wasn't initially successful and he appeared to take things so personally. -
GeorgeSpiggot — 17 years ago(July 24, 2008 12:26 PM)
On the R2 SE DVD there is a making of that interviews Carpenter. No apologies for The Thing there. As a matter of fact he goes out of his way to state that he can make diverse films and shouldn't be thought of as being a certain "type" of filmmaker. His commentary on the SE of "The Thing" makes no mention of an out of control production other than what can be expected with adverse conditions of location shooting. As a matter of fact, he and Kurt Russel seem to have good feelings about the end result. P.S.-As enjoyable a commentary as can be. These guys are old friends and it shows. The commentary of "Big Trouble In Little China" is more of the same. And I could swear I heard ice cubes clinking in the backgound of "The Thing" and the two of them about three sheets to the wind be the end of the movie.
Anyway, as for Howard Hawk's "The Thing From Another World", unmatched? I think not. While an excellent movie, quite a departure from the origial short story by John Campbell. The concept of an alien entity taking over on a cellular level was far more advanced than the average reader could fathom and probably could/would not be easily translated to the screen, hench the agressive "Carrot" alien. Perhaps if Val Lewton had done it, it would have been closer to the original material. Masterpiece? Certainly. Any film well remambered and highly regarded should be thought of that way.
Which brings us to Carpenter's version. In no way did he mock Hawks' movie. Rather he went to the source and while not, strickly, adhering to the short story (quite a few monsters thrown in for effect), it is all there. Not Hawksesque what-so-ever and not meant to be. Just a fate filled story of survival of the fittest. Carpenter has stated that this was his only "man" film with no women or romance or sex, and that it was pretty hard because the relationship aspect was kind of foreign to him.
So be kind and rewind. -
patton98 — 17 years ago(August 09, 2008 07:23 AM)
Carpenter officially stated many times over the years that Starman was a project taken mainly as an APOLOGY for what he caused to the public with THE THING. Read the book John Carpenter:Prince Of Darkness or several documentaries. Its a fact that Carpenter needed very fast something to apologize to the producers and public and show them that he's not a monster and pornographer or what not as most people thought of him at the time. Jesus, some people here are totally ignorant to the facts because of their blind love for the film. And btw, The Thing was generally seen as a bad one of the most hated films of all time at the time. Do the research. And still, sometimes today i find myself laughed at by people when i say openly that i see The Thing as an excellent film.
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john-hitchcock — 13 years ago(May 21, 2012 02:52 PM)
If he had intended this as an apology, why exactly did he wait until AFTER he'd made yet another more successful horror film before doing so?
If Clint Eastwood and Chuck Norris got into a fight, Clint Eastwood would probably win. -
HellboundHero — 13 years ago(May 25, 2012 03:37 PM)
Interesting that one of the supposedly worst films of all time could make the top 250 here. Even taking into account that being in the top 250 doesn't necessarily make a movie great, it still shows that it's more popular than you're making it out to be.
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bring_back_Pluto — 17 years ago(September 07, 2008 01:55 PM)
I like a lot of the points you make, but I love both films. They bookend Carpenter's two extremes this being the warmest and most optimistic .. and The Thing being extremely cold and downbeat. In fact, I feel that Starman feeds off of The Thing and when viewed in contrast with the former, it seems all that much more sincere and touching. So like I said, I love both movies.
. they're beautiful! Even better than "terrific"!