My top sci-flick pick is THE THING (FROM ANOTHER WORLD), a tense little gem that grabs and holds on, thanks to a claustrophobic setting, believable characters, fast-paced overlapping dialog, and the suspense of waiting for the first appearance of the title character (which isn't until about halfway through). The movie is economical with special effects, and the veggie alien looks like a cross between Frankenstein's monster and a bald Marshall Dillon (in fact played by a pre-"Gunsmoke" James Arness), but when it comes to interesting characters, plot, overlapping dialog and atmosphere, THE THING is the real thing. Best non-special effect: a group of scientists and soldiers fan out on the polar ice, into which the UFO has crash-landed and melted, to measure its size and shape ... and thereby determine it's a flying saucer! No need for us to see the saucer on film to picture it in our heads. The last line of the movie is a prophetic one: "Look to the skies!" (The 1982 John Carpenter remake is laden with gory special effects, but I say it doesn't have a thing on the original!)
THE THING (1951)
Look to the skies
My top sci-flick pick is THE THING (FROM ANOTHER WORLD), a tense little gem that grabs and holds on, thanks to a claustrophobic setting, believable characters, fast-paced overlapping dialog, and the suspense of waiting for the first appearance of the title character (which isn't until about halfway through). The movie is economical with special effects, and the veggie alien looks like a cross between Frankenstein's monster and a bald Marshall Dillon (in fact played by a pre-"Gunsmoke" James Arness), but when it comes to interesting characters, plot, overlapping dialog and atmosphere, THE THING is the real thing. Best non-special effect: a group of scientists and soldiers fan out on the polar ice, into which the UFO has crash-landed and melted, to measure its size and shape ... and thereby determine it's a flying saucer! No need for us to see the saucer on film to picture it in our heads. The last line of the movie is a prophetic one: "Look to the skies!" (The 1982 John Carpenter remake is laden with gory special effects, but I say it doesn't have a thing on the original!)
