The Thing (1982) Blu-Ray = A fine presentation
This review is for "The Thing (1982)" Blu-Ray.
I won't attempt to review the film itself, as this will be served better elswhere. I will just concentrate on the disc itself.
Way back in 1999, this was one of the first DVDs that I purchased. It was a great way to see the film again, as I had only seen the (horrible) 'pan & scan' version on Tv and video. It was presented widescreen 2.35:1 and loaded with extra features.
However, being an early Universal DVD region 2 release, and 'non anamorphic' transfer it meant that the picture was 4:3 'Letterbox'. This meant that the picture appears as a rectangle in the centre of the screen. Not good.
Anyway, on to the Blu-Ray...
This is an excellent 1080p transfer, shown in it's original aspect ratio. There is a lot of fine detail in the picture, considering the film's age.
The snowy landscapes are reproduced very well, as are the interior and night scenes.
The audio is equally impressive, in English DTS-HD Master Audio with additional languages available. These being : French, Italian, German and Spanish.
There is also an informative commentary with Director John Carpenter and Star Kurt Russell.
Optional subtitles are avcailable in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portugese and Traditional Mandarin.
There are plenty of bonus features too, including a feature length documentary, production archives, location design, outtakes, photographs, artwork and a trailer. Pretty much all you need to know about the film is included here.
I would recommend this to any sci-fi, horror and suspense fan who hasn't seen it. It also shows that real special effects, modelmaking and great acting combined make films like this far more enjoyable than the boring CGI stuffed films of today...
"Horror-meister John Carpenter (Halloween, Escape From New York) teams Kurt Russell's outstanding performance with incredible visuals to build this chilling version of the classic The Thing.
In the winter of 1982, a twelve-man research team at a remote Antarctic research station discovers an alien buried in the snow for over 100,000 years. Once unfrozen, the form-changing alien wreaks havoc, creates terror and becomes one of them".Read full review
