The Thing From Another World (1951) **** out of *****

Directors:  Christian Nyby, Howard Hawks
Writer:  Charles Lederer
Cast:  Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, Robert Cornthwaite, James Arness  

John Carpenter's "The Thing" is a masterpiece.  In fact, it's one of my all time favorite flicks.  A truly near perfect science fiction tale of paranoia, that still boasts some of the most beautifully gruesome, and agelessly awesome F/X work ever burned to celluloid.  Not only was Carpenter's work a remake of "The Thing From Another World," it also used other elements from the original short story that both features were based upon, "Who Goes There?"
A team of soldiers are sent to the North Pole, to investigate a downed craft that has crashed near a U.S. research base housing fellow servicemen, civilians, and scientists.  It isn't long before they all make the remarkable discovery that the transport is alien, and the passenger within is still alive.  Split between the soldiers duties to protect mankind, and the scientists desires to understand this new creature, everyone fights to stay alive, as the life form that is now among them fights to rule the world.
My worries began to solidify when the black and white opening credits began to roll, proclaiming that the following was an R.K.O. Picture, the first sign of a nearly 60 year old motion picture.  The low expectations I had going into it were not only wrong, they were completely unjustified.
"The Thing From Another World" hides it's age well with witty, smile inducing dialogue (not to mention some of the most realistic conversation I've seen in a film, with players constantly cutting each other off and/or talking over one another), playful characters (sometimes making quips just before an impending attack), and a uniquely different take on an alien organism hell bent on planetary domination.  Bypassing the traditional alien invasion style used by "Independence Day" and "World of the Worlds," The Thing instead follows a different path, with only one single entity (still posing a potentially far greater threat) for the human race to overcome.  What made the experience still more gratifying, is the fact that the space invader doesn't even pose the same kind of danger as in the 1982 remake.  It's still very much the same plot-line in certain ways, but completely different in other aspects.
The only downside still comes from its era of creation however, as the horrible and destructive monster determined to end our species, is still just some guy in a mask and costume.  Luckily, most of the shots of the antagonist are quick and reveal little detail, that is until the final showdown.
Not only was this film a pleasant surprise for someone who finds it hard to swallow most 50's sci-fi, but ultimately it gave me something even more, a deeper appreciation for John Carpenter's "The Thing."