THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, THE

(April 1951, U.S.)

In the catalogs of cinema history, the Cold War of the 1950s ushered in a wave of science fiction films that preyed upon the fears and paranoia of American citizens at the time. Suddenly, the threat of any sort of foreign invasion was on everyone's minds, and on screen, it often came in the form of aliens from other worlds. From THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL to WAR OF THE WORLDS, we were forced to recognize even the remote possibilities that we were not only alone in this universe, but were also subject to potential harm, as well. This was almost perfect for low budget material, or 'B' movies, as they were often called, such as THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD.

This black and white classic tells the story of a United States Air Force crew, scientists and a newspaper reporter stationed in Anchorage, Alaska who discover a crashed flying saucer and humanoid body frozen nearby in the Arctic ice. After inadvertently exploding the spaceship buried in the ice, they unearth the body and return it in a block of ice to their remote research outpost, where they are forced to defend themselves against this mysterious alien when it is accidentally revived from its sleep after an electric blanket is carelessly placed upon the block of ice. Two dogs are killed first, but not before one of them tears the creature's arm off. Upon examining the arm, the head scientist Dr. Carrington (played by Robert Cornthwaite) concludes that the alien is some sort advanced form of plant life with a far superior intelligence to man's, and is determined to communicate with it, even if it means the lives of everyone there.

As members of the crew repeatedly fight off the alien, or "the thing", we're taught what is supposed to educational information regarding plant life and their ability to think. This is sometimes a bit hard to digest, considering the alien looks very much like the form of a man (played by James Arness, who would later star in TV's GUNSMOKE). Taking continuous hits from the crew, including burning from torched kerosene, the creature survives their attacks and retreats before returning to attack again. Mind you, this is the 1950s, so these attacks are no more visually threatening that the creatures appearing at the door, or at worst, a violent swipe with his powerful arm. Regrouping for its final showdown, the crew organizes a plan to sabotage the creature with a rigged "fly trap" of electricity. At the alien's final attack, Dr. Carrington is wounded when he (rather stupidly) attempts to talk to the creature. The thing's demise is a shocking one (no pun intended) as it's reduced to mere ashes in what was surely considered an effective visual climax of electrical destruction...

...and while the alien's invasion can hardly be compared to any sort of global apocalyptic event, we're stilled warned at the end to "keep watching the skies".

By today's standard (and a very superior 1982 remake by John Carpenter), THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD is hardly a scary piece of sci-fi. However, one must consider that back in the 1950s, parents may have had to think twice before allowing their children to see this movie if their emotional fears weren't properly conditioned. Not to suggest that the movie isn't filled with plenty of old fashioned monster fun. Still, even as compared to KING KONG (1933) or the many Universal Pictures monster stories that preceded it, THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD may be just another Saturday matinee flying saucer-monster movie. But even if that's all it's limited to, that may not be so bad, just so long as you don't mind watching actor Kenneth Tobey constantly smile at everyone no matter how threatening or perilous thing get. I mean, geez, what the hell is that man always so damn happy about??

Favorite line or dialogue:

Ned Scott: "And now, before giving you the details of the battle, I bring you a warning. Every one of you listening to my voice, tell the world...tell this to everybody, wherever they are...watch the skies...everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies."