DVD Movie Guide @ dvdmg.com
.
Review Archive:  # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Viewer Ratings | Main
WARNER

MOVIE INFO

Director:
Christian Nyby
Cast:
James Arness, Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey
Writing Credits:
Charles Lederer

Synopsis:
Arctic researchers discover a huge, frozen spaceling inside a crash-landed UFO, then fight for their lives after the murderous being emerges from icy captivity.

MPAA:
Rated NR

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio:
English DTS-HD MA Monaural
Subtitles:
English
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
None

Runtime: 87 min.
Price: $21.99
Release Date: 11/20/2018

Bonus:
• Trailers


PURCHASE @ AMAZON.COM

EQUIPMENT
-LG OLED65C6P 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV
-Marantz SR7010 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD AV Surround Receiver
-Panasonic DMP-BD60K Blu-Ray Player
-Chane A2.4 Speakers
-SVS SB12-NSD 12" 400-watt Sealed Box Subwoofer


RELATED REVIEWS


The Thing From Another World [Blu-Ray] (1951)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (December 30, 2018)

How frequently do remakes outdo the original versions of films? Not often, but in the case of 1951’s The Thing From Another World, I believe the more recent take provides the definitive one.

The 1951 World launches at a military base in Alaska, and there we learn of an unusual research party at the North Pole with an odd discovery. The chief of the base sends a pilot named Captain Pat Hendry (Kenneth Tobey) to check this out, and along with his crew, a newspaperman called Ned Scott (Douglas Spencer) goes along in search of a story.

There they meet the lead researcher, Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) and a staff of others that includes a former flame of Hendry’s named Nikki Nicholson (Margaret Sheridan). Once Hendry meets Carrington, he finds out more about the mission.

There’s a mysterious crashed object about 50 miles away, and they need to head out there to investigate. When they get to the site, they discover an alien spacecraft, and they blast through the ice to dig up the wreck.

Unfortunately, when they do so, they accidentally blow up the ship. However, they do find the frozen remains of an inhabitant from the craft, who they chop out of the ice.

With this chilly dude in tow, they head back to their base to examine him, though some arguments ensue about what course to take. Eventually, he thaws out by accident and starts to lurk around the camp. He creates a menace as the staff tries to learn more about him and stop him before he kills them all.

On the surface, World presented a story similar to John Carpenter’s 1982 version. However, the pair seemed very different in many ways, mostly due to tone.

Carpenter’s take featured a much darker, more claustrophobic atmosphere, whereas World came across as more jovial and light-hearted. I never felt the same sense of threat to the characters or the planet at large.

Sure, the movie made mention of the possible impending doom, but in Carpenter’s take, you really thought the future of humanity was at stake. I never received that impression from World.

In some ways, it may be unfair to compare the two. While the original and modern versions of The Haunting were very similar in structure and story, the two Things varied considerably.

For example, World features a monster whose appearance remains static throughout the movie, whereas the Carpenter edition makes the beast alter its looks to emulate others. That neat twist alone creates a level of tension the original can’t equal.

Although I tried not to compare the two, decades of experience with the Carpenter tale made it impossible not to do so. I found that flick to be superior in virtually every way, so I had a much tougher time getting interested in The Thing From Another World.

Fans will disagree, but I really don’t see much to it that make it stand out from other monster movies. It offers an entertaining tale, but without the claustrophobic tension of the remake, it comes across as pretty ordinary to me.

Quibble of the day: If the Thing’s a vegetable, why does it have breath?


The Disc Grades: Picture B/ Audio B-/ Bonus D-

The Thing From Another World appears in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Though a bit erratic, the image usually held up well.

Sharpness appeared positive most of the time. A handful of shots felt a little soft and tentative, but the majority of the film seemed accurate and concise.

No signs of jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. The presence of fine grain implied a lack of digital noise reduction, and I saw no print flaws here.

Black levels were usually good, and most low-light shots came across with nice clarity. However, a few images seemed a bit too bright and “blown out”, a factor that impacted accuracy. Nonetheless, the image largely fared well.

The DTS-HD MA monaural soundtrack of The Thing From Another World seemed perfectly adequate for a nearly 70-year-old flick. Speech lacked any issues connected to brittleness or edginess. The lines were a bit thin and a little sibilant, but they remained intelligible and concise.

Effects failed to demonstrate great range, but they showed reasonable bass response for elements of this vintage. Highs could be a little rough at times, but the track didn’t demonstrate significant distortion and it seemed tight and distinct.

The music also was somewhat trebly but sounded acceptably vivid and lively. Overall, the audio was more than adequate for a movie from 1951.

How did the Blu-ray compare to the DVD from 2003? The lossless audio seemed marginally clearer, but there wasn’t much that could be done with such old material.

On the other hand, visuals offered obvious improvements, as the Blu-ray looked better defined and cleaner. It also boaster deeper blacks. The Blu-ray was a clear upgrade over the DVD.

Unfortunately, The Thing From Another World comes with almost no supplements. We get two trailers and nothing more.

That’s too bad, as some good supplements would make The Thing From Another World a more compelling package. The flick itself provides a moderately entertaining monster movie, but it doesn’t seem like anything particularly special and it compares poorly with the superior 1982 remake. The Blu-ray offers very good visuals along with acceptable audio and minor supplements. World shows its age and doesn’t create an especially compelling film.

To rate this film, visit the prior review of THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD

.
Review Archive:  # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Viewer Ratings | Main