Thing From Another World

Year: 1951

Grade: B

Country: USA

Director: Nyby

Review

not as good as the remake, but certainly noteworthy. carpenter’s remake absolutely nailed the atmosphere, had better characters, better effects, and built suspense better. this one has a good idea and a solid screenplay. i love the subtext of science versus humanity and the army’s role in that…it’s ripe for examination and tells plenty about the time when the film was made (1951). geiger counters seem to be in just about every 50s and 60s sci-fi film and it’s no wonder why. the characters in this version weren’t as well rounded, and that may have been purposeful. perhaps they were meant to be symbols and as such were dealt with ham-handedly. instead of making them into living, breathing characters the filmmakers chose to emphasize their roles as cardboard cutouts, or symbols, of “science,” (the doctor) “humanity,” (the captain) and “objectivity” (the reporter).