I realize this may upset a lot of people as this movie has a devoted audience. I finally watched it last night and I have to say, it's really boring. There is very little action, and not much in the way of characterization or dialogue to offset its glacial pace (sorry about the pun). Normally if a movie bores me this much I'll shut it off but because of its classic status I felt it deserved at least one complete viewing. Still, I wound up reading during the last half hour, glancing up only when something actually happened. It was very easy to follow the story while paying minimal attention.
If you're thinking that I'm a young whippersnapper who has been spoiled by flashy visual effects and needs constant action, I assure you this is not true. I'm over 50. I see all kinds of movies, including "sumptuous literary adaptations" i.e. "Wings of a Dove." I grew up without TV and didn't own one until I was in my 20s. I am not a huge fan of "Star Wars" or "The Matrix" and my idea of a good SF film is "The Man Who Fell to Earth." I will admit I may have been spoiled by John Carpenter's 1982 film "The Thing", which is really another story altogether. I feel Carpenter's film is a classic that not only features ground-breaking visual effects but a mounting atmosphere of suspicion and paranoia that speaks directly to the meaning of Campbell's story title, "Who Goes There?" In the Howard Hawks story, you basically have a standard crew of 50s film characters having discussions. There is virtually no tension or atmosphere of any kind.
If I'd seen this in a theater at a younger age, I might have loved it as do its many fans. But I'm sorry, folks; this one just never came to life for me.
If you're thinking that I'm a young whippersnapper who has been spoiled by flashy visual effects and needs constant action, I assure you this is not true. I'm over 50. I see all kinds of movies, including "sumptuous literary adaptations" i.e. "Wings of a Dove." I grew up without TV and didn't own one until I was in my 20s. I am not a huge fan of "Star Wars" or "The Matrix" and my idea of a good SF film is "The Man Who Fell to Earth." I will admit I may have been spoiled by John Carpenter's 1982 film "The Thing", which is really another story altogether. I feel Carpenter's film is a classic that not only features ground-breaking visual effects but a mounting atmosphere of suspicion and paranoia that speaks directly to the meaning of Campbell's story title, "Who Goes There?" In the Howard Hawks story, you basically have a standard crew of 50s film characters having discussions. There is virtually no tension or atmosphere of any kind.
If I'd seen this in a theater at a younger age, I might have loved it as do its many fans. But I'm sorry, folks; this one just never came to life for me.