THE THING - 4K UHD Coming This Fall

[Monterey Jack]

BTW, happy 35th anniversary to The Thing!

Wait...thirty-five years?! You've gotta be F-Bombing kidding!

[AndyDursin]

Arrow's limited edition packages (one's a steelbook, the other a deluxe packaged set with a book) are quickly selling out already...picking this up for the 4K transfer but the Shout release's extras aren't being replicated here, so looks like it'll be essential to own both of these.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

Brand new restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative, supervised and approved by director John Carpenter and director of photography Dean Cundey

High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation

Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

Audio commentary by John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell

Who Goes There? In Search of The Thing an all-new feature length documentary produced by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures exploring the history of The Thing, from the original novella to John Carpenter's terrifying science fiction classic. Featuring new interviews with the cast and crew, as well as authors, historians, and critics

1982: One Amazing Summer an all-new retrospective documentary produced by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures about the unforgettable films released in the summer of 1982

John Carpenter's The Thing: Terror Takes Shape archive documentary on the background and production of the film

Vintage Featurettes
Outtakes
Behind-the-Scenes
Trailers, Teasers, TV and Radio Spots
Still Galleries
Poster
Lobby Cards
Book containing new writing on the film

Limited edition pic:



Steelbook pic, not crazy about the title font:

[AndyDursin]

Arrow's initial LE sold out but they are adding another 2000 units of the Limited Edition (the Steelbook will remain at 4000 copies because it hasn't sold out yet). Info here:

https://www.facebook.com/ArrowVideo/?hc ... 0pNSGT54tM

[Monterey Jack]

Here's a remarkably in-depth dissection of the myriad of differences between the initial DVD/laserdisc commentary, and the bowdlerized Blu-Ray version:

https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=427855

[AndyDursin]

Wow that is unreal. I just thought they cleaned up the TK Carter stuff and some supposedly offensive joke. Why are portions of it rerecorded? That's jaw dropping, how many things were taken out or dubbed over ..again I am stunned there are "different takes" from them for the same scene!

Are the Arrow and Shout commentaries exactly the same?

[Monterey Jack]

Wow that is unreal. I just thought they cleaned up the TK Carter stuff and some supposedly offensive joke. Why are portions of it rerecorded? That's jaw dropping, how many things were taken out or dubbed over ..again I am stunned there are "different takes" from them for the same scene!

That is bizarre. I know that a lot of commentaries are comprised of various "takes" and edited later to remove redundancies, but recording different versions of certain sections?

Are the Arrow and Shout commentaries exactly the same?

From what I gather, the Shout and Arrow commentaries are the same edited version. You have to get the DVD to hear what was released initially (which is why I re-bought the DVD and threw it in a three-disc case with the Shout discs to create my own "combo pack" ).

[Monterey Jack]

Ahhh, hindsight...

[AndyDursin]

There were actually very, very few critics of any kind that gave it a good review.

1.5 stars in Leonard Maltin's book! (I think it ended up being "bumped" up to 2.5 stars years after the fact like BLADE RUNNER)

[Monterey Jack]

There were actually very, very few critics of any kind that gave it a good review.

Owen Gleiberman claims he considered it "close to an instant classic" when he reviewed it for the Boston Phoenix in '82, but -- frustratingly -- I have never been able to find that review online. The entire run of the paper is supposedly being held in some Boston library, so one of these days I'm going to inquire if those back issues are available to the public, and see if I can photocopy that review just to prove that SOMEone like that movie back in the day.

1.5 stars in Leonard Maltin's book! (I think it ended up being "bumped" up to 2.5 stars years after the fact like BLADE RUNNER)

"Non-stop parade of slimy, repulsive special effects turn this into a freakshow and drown out most of the suspense".

[Monterey Jack]

Supposedly a UHD is planned for this fall.

[AndyDursin]

Universal in house release allegedly!

[Monterey Jack]

Considering Universal's UHD track record over the last few years, I expect this to look phenomenal. Plus, I can fully sate my collector's OCD by putting this in my "Original & Remake" section alongside 1951's The Thing From Another World, because I have the Arrow release in my John Carpenter section and the SF release next to the 2011 prequel (which is ensconced inside the "extra" slipcover that SF offered with pre-orders of their release five years ago ). It'd be nice to have the 2011 version on UHD at the same time, really, if only because we need more of MEW in HDR.

[AndyDursin]

Don't like this art but I'm sure there will be other options

[Monterey Jack]

I don't mind the cover...the Scream Factory release has the classic Drew Struzan poster under the slipcover, and the Arrow release has a custom job, so it's nice to have options. Considering Universal's recent track record with catalogue UHD releases, this ought to look spectacular.

[AndyDursin]

I think it belongs in your crappy artwork thread but I agree the disc should look terrific. I might spend my money elsewhere though if there's anything better than that.