John Carpenter's "The Thing" - any chance of re-release? (1 Viewer)

[Jon Smith]

the documentry has an isolated score ?

i didnt know that !!

well i have the R2, is it on that ?

 

[BarryS]

I have held off purchasing The Thing because it's non-anamorphic, even resisting the recent lower prices (it's around $14.99 at Best Buy). It's a great disc, picture quality is good, extras are good, so it just needs 16x9 enhancement.

 

[Dan Hitchman]

No, then it could be faked as some early, so-called 16x9 enhanced releases were (they would use the same cropping and squeezing technique that the Panasonic RP91 player uses to up-convert a 4:3 letterboxed transfer to a pseudo- 16x9 enhanced version with no real 33% higher resolution for widescreen TVs).

The Thing should be properly restored and supervised by John Carpenter and the DP and then a new, pristine 1080p digital master created. Get Mi Casa to do a DTS-ES Discrete 6.1 remix from the original sound stems (and maybe even update the sound effects under supervision for more dramatic effect). That would easily be a re-buy for me!!

Dan

 

[Lee_eel]

I think the non-anamorphic r2 version looks fine. I don't think it is the type of film that would hugely benefit a remastered version. It is the only non-anamorphic disc in my collection but for some reason, i am not bothered!

 

[Rob Tomlin]

I would most certainly purchase a re-release of this title with an anamorphic transfer!
This was one of the first movies that I ever saw on LaserDisc! Great memories!

 

[JeremySt]

oops:b thats what I meant. Universal did that on a few of their early titles. Apollo 13 and The Mummy are other examples.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

I don't understand this statement because the current DVD IS a Special Edition and has an amazing amount of extras including a very well made 80 min. docu and unused animation from the finale plus much more.

What I meant was.. BTILC was released in a pretty kick ass 2-disk set with a quality anamorphic transfer. Even though "The Thing" is marked SE, all that bonus material loses some of it's lustre with a poor transfer of the film itself. I would think "The Thing" was just as popular a film as BTILC and "Escape From New York".. both of which were anamorphic.. it's just odd that this film didn't get the attention it deserves.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

I think that if the remake gets green-lit, then you might - might see a 2 disc edition with a new transfer, DTS and all the stuff that was on the original DVD but with deleted scenes in 2.40:1 anamorphic with possible commentary by JC.
Ever seen this: www.outpost31.com/index2.html
All you need to know is there.
Gordy

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Please delete this post!

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

And this one too! D'oh! :frowning:

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

I think that if the remake gets green-lit, then you might - might see a 2 disc edition with a new transfer, DTS and all the stuff that was on the original DVD but with deleted scenes in 2.40:1 anamorphic with possible commentary by JC.
Ever seen this: www.outpost31.com/index2.html
All you need to know is there.
New Special Edition petition: http://www.outpost31.com/vistar/petition.html
R1 vs. R2 comparison: http://www.cinedvd.net/compthing.html
Oh, gosh! What is correct colour-scheme? I thought that Cundey had a blueish-look to the snowscapes? Any future DVD transfer really ought to be supervised by Cundey.
Gordy

 

[Kevin M]

What I meant was.. Even though "The Thing" is marked SE, all that bonus material loses some of it's lustre with a poor transfer of the film itself. it's just odd that this film didn't get the attention it deserves.

Ok, I just flat out disagree with the negative opinion of the current DVD's supplement's and the quality of it's transfer. Apart from the lack of 16:9 enhancement I think the DVD and it's transfer is just fine & considering the fact that The Thing was for the most part a total flop both financially and critically when it was released I think Universal showed it and it's large fan base considerable respect by giving it such a grand SE DVD/LD in 1998.
I personally won't re-purchase it until the HD-DVD comes out...and if I was a betting man I would lay the smart $ on the fact that it won't be re-released on DVD until HD-DVD in four or five years.
However if it did happen no one would be more surprised
(and happy as it would indicate that the studios do listen to us) then me...I just don't think it will.
Good luck.

 

[Matt Stone]

Kevin, what kind of equipment have you watched the DVD on. I only ask because it looked good on my old 27" Wega, but it looks horrible on my new 53" Panny.

 

[Dave H]

The "look" The Thing has is the same look on many of Universal's early titles. It is a washed out, digital-look; other early titles that I have seen from Universal that have this look are Career Opportunities, Scarface, Carlito's Way (these just off the top of my head). Yet, Fast Times at Ridgemont High does not have this digital look. It is clear they were doing something not right with some of the early titles.

 

[Lyle_JP]

Get Mi Casa to do a DTS-ES Discrete 6.1 remix from the original sound stems (and maybe even update the sound effects under supervision for more dramatic effect).

No No No NO NO!!!!! How can we be purists about aspect ratios and recreating the theatrical experience on one hand and then start clamoring for newer, "more dramatic" sound effects on the other? Look, I'm all for newer 5.1 remixes created from the original stems, but adding new "modern" sound effects isn't any better than having Greedo shoot first!
The current DVD has a wonderfully moody 5.1 mix as it is, with lots of bass and even the Stevie Wonder tune put back in. And, it's true to the original 2.0 soundtrack while still being an improvement (in fidelity and directionality). I don't know what more we could ask for.
-Lyle J.P.

 

[Dave Mack]

Just give me a new anamorphic transfer and maybe a better sounding but artistically faithful original audio and I would be happy.
D

 

[Kevin M]

"Washed out, digital look" is a matter of opinion I suppose because I found most of the early Universal discs I own to be among the best that the first crop of DVD's had to offer, Vertigo still looks beautiful to me, a debatable topic as *** this *** thread demonstrated, even Robert Harris thinks the current DVD is pretty good...but that's just his opinion & who is he anyway.
The monitor I own is a 40" WEGA KV-40XBR8000.
Like I said though, go for it and good luck.

 

[Dave Mack]

Hey Dave,
On my Mits. 55908 Diamond in Prog. Scan it looks decent. Not Digital looking IMHO. My JVC player auto-scales it to fit 16x9 and does a decent job.
Out of curiosity, I looked up the DVDfile.com review...
"Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Here's my reservation with this disc: the video quality is good, but not great. This comes from the same master as the previous letterboxed laserdisc, which was very nice, and the black level, contrast and smoothness of the colors (especially red) are all improved upon here. The image is perfectly framed at 2.35:1, and although no pan and scan version is provided, the full widescreen image is essential for this film (as any fans of John Carpenter in general can attest). But, in all honesty, the print does show signs of wear and tear with a few nicks and scratches present from time to time. And the picture quality looks just slightly faded, but it is very slight and most won't notice it (I'm a bit anal in this regard). The major drawback is the lack of 16x9 enhancement. Personally, I feel any film getting the collector's edition treatment should also get a new 16x9 transfer. Still, overall, the picture is very good and a notch above the laserdisc."
So if you are using an interlaced display, that's where the "Digital" look might be coming from. It looks pretty smooth to me...
I would definitely rebuy for anamorphic though!
Happy Thanksgiving! D

 

[Dome Vongvises]

I've heard this somewhere, but somebody told me that the free The Thing disc that came with the video game was anamorphic. Has anybody else heard this?

 

[Damin J Toell]

I've heard this somewhere, but somebody told me that the free The Thing disc that came with the video game was anamorphic. Has anybody else heard this?

It was just a rumor started by a mistaken person that was confirmed to be false. The free DVD is non-anamorphic.

DJ