Blair going nuts from the ‘realisation’ of how quickly the Thing would consume humanity is a really powerful aspect of the film, and it diminishes the menace if he’s just wrong and getting worked up over nothing.
Not "nothing", far from it! Even if single cell takeover doesn't work, the threat is real. With the devoure/imitate method, it takes maybe longer to consume humanity, but he was still right in destroying the communication and travel equipment - the Thing cannot be allowed to reach civilisation, that's true even without single cell takeover being possible.
The Bennings case is supposed to show us what happens when an imitation is not completed and caught "in progress". The step by step breakdown shows the general MO of the Thing as well.
1. The thing is thawed, and starts to move under the blanket
2. Off-screen, the Thing attacks and devours Bennings. Bennings is digested, eaten, dead at this point.
3. The imitation of Bennings starts forming - the thing is using the newly acquired mass of Bennings' body for it to be formed.
4. Windows gets back, gets a peek of how the imitation gets Bennings-shaped
5. Windows alerts the others, while the Bennings-imitation takes a more refined shape
6. The Bennings-imitation runs out, the crew surrounds it, armed with flamethrowers
7. The crew gets to witness an not fully finished Bennings-imitation. Namely, the arms and the vocal chords are not completely formed yet, as evidenced by the weird arm and the strange sound coming out of the imitation's throat
8. The crew torches the imitation
This is how it plays out in the movie. I stand by my opinion, that victims die way before their imitation is formed. Once you see an imitation "get busted", like Palmer and thing out, that's not the moment of the guy dying, that happened way back when they were devoured by the thing.
This is why I don't think the Norris-imitation had a heart attack. I think it was a gamble, a deception, that didn't pan out.
reply
share
Drooch (5333)
4 years ago
That sounds plausible, but why then does Windows’ corpse start twitching as if it’s en route to becoming a Thing, causing MacReady to flamethrow it?
reply
share
sati_84 (467)
4 years ago
My take on that scene is that
Palmer-Thing chewed on Windows for a while, but realized it will not have enough time to properly devour him, considering he is surrounded, not alone with his victim. So he just wanted to kill him, plain and simple, inflict a mortal wound, and then escape or threaten the others.
So Windows got head wounds and some Thing mass (juice) in which he is covered. For the twitching we see, I think the head wounds are enough, but the Thing juice is also attacking him, and in that wounded state, his odds are extremely small of surviving.
Maybe in a few hours that amount of Thing juice would be enough for a grown man to be killed, devoured and imitated, but I think the process is much slower in that case than say when a dog sized thing attacks someone.
reply
share
Goliard (1421)
4 years ago
". . .Even if single cell takeover doesn't work, the threat is real. With the devoure/imitate method, it takes maybe longer to consume humanity, but he was still right in destroying the communication and travel equipment - the Thing cannot be allowed to reach civilisation, that's true even without single cell takeover being possible."
This will always be one of my favorite movies, but like so many, it has a fatal flaw: There is NO WAY a spacefaring-intelligence-level organism would waste its time trying to get to civilization. The MUCH BIGGER threat is it getting into the ocean. Once it does that, it's a wrap. One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish, goodbye planet.
reply
share
sati_84 (467)
4 years ago
You are right! It never comes up in the movie, because the ocean is not really relevant for the plot, but yes, great observation.
Also, I would not call this a "fatal flaw" in the movie by any means. Basically the Thing can be at any area of our planet and it's a huge threat to all humanity - except for Antarctica. So wherever it wants to go by any means of transportation, it must be stopped. Besides, the Thing never claims where exactly it wants to go...
reply
share
WuchakTheBitch (100)
4 years ago
The MUCH BIGGER threat is it getting into the ocean. Once it does that, it's a wrap. One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish, goodbye planet.
I’m not sure about that. If it fell into the Antarctic Ocean it would probably just sink to the bottom or freeze. Doubt the Thing had the ability to swim. They were lucky the Thing crashed in the middle of a desert, because there were no other animals to imitate and escape from the area. If it managed to absorb a bird then the Earth would be completely screwed.
reply
share
Goliard (1421)
4 years ago
I should've been more specific; in my defense, I didn't think it was necessary.
The movie makes a big deal about how terrible it would be if the Thing made it to civilization.
My point is: it would be much, Much worse if it made it into the ocean. At that point, it would be impossible to stop it. Sea creatures would simply have no defense, and there goes the ecosystem. Game over.
Your idea that it would "sink to the bottom or freeze" is both irrelevant and inaccurate. There are MANY creatures living in the most frigid of marine environments. No reason the Thing couldn't replicate them. And, to repeat: that's not even my point. My point is, again: keeping it from civilization is NOT the job. Keeping it out of the *oceans* is. Full stop.
reply
share
WuchakTheBitch (100)
4 years ago
I’m just postulating as to why would logically happen according to what’s been dictated by the movie. You’re assuming the thing had or would be able to catch and replicate a fish or seal or something. If it fell into the Antarctic Ocean it would quickly freeze and just sink to the bottom, it doesn’t show any natural protections from subzero temperatures such as a natural anti-freeze, nor the ability to swim.
Anyway, there was a deleted scene where Bennings and McReady try to stop the dogs from reaching the coast, and Bennings gets dragged under the ice by The Thing, but unfortunately it remains a depleted scene, so it’s all just a big guessing game.
reply
share
Goliard (1421)
4 years ago
Um. . .
I don't know how my point keeps getting missed, but I'm bored so I'll try again. I'm "assuming" nothing. If the Thing gets into the ocean. . .Any ocean. . .it's *going* to catch up to something. A fish, a whale, a manta ray. . .*something*. You keep talking about the Antarctic Ocean, but again. . .I'm *not.* I'm responding to the idea that we're screwed if it gets to Civilization. And pointing out that, No: the *much* bigger worry is if it gets into the *OCEAN.* You keep saying the most frigid parts of the ocean would defeat it; that has nothing to do with my point.
Two thirds of the planet is water, with a rich and varied ecosystem. If the Thing gets to THAT; that is the *real* endgame. There's simply no way it could be stopped, once it gets ahold of the sea life. It would replicate endlessly before humans even knew what was going on, and That would be That.
You seem to be fixated on the fact that (maybe) it couldn't survive in a frigid ocean environment. Debatable, but, for the umpteenth time: NOT my point.
reply
share
WuchakTheBitch (100)
4 years ago
Yeah I get your point that the thing is a threat to earth if it gets out.... kind of the whole point of the movie. What I’m saying is counteracting your basic summation of the plot, by saying that even if the thing managed to reach the shoreline — and that’s a big if if it began to freeze before it made it — it would also assume the thing would be able to catch anything and swim out of there. It’s not exactly easy hunting in Antarctica. We also don’t know how low a temperature the Thing can stand.
reply
share
Goliard (1421)
4 years ago
Good Lord. . .I'm starting to think you're giggling w/your hand over your mouth as you type these.
I'll try Again:
The concern voiced in the movie is "Oh noooos! If the Thing reaches civilization, we're DOOMED!"
I'm pointing out the bigger problem is IF the Thing makes it into the Ocean(s). Because. . .for the umpteenth time. . .the Thing could NOT be stopped IF it made it into the Oceans, and started attacking sea life.
For some unknown reason, you're fixated on the fact that it would be difficult for it to get to the ocean.
NOT my point. Understand? Completely, absolutely, Besides The Point. The POINT is, IF it *did* make it into the ocean, that would be Game Over.
You could as usefully say "Yeah, it would be terrible if it made it to Civilization. . .but it would freeze WAY before that happened!" Or, "It would have a hard time catching people to assimilate!" Or any of the other irrelevancies you're proposing. NOT the point.
A) If it made it to Civilization and started replicating, there would be (realistically, without some divine intervention) very little chance of stopping it.
B) If it made it to the OCEAN and started replicating, there would be NO chance of stopping it.
No idea why this (relatively simple) concept is giving you so much trouble.
reply
share