The Thing

(1982) ****
At some kind of scientific outpost in the Antarctic, scientists are hanging out, just doing what scientists do (drinking, playing computer chess, growing facial hair), along comes a happy little dog and some Norwegians trying to kill it. Well, that's pretty crazy, so they shoot the Norwegian and take in the helpless little pup. All seems well and good until the dog sprouts tentacles, kills the other dog, oozes out a bloody dog latex head, and all goes crazy. They figure out that this is some kind of alien thing, that infects and then mimics its host.
I had decided to give this film four stars, and then I read AC's and Octo's reviews, both of whom gave this four and a half. Here's my breakdown of why it gets four:

*: The characters figure out 20 minutes into the film exactly what this alien is capable of. I was expecting the formulaic "Gee, Fred, you seem different today", only to have Fred be the alien in the end. But instead of guessing for the whole movie, these guys know what the thing is, and start to test each other right away.
*: Special effects. How is it that latex from the'80s can be so much more realistic than CGI today? Seriously people, go back to latex - you can do some awesome things with it.
*: Use of the flame thrower. Seems like this came in handy in a lot of '80s horror and action films. Was this a cold war staple that just isn't used anymore? They're so damn cool!
*: An ending that is simultaneously triumphant and a downer. Most horror movies either have the bad guy win or the good guy win. Somehow, this movie does both.

I didn't give it the extra half star like AC and Octo, because I didn't have the nostalgia factor that those guys had. This was the first time I've seen The Thing. I'm simultaneously looking forward to/anxious about the re-make coming out this weekend.