The Thing From Another World

Director: Christian Nyby and Howard Hawks
Year Released: 1951
Rating: 2.5

Subversive picture from the 50's is not just a sci-fi story but a warning against Communism, with The Thing itself being an 'amoral' mixture of human and plant (and capable of being grown as plant pods!). Science itself is seen as something to be strongly feared, as the secondary antagonist is a progressive-thinking Nobel Prize-winning scientist who wants to reason with it (before he's smacked away and the soldiers kill The Thing off). Though relevant to film studies and with surprisingly snappy dialogue, its politics are suspect and I'm nagged by the paranoia - similarly-themed Invasion of the Body Snatchers is arguably a better 'action' picture.