Das Ding aus einer anderen Welt

Ein intelligenter Science-Fiction-Film aus den 50ern, mit Horrorelementen und einem Gedanken. Der Film wäre aber grauenhafter und spannender, wenn er nicht so geschwätzig wäre und sich mehr auf die Konfrontation von den Menschen und dem Ding als auf die Beziehungen der Menschen (vor allem die überflüssige Beziehung vom Kapitän und der Assistentin) konzentrieren würde. Das letzte Drittel konnten die Drehbuchautoren einfallsreicher dramatisieren, mehr Opfer bringen. So geht es nur in Richtung Nachspann. (20.11.2011)

For me a clear disappointment, and since the comparison with Carpenter's remake can’t be avoided, I declare the winner and it is John Carpenter. Hawks's black and white classic lacks everything that made the remake interesting. There is no feeling of confinement and isolation, no paranoia and distrust among colleagues that add to the tension, no palpable fear of unknown threats. Howard Hawks had a wide genre range, he made comedies, historical westerns and, in this case, science fiction, and all of his films are characterised by his signature overlapping dialogue. And that's exactly what happens ninety-five percent of the time in this film. There's talking and talking and talking, and although the dialogue is well written and the plot feels lively, Hawks builds absolutely no tension. A couple of promisingly interesting scenes are nipped in the bud, or are just plain sloppy (finding the spaceship). Despite my great fondness for old science fiction films, I did not enjoy this one, and after seeing this classic, I appreciated its remake all the more, with Carpenter mixing in all the ingredients such a film should have. Some films have really aged a lot. (17.10.2004)