# The Thing movie question: Spoilers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [June 17, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403 "2022-06-17T20:59:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2022, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/61 "2022-06-19T05:39:20Z")
I’m getting strong Peter Griffin vibes when he won a contest for a speed boat he wanted but had to choose between the speed boat and a “mystery box” when he came to redeem. > A boat’s a boat, but a mystery box could be anything. It could even be a boat! ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2022, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/62 "2022-06-19T08:52:19Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/jKwMnnuN7-g/maxresdefault.jpg "John Mulaney Rewatched Back To The Future | Netflix Is A Joke") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKwMnnuN7-g) This is the first thing that usually pops into my head when I think about _Back To The Future_ these days. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/63 "2022-06-20T00:49:36Z")
Of course, what actually happened is that his Mom tries to fuck HIM, but it’s funnier the way he says it. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/64 "2022-06-20T00:51:12Z")
It’s that hard k sound. Old comedy trick. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/65 "2022-06-20T14:19:51Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > why nobody recalls some weird kid that showed up in town wearing a life preserver who created quite a stir, dumped a load of manure on town bully Biff Tannen, and just happens to look like this kid born fifteen years later. This complaint (why doesn’t anyone recognize that 1985 Marty looks like 1950’s Marty) I’ve always found silly. He was in town for a short period of time (a week?). When people get together and reminisce about their school days they might talk about that one kid who played guitar (remember how he disappeared the night of the storm?), but no one is going to remember what he looked like enough to pull up any photos that might exist to say “see? told you he was the spitting image”. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/66 "2022-06-20T14:30:47Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > This complaint (why doesn’t anyone recognize that 1985 Marty looks like 1950’s Marty) I’ve always found silly. Exactly. It was only a week, and he didn’t actually go to school, I assume. The film sort of ignored that. However, if he was the spitting image of someone I went to school with for four years, yeah, I can see it. I think I could still recognize people from my class if they showed up looking exactly like they did in 1980. I often recognize their children as their parents. When you move away, you don’t get to see the years pass, the people age. You go back for a visit, and see someone that looks familiar, and “hey! It’s Susan!” Noooo, that’s her daughter. eta: in my case, they’d be in the yearbook, so there would be photo evidence. Marty isn’t in any 1955 photos. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/67 "2022-06-20T14:54:22Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Exactly. It was only a week, and he didn’t actually go to school, I assume. The film sort of ignored that. He was in school (not enrolled, presumably, but in the building) and gets into a fight with Biff in which Principal Strickland interferes. Other people who casually interact with Marty may not recall him thirty years later but presumably Lorraine’s family and Strickland would have formed a stronger impression of him, especially because he caused problems for both of them. Even if they don’t recall his strange appearance, his peculiar behavior, odd manner of speech, and bizarre ‘musical’ performance should have stuck in someone’s head. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/68 "2022-06-20T15:05:05Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > is MacReady’s blood test a trick? And what happened to the blood? ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/69 "2022-06-20T15:15:26Z")
Has anyone played the Thing video game? I’ve heard it was frustrating since people could turn at any time. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/70 "2022-06-20T15:23:24Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Other people who casually interact with Marty may not recall him thirty years later but presumably Lorraine’s family and Strickland would have formed a stronger impression of him, especially because he caused problems for both of them. Even if they don’t recall his strange appearance, his peculiar behavior, odd manner of speech, and bizarre ‘musical’ performance should have stuck in someone’s head. Strickland had 100s of kids who caused problems (if not thousands). Lorraine’s family is going to remember Marty in a “hey, remember Marty? He was an odd one. Wonder whatever happened to him?” way that pops up every 5 years or so. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/71 "2022-06-20T15:43:30Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > Lorraine’s family is going to remember Marty in a “hey, remember Marty? He was an odd one. Wonder whatever happened to him?” way that pops up every 5 years or so. “Hey, Lorraine, remember that ‘Calvin Klein’ guy who I hit with the car back during that week when your husband beat a rapist off of you and lighting struck the clock tower? Did you ever notice that your youngest kid looks, sounds, and dresses exactly like him?” Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/72 "2022-06-20T16:03:45Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Did you ever notice that your youngest kid looks, sounds, and dresses exactly like him?” You’re reaching, pal. 🙂 Marty didn’t dress like an escaped sailor everyday. You can’t tell that 2,4,6,8,12 year old Marty looks like that strange kid from the Fish Under the Sea dance. And he didn’t act like him. And considering how little we know about “other Marty”, and New George and Lorraine’s obviously better parenting skills, maybe oM never set the carpet on fire, either. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/73 "2022-06-20T16:17:30Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Did you ever notice that your youngest kid looks, sounds, and dresses exactly like him? My point is that I only have fairly vague memories of kids I went to school with for 12 years. I might recognize that a 17 year old I run into when visiting my hometown is possibly their child. On the other hand, I spent a week one summer with my grandparents. By coincidence, a second cousin I’d never met before or since (I think his name was Mark) was staying with his relatives. It being an extremely small town and us being the same age, we spent the week hanging out together. I know I wouldn’t recognize him today, and unless it was a picture of the two of us together (I doubt any such picture was taken), I wouldn’t recognize a picture of him when he was that age. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/74 "2022-06-20T16:17:32Z")
The Thing video game is a great idea but bad execution. If anyone doesn’t know it was a quasi-canonical sequel to the movie (John Carpenter even voiced a major character) where some US Marines go investigate the outpost a month after the events of the film and then it becomes a typical run and gun horror game when the Marines who went to investigate the Norwegian base all get infected. The gimmick was that you had up to 3 squadmates you would rescue from various places, but the idea was that they could actually be Things in disguise and also the other soldiers knew this and could possibly think YOU were a Thing, leading to scenarios where your own men would refuse to follow “Dangerous” orders or even mutiny and attempt to kill you if they became paranoid enough. Also if they were a Thing, your teammates would “turn” at the absolute worst times including during boss fights. In order to combat this you were given a limited amount of blood test kits like the movie, and you would use them to either test yourself to reassure your teammates, or test new teammates to see if they were Things but you never had enough to do it all the time. Of course this all broke down due to the fact a smaller studio made this and their goals were higher than their reach. What ultimately happens is that ALL your squadmates would eventually become Things at completely arbitrary and preset points even if you had just used a blood test and “proved” they were human simply because the developers needed an excuse to get rid of all your teammates for gameplay reasons. The game wasn’t advanced enough to keep your same squadmates between each level so instead the game would just automatically Thing them out right before the end of each stage which actually made it INCREDIBLY frustrating during hard levels when you suddenly needed to deal with 3 Thinged teammates too at the end for really no other reason than developer laziness. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/75 "2022-06-20T16:20:20Z")
Ugh. It’s a clever idea, but you’re right, that does sound arduous. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/76 "2022-06-20T16:23:44Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > “Hey, Lorraine, remember that ‘Calvin Klein’ guy who I hit with the car back during that week when your husband beat a rapist off of you and lighting struck the clock tower? Did you ever notice that your youngest kid looks, sounds, and dresses exactly like him?” People’s memories aren’t that good. Of course they’d remember meeting “Calvin,” but remembering the face of a guy they knew for about a week, twenty years ago? Or the details of what he wore beyond, “it looked odd?” Nobody has that sort of recall. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/77 "2022-06-20T17:24:15Z")
Excellent! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2022, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/78 "2022-06-20T19:43:16Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Other people who casually interact with Marty may not recall him thirty years later but presumably Lorraine’s family and Strickland would have formed a stronger impression of him, especially because he caused problems for both of them Nah. People who caused trouble with me THIRTY YEARS AGO who I didn’t otherwise interact with much? I don’t remember their faces that well. This really isn’t a plot hole, it’s one hundred percent plausible. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2022, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/79 "2022-06-23T06:49:58Z")
And given that people get TAKEN OVER by The Thing…the bit about "The Things can’t have teeth fillings’ is horseshit. ---
**Author:** ![WhyKickAMooCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc29f/32.png) [@WhyKickAMooCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyKickAMooCow)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2022, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403/80 "2022-06-23T11:49:27Z")
Plus, the monsters weren’t really “Things”, they didn’t mutate or evolve. They would just appear in a level and run about until they were killed, generic monsters with no changing attributes at all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-movie-question-spoilers/966403.md?page=5)