Paleontologist Kate Lloyd is contacted by one Dr. Sander Halvorson, who requests that she join him and his assistant in examining something unusual that has been unearthed by a Norwegian research crew in the coldest reaches of Antarctica. Though initially reluctant, she does agree to join, and upon arrival, finds out that the magnitude of this discovery was certainly not exaggerated: the collective has stumbled upon a space ship buried underneath the ground. Stranger yet, the group reveals the remains of what appears to be an extraterrestrial that is frozen in a block of ice. Taking the still-encased body back to the base for studying, it isn't long before they are made aware of the creature's vital signs still being active, as it breaks free and begins slaughtering anything it comes into contact with. Even worse is the fact that it seems to be more than capable of assimilating and impersonating living, breathing material. The remaining members start to contemplate about who is still real, and who is secretly sporting terrifying, inhuman features.
Well, it is time for me to say something that will undoubtedly ruffle a few feathers: 2011's The Thing, a prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 remake of The Thing from Another World, which can be categorized as yet another adaptation of the influential story known as "Who Goes There?," is not that bad of a movie.
Phew. Now that I have gotten that off of my chest, let's get to the actual review, shall we?
When news first broke of an update related to the aforementioned John Carpenter classic coming to theaters, the internet was ready to unleash the purest form of hell upon those dared to touch such a sacred, beloved treasure. Heck, I will admit that I was one of them myself, as that movie holds a special place in my heart, and I would even be willing to go so far as to say that it is firmly in the personal list of my ten favorite horror flicks of all time. The question that remained on everyone's mind (other than "WHYYY?!") was whether this particular release will serve as a precursor to that picture or would be yet another reinterpretation. As it turns out, The Thing is a mixture of about ninety percent of the former, and ten percent of the latter. It sets out to expand the mythos and specialties of the alien creature itself, but isn't above throwing in some homages to its forefather. Do all of these revelations and facts come together to make a perfect film? Well, it's certainly far from achieving such a feat, but it isn't without some positives to talk about.
Cast-wise, there are some very commendable leads that were chosen to take part in this. I don't think that a day will come when I don't sing the praises of the ever-so-talented Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 10 Cloverfield Lane), and though her character Kate lacks the bravado or general coolness of Kurt Russell's protagonist from thirty years before, she does do a commendable job with the role and seems genuinely invested in this project. Joel Edgerton (Warrior, Zero Dark Thirty) isn't too bad either, though you do wish that he received more screen time when the moment arrives for the whole shebang to wrap up. Sadly, the rest of the list of performers feels very interchangeable and readily available to swap out with one another. Kudos goes to making the wise choice to cast actual Norwegian or Scandinavian actors in these supporting roles (and for having most of them speak their native tongue without the addition of subtitles), but the fact that many are given such a small amount of dialogue or moments to establish a distinguishable personality does make for a disappointment, and gives off the impression that most of these guys are just to be meat for the beast.
One aspect of The Thing that caught my attention during its shooting process was the revelation of practical effects serving as the primary means of scaring the audience. If you have never seen John Carpenter's 1982 vision (and if you haven't, go buy the bloody thing already), some of its most memorable highlights come from the absolutely nightmarish designs of the monster and subsequent effects surrounded or caused by it. Most, if not all of these creations can be attributed to the extremely talented Rob Bottin, who though retired, leaves behind an incredible legacy in the realm of science fiction and horror. Even in an age where computer-generated material seems to be the norm for studios to settle with, those works still hold up tremendously well and can cause your stomach to twist into a knot under the right circumstances. Much to my shock and utter sadness, the efforts put in by his replacements (Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. of Amalgamated Dynamics) are completely covered over and replaced by an ugly coat of CGI paint. From what I have gathered and heard, the studio felt that these transformations did not look frightening or convincing enough to scare audiences, even though I would strongly argue that the physical presence of animatronics and practical effects usually garners better performances and spirit from the cast and crew in the long run. The picture is brought down so darn much by this idiotic move, as no matter how creative the actual conceptions may look to viewers, they come across as extremely fake, cheap, and ridiculous when handled in this manner. It strikes me as no surprise that this sort of tampering was what ultimately made those in the technical department move towards spearheading and completing a film that was more akin to what they had in mind for entertaining the fans.
There are other tinier aspects to note about The Thing that keep one's interest from completely waning. As previously mentioned, there are some nice nods that pop up towards the middle and later portions of the flick, such as the idea of gathering the group together so that they may take a blood test in order to discover who is human and who isn't. Interestingly enough, they also bring up the revelation that this entity can not assimilate or imitate inorganic material, so they ask to check the fillings inside of people's mouths. The paranoia factor can still be felt throughout, but cutting the tension with a knife isn't as easy to do this time around as one hoped it would be. There are also several scenes which involve the exploration and examination of its space craft, though I do believe that giving away too much of its interior layout or schematics spoils the mystique of the terrifying antagonist. Lastly, it does pack a rather fitting soundtrack that features portions of a score which would make original composter Ennio Morricone proud (courtesy of Scream and Hellboy veteran Marco Beltrami). It's a nice bonus to hear snippets of THIS track appear towards the beginning and end as well. Still, it does feel like it borders on pandering, and some will just end up wanting to re-watch the 1982 story instead.
If you go into 2011's The Thing with an open mind, and are willing to just judge it on its own with zero bias or expectations, the whole picture is nowhere near as terrible as your more hardcore friends made it out to be. Unfortunately, it is still seriously flawed and morphs into more of a standard monster movie during its final third, though as stated above, I would attribute most of those problems and creative differences to studio interference and a lack of understanding of what made the 1980s version so respected and revered. As it stands, it might anger some to even admit that this film exists, but it doesn't really do much to help or harm Carpenter's iteration. It's perfectly fine and is just kind of.....there. So, perhaps it is time to calm down and maybe, JUST MAYBE, give it a try if you are even mildly curious or willing to let your guard down for two hours. Much like its thirty-year-old predecessor (well, technically sequel?), this is readily available to purchase on DVD and Blu-Ray in most establishments that carry such things.
And hey, even if you end up thoroughly despising it, know that it is FAR from the worst movie that handled a project originally concocted and helmed by Mr. Carpenter himself. That distinct dishonor belongs to THIS steaming pile of garbage.
Tomorrow, it's time to head back to the 1980s! Seeing as how I haven't eaten much today myself, I sure could go for something fried. Maybe even some fritters.....
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