The Thing (2011)

User Review

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  TheMovieDiorama

  5 / 10

  The Thing is inferior in every aspect compared to Carpenter's 1982 cult classic. I've not seen all of Carpenter's version (although I really, really want to) and I haven't considered watching the 1951 original. But, I've seen enough footage and know the basic premise of the cult classic to know that this prequel/sequel/remake is a slave to a far superior iteration. On a Norwegian Antarctic research facility, a group of colleagues comes across a giant spaceship hidden beneath the ice and an alien life form frozen solid. Humans being humans, curiosity gets the better of them as they start to analyse the alien but with disastrous and deadly consequences. So, I use the term "slave" because I do believe this prequel attempts to replicate various plot points and gruesome scenes that its predecessor is infamous for. Problem is, Carpenter's version is utterly innovative when it comes to the utilisation of practical effects that when this version tries to use it, it pales into insignificance. The whole film feels subpar and leaves a bitter aftertaste when the credits roll. This incarnation relies far too heavily on CGI to create the scares and to enhance "The Thing's" monstrous persona. Granted, the creature designs are horrifically innovative where body parts split and crawl along the floor looking to inject weird bodily fluids through your mouth (gives me the heebie jeebies) or when it ferociously lies on top of you and melts with your face...! It's entertaining to watch, but the over reliance of CGI negates any real terror. Especially when it's predecessor mastered practical effects which are far superior in terms of horror. It's hard to not compare. Mary Elizabeth Winstead holds her own with Joel Edgerton who carry the film well, the Norwegian supporting cast were just expendable and had no personality. The third act I really did not like. The whole spaceship situation was just time wasted which could've been spent on something more effective. The film succeeds when you do not know who to trust in a remote dark facility. In the end, just wasted potential.

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