While I am one of the most skeptical of movie-watchers (I sincerely feel that Hollywood is running out of ideas and is finding itself at the very end of its artistic hyperbole-- having no more room to make movies more action-packed, more violent, more provocative, or "more" anything) and normally assume 25 year prequels like this one to be a travesty that is both insulting and disrespectful of the original-- I have to say, they ACTUALLY DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB with this one. I would have screamed for totally different reasons than the directors intended, if this movie had turned out like those awful AvP movies (ruination for both once-proud franchises) or one of George Lucas' prequels. Most of the negative critiques I am hearing, are folks complaining that this movie was "the same" as the 1982 Carpenter movie, or "unoriginal" because it involved the same basic plot premise. HELLO!!!!! Read the director's interviews-- that is EXACTLY what they were shooting for!! This movie is supposed to be the same genre, the same mood, the same eventual outcome-- it is supposed to be a companion piece to the 1982 Carpenter movie! The director's stated goal was to create a prequel that was both RESPECTFUL of the original, and that you could pop the 1982 movie in after watching this one, and not notice much of a difference. The directors went to great lengths to ensure everything from the original movie was explained (in regards to the Norwegians and the many clues left around their camp in the 1982 segment). They did not make it stupid by adding some gangster rapper to the cast to give the movie mass-appeal, they didn't try to introduce some cheesy love-story, they didn't have to use nudity of some hottie chick to draw an audience. The movie stands on its own, but probably won't ever be that popular for just those reasons. THE THING 2011 draws on the same mental resources as the 1982 movie, and establishes the same results (a very good thing). Too much CGI, of course, but that cannot be avoided in this day and age. To sum it up-- if you liked the 1928 Carpenter movie, you will like this one as well, the movie was complete with a dissection scene (with half-absorbed people no less), a climactic battle with a super-thing, and the usual expected paranoia. They took the time to actually setup the mood and to give the characters some personality, as opposed to some rushed, effects-laden George Lucas CGI-fest. I have not ever seen any of the other movies by this director, but am willing to give it a try after seeing this movie. Not too bad at all....especially if you are a die-hard fan of the Carpenter version.
Review of The Thing
