Movie Review: ‘THE THING’ (2011)

In a brilliant marketing move to counteract the remake backlash, Universal Pictures, writer Eric Heisserer (Nightmare On Elm St. remake and Final Destination 5) and director Matthijs van Heijningen, Jr. cleverly approached The Thing from a different angle.  Even though all aspects would tell you otherwise, this 2011 prequel to the remake of 1952’s The Thing From Another World, is technically a precursor to what happened in John Carpenter’s 1982 masterpiece The Thing.  Do we have that straight? For so many reasons Carpenter’s paranoia monster flick still stands as one of my favorite horror films of all time.  Going into the screening, I knew that the horror classic is not going to be outdone by a first time director.  That is why you have to remind yourself while watching this film: It’s only a prequel. It’s only a prequel. It’s only a prequel.  Yet, why does it still look like a remake?

The film opens with one of the best sequences of the film.  Three men in a snow terrain vehicle are exchanging  jokes while a sonar radar consistently beeps as they approach their goal.  Once the men think they have located the source of a weird signal buried under the Antarctic ice, their vehicle collapses into a cavernous pit that reveals a buried spaceship at the bottom.  As they are wedged between two icy blocks, the 1982 Thing logo slowly emerges in a blue light.  This is a fitting ending to a well executed sequence, but it also gives us our first feeling that this film is going to share a lot of similarities to its predecessor.  Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Death Proof, Scott Pilgrim vs The World) plays paleontologist Kate Lloyd.  She is asked by Dr. Sander Halvorson and his assistant to help study a scientific find in the snowy abandon of Antarctica.  Along with a team of bearded Norwegians (I think it’s a law in Norway to have one) and a handful of other Americans, including helicopter pilot Braxton Carter (John Edgerton), the three relocate to the base to learn of their assignment.  Aside from the spaceship, the crew uncover a large tentacled alien encapsulated in ice.  The creature bursts from the lab unbeknownst to the crew one night leading to a chase in the snow.  One of the men gets taken by the creature before the men are forced to ignite the beast into flames. It is only after analyzing the creature that they learn that it has the power to replicate the cell structure of any creature it comes in contact with.  As a result, a tense thriller begins as the research team trys to uncover who has actually been infected by the alien.

If this all sounds familiar than you most likely have seen John Carpenter’s version of it told almost thirty years ago.  There is a reason that this paranoia driven story can still have the power to engulf you into its world after all this time.  Not knowing who you can trust and not being able to see the real villain until it’s too late is an effective horror trope that has been explored for years.  Add in some surprising effects that show the creature literally transforming each of its victims, and you have a classic horror film.  Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.’s prequel knows this and achieves some of the tense feelings that were felt watching its predecessor.  His handling of the claustrophobic atmosphere and the timing of the scares can be applauded.  If nothing else, this film illustrates that this man should have a promising future scaring horror fans for years to come.  Unfortunately the tools he has at his disposal are as dull as the ice is cold.  The main culprit is the script.  Eric Heisserer’s script has none of the unique characters found in Bill Lancaster’s exceptional 1982 script.  It doesn’t even match the humorous characters and story found in his recent Final Destination script.  What worked well in Carpenter’s film is that he was able to create specific characters using very little dialogue or back-story.  So when the finger-pointing and name-calling begins in this latest effort, you find yourself scratching your head as to who they are referring to.  You eventually find yourself stop caring all together since we all know how it’s going to end.  This lack of strong characters is even more apparent than the lack of original scenes found in the film.  The script borrows many similar sequences that are so memorable in the ’82 Thing.  The one clever way that they do exceed expectations is through the inclusion of how the alien can’t replicate inorganic materials.  Metal fillings and earrings lead to a couple of interesting sequences that actually throw a unique element into the mythology of the creature.

The most obvious complaint that fans of old-school horror will gripe about is the abundant CGI.  Like Carpenter’s film, this is a slow-burn film that takes its time in showing off some shocking transformations.  After some effective practical effects in the beginning that are reminiscent of Rob Bottin’s extraordinary work, the CGI kicks in with mixed results.  Most of the time it is unfortunately sub-par; The best being the iconic face assimilation that is later found by the American team.  The effects show off some horrific imagery that will give fans a smirk, but the tangibility and cringe factor are never fully there.  This will be the factor that will leave many previous fans in upheaval.

Disappointing is the best way to describe the 2011 version of The Thing.  Tight directing and competent acting are left out in the cold by a paper-thin script and shoddy CGI.  For younger horror fans, this prequel might surprise and astonish based on their knowledge of Carpenter’s version or not.  Hopefully this might encourage them to seek it out if they haven’t already.   The overall experience of The Thing prequel left me feeling that it rarely tried to set itself out to be a prequel.  Aside from the ending, which delves into the spaceship that was only briefly seen in Carpenter’s film, The Thing functions more as an adequate remake to an exceptional original.  Prequel or remake . . . it doesn’t matter.  The Thing (2011) will always stand as a director trying his darnedest to make his voice heard amongst the clatter of numerous Hollywood remakes and attempting to appease both a demanding studio and rabid fans.  Unfortunately, he lost this fan in the snow.