HOLLYWOOD—The prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter film “The Thing” is out this weekend in theaters around the country. Though the original film starring James Arness, produced by RKO Picture Studios in 1951 still outdoes the most recent films. This current version however is dazzling and scary just the same, with the added touch of magnificent computer wizardry and special effects that will send shivers down the moviegoer’s spine. Though this film is more similar to the “Alien” films, rather than true to RKO’s original version. You can still expect to jump out of your seat in various points during this wonderful film. Again, horror is not for everyone and not for the faint of heart, but this film moves quickly into action and rarely lets up.
Earlier this summer “The Planet of the Apes,” another remake was released, and this one will find a niche audience just as the latest version of the Ape films found a wide range of viewers, who wanted to see what all the hype was about. Director Matthijs van Heijningen, making his big-screen debut after a career in commercials, and screenwriter Eric Heisserer, both big fans of Carpenter’s “The Thing” manages to show respect to the story, and although no one quite does horror like Carpenter, this duo is quite adequate in their first leap on to the big screen with their 2011 version of the story.
As the film starts, paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is asked by a Norwegian researcher (Ulrich Thomsen) and his assistant (Eric Christian Olsen) to journey with them to Antarctica to examine an alien frozen in the ice from a spaceship that crashed there 100,000 years ago. Yes, 100,000 years ago. American helicopter pilots Carter (Joel Edgerton) and Jameson (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) manage to make it to the chilly Norwegian outpost, where everyone learns to interact and grow a bond with each other over the greatest discovery in the history of mankind.
After they find the space creature buried under the ice, they soon realize it’s not dead, and the creature starts throwing humans around and turns out replicas that leave the researchers frantic to figure out who among them are the real team and who are the alien clones? Remember “Invasion of the Body Snatchers?” The original one from the 1950s, that is. “The Thing” is eerily similar to it, without a lot of the screaming. This film is really well done, in my opinion, and the writing is quite good as well. The plot twists really turn on a dime, and the audience begins to start guessing and second-guessing who they believe has been replicated. The director and writer really make us feel invested in how the story plays out and ultimately how it ends in a shocking fashion.
The one thing that was a slight disappointment when watching the film, is that the audience will quickly figure out which characters are most likely to survive to the very end. Then again, that seems pretty typical these days in horror. Another slight problem is, if you did not see the 1982 version, this one may be a bit confusing in the beginning, but soon as the action picks up, so will your imagination.
“The Thing,” a Universal release, is rated R for strong creature violence and gore, disturbing images, and language. Running time: 103 minutes. This film receives Three of Five Stars from this reviewer.
Photograph is courtesy Universal Studios
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