The Thing (2011)

[FreddysFingers]

As many of you know, especially after Thing Week… I am a hardcore fan of John Carpenter’s The Thing. You already know how I was exposed to it and why it is my favorite horror movie of all time but when I heard they were doing a remake, I couldn’t believe it because the first was so flawless. Then rumors began to surface that it wasn’t a remake but rather a prequel that starred MacReady’s brother, which doesn’t make sense because the first camp that was attacked was Norwegian. So, like a cynic, I decided to not follow the hype or anything about this prequel until I saw a trailer and just yesterday Bloody Disgusting released the trailer for The Thing (Prequel) along with the poster (pictured above). I know some might want to know what I think of it but first I want to express my feelings towards the poster.

I like the poster. I like it a lot. Is it the best horror poster ever? No but it does seem to be very stylized while still keeping that Carpenter-y feel. The big bold white letters that spells out ‘The Thing’ and inside the letters is “human” on the verge of becoming its full form. If you look at his right hand you’ll notice that it’s full-blown alien and I couldn’t help but think of the scene when the group, from the original, encounter the Bennings Thing running in the snow. He falls to his knees clutching his right hand, which looks like a giant deformed crab claw, tilts his head back and howls at the group before getting torched. That’s what this poster reminded me of. However, the more I look at it the more I can see just how bad (for lack of a better term) this was photoshopped. I’m still happy with it.

Note: As you watch the trailer below, keep an ear out for the Ennio Morricone score they use. I don't know if it's directly from the The Thing or if it's reproduced.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g2kASeEXUo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g2kASeEXUo[/ame]


As for the trailer itself… it looks exactly like how I thought it would be. It reveals nothing about what the Thing will look like and rightfully so but I couldn’t help but get this feeling of redundancy. To many people, including myself, the original 1951 movie was already sort of a prequel to the John Carpenter film so watching this trailer made me feel like I was watching a remake of The Thing From Another World. It didn’t feel flashy to me, which is good but it did seem to be in favor of more action sequences than building an ominous/paranoid atmosphere. I would still end up seeing the film not because I’m excited but because I would like to know how they think the Norwegian incident went down. Again, it feels very redundant because we already know what will happen in the end… two Norwegians escape trying to shoot a dog that they believe is the Thing but end up getting killed in the process. If that’s not how it ends then I guess it’s not really a prequel but rather a remake of the ’51 film.

If you want to read more of what I have to say, click here.

[Scarecrow]

The trailer is good. I will be seeing it in theatres.

[Creamy Goodness]

I want this to be good. Trailer is okay. I definitely plan on seeing it.

[LolliePop]

I'm the same - I will see this out of intense curiosity. No idea what it will be like from that trailer though.... its going to hinge on how they choose to unveil and present this Thing for me. If its total sucky CGI its going to be a bit of a turn off but I'm actually not sure it will be.

[FreddysFingers]

It looks like they will be using half CGI and half practical effects, which is what i thought.

[Creamy Goodness]

From what I've read, The Thing is mostly practical effects. One of the reasons the film was pushed back was to make those effects look better. At least, that's what I recall reading. Practical make-up effects definitely get bonus points from me. That news and their borderline obsession of following Carpenter's film as closely as (in)humanly possible are the two things making me think this will be good.

[Scarecrow]

Now I heard it's a prequel to John's version but also a remake to the 1951 original or just a new version altogether?

[Creamy Goodness]

It's only a prequel to Carpenter's as far as I know.

[Creamy Goodness]

From Wikipedia:

It is a prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter film of the same name. Matthijs's film will take place right before the first film, following the exploits of the Norwegian and American scientists who originally discovered the alien.

[Scarecrow]

Alright. Because a lot of people that viewed it on Joblo.com and Arrow are bitching saying it's a total remake of John's version.

[Creamy Goodness]

The trailer makes it look like a remake, but all articles and reports are labeling it as a prequel.

[FreddysFingers]

Consider this into the equation: Carpenter's version is more or less it's own thing as John wanted to directly adapt the novella whereas the '51 film was based off the novella. However, many people (myself included) have looked at John's and Christian's versions and came to the conclusion that The Thing (1982) was a sequel to the 1951 film. Meaning, if anything (and it certainly looks this way) this film is a remake of the Howard Hawks classic, which means it is in fact a prequel to the Carpenter film.

Also, it warms the heart that they are sticking to practical effects.

[Chainsaw Brutality]

I like what I've seen from the trailer, lookin' forward to it.


I too, am glad pratical effects are being used.

[FreddysFingers]

Hopefully Bottin was a consultant or at the very least provided a template to use from.

[DragonBlues]

Sobriquet and I went to see this today. We really enjoyed it. Got some great "jumps," some seriously disgusting creature moments, and some pretty cool sci-fi elements thrown in. Good times were had at the theater. :pirate:

[Sobriquet]

Hear hear! Appropriately grotesque and badass. Much fun and it was ALL OURS! Muahahaha!

[Friday The 13th]

I plan on seeing this myself... Hope it turns out good!

[meezookeewee]

I saw this one yesterday, and it was awesome. Unfortunately, it relied a little too much on CGI, and the CGI was pretty bad in the third act, but for the most part, the movie was fantastic. Not on the same pedestal as John Carpenter's film, but it is an excellent companion piece.

[DragonBlues]

[Sobriquet]

Gruesome goodness. Yum.