'The Thing' (11)

'The Thing' (11) (R) (2 STARS)

Writers: Eric Heisserer and John W. Campbell Jr. based on short story "Who Goes There?"
Director: Matthijs van Heijningen
Starring: mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen, Eric Christian Olsen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kim Bubbs

We are at a moment in the Cinema World where a great percentage of the movies coming out are remakes. My idol Gene Siskel used to proclaim that film makers should remake bad movies and couldn't figure out why they remade great movies. I agree, don't you want to take a weak movie, make it better and become a hero? It sounds right but so many film makers these days want to remake good or great movies and even foolishly classics. If someone remakes a movie like "The Godfather" or "Casablanca" I think the World should end. I did not see the classic 1951 "The Thing" movie with James Arness. I did see the 1982 John Carpenter version and I gave it 4 stars and I saw it recently and it holds up. I love that movie and I came in with trepidation for this prequel and I walked out confirming that feeling.

Now this 2011 "The Thing" is a prequel to the 1982 and not a remake but like last week's "Footloose" this prequel strangely has some of the same scenes and plot points of the Carpenter version. That is a reason I didn't care for this prequel because it is a pale copy of the 1982 movie. Everything in the Carpenter movie was more effective, had better use of special effects and a better directing style. Another reason was that none of the characters in this prequel save for one were interesting. The 1982 version had a killer cast of some of the best character actors ever put on screen. You had Richard Dysart, David Clennon, Keith David, Wilford Brimley, Richard Masur, Donald Moffet. In the update you have some stiff, Norwegian guys like Sven, Hans and Lars played by stiff actors. The only one I was interested in was the character played by hot new actor Joel Edgerton (Warrior).

The lead role in the 1982 version was Kurt Russell who is one of the most under rated actors in Hollywood then and now. Russell was on a major acting roll at this time and he was such a great presence in the 1982 movie. Here the lead is a woman (the only fresh update here) played well by Mary Elizabeth Winstead but the character is a snooze. If you don't care about these people then you really don't care what happens to them. I checked out of this movie at the half way point.

Now is the movie scary, are the special effects cool and does the gross out stuff really gross you out? The movie has a few jolts but it is not really that scary. The special effects are more advanced than in the 1982 movie but I like the effects better in the former. The 1982 version was extremely gory but after a while it numbed you and became funny. The prequel is not as gory and I am sorry but for this kind of movie you got to go for broke. The 1982 movie also had a haunting ending, one of the most powerful endings I have seen in a horror movie. This movie ends up setting up for the 1982 movie in a half ass way and it is anti climatic. This 2011 version of "The Thing" has less bite, less fun and weaker characters than Carpenter's classic.

P.S. Of course in giving you movies like the 2011 "The Thing" that are better I strongly reccomend the 1982 "The Thing" by John Carpenter, just don't watch after eating a bag of candy. Also for a movie with more thrills and suspense and a stronger and much better female lead revisit James Cameron's 4 star classic "Aliens" from 1986.