Fringes of Horror: The Thing (2011)

The Rating System

All opinions are my own. We are all different. What I may think is great, you may this terrible. Don't let my opinios stop you from exploring the vast world of horror in all media.

~Mind Blowing: Search for this movie immediately. It can only be described as pure greatness and possible an instant classic.

~So Good: Highly recommended because for one reason or another it stands out above the usual fair. Put the movie on your radar as it wont disappoint.

~In the Middle: The movie is a nothing special, average affair. It may entertain in the short term but it will be easily forgettable in the long haul.

~Warning: This movie is a cliched driven slop of familiar territory. Only watch if you're really of fan of this type of material.

~Steaming Pile: The movie is absolute garbage, a complete bore, and not worth the time or effort.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

The Thing (2011)

Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton
Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.

Premise:
A Norwegian scientific team in Antarctica finds an alien spacecraft buried in the ice. They extract the alien corpse and soon it begins to take over the complex.

My Take:
John Carpenter's The Thing is my all time favorite horror movie. It's perfect. Period. So I had my reservations about the prequel.
The movie has a strong cast of fairly believable characters. It does a good job of filling in most of the blanks about what happened at the Norwegian base and the dig site. The movie tows a fine line between being similar to Carpenter's movie yet different with it's scenarios. While the CGI effects are above average, it in no way compares to the awesome special effects in Carpenter's version. And the prequel doesn't come close to building the same tension and claustrophobia as Carpenter's but then again, it doesn't try. It goes for the more out in the open and chaotic approach.

With all that said, one can't really compare this one to Carpenter's outstanding film. In in the end the movie is a true prequel and not a remake. The movie is quite enjoyable on it's own.

Rating: In the middle (but really fun)