The Thing Prequel

[Workshed]

I thought this prequel was mostly boring and pointless in whatever it tried to add to the original film's storyline.

Spoiler: The dumbest group of scientists and explorers get together to spend a weekend together in the frozen tundra with an alien--and they don't want to tell anybody. They decide it's best to cut the frozen alien out of the ice in a very thin block and then leave it unattended in a shed to thaw. Then they poke at it with an electric drill. Then they are surprised when it escapes and kills them all.

Maybe it's been a while since I saw the original, but I found the filmmaker's use of CGI effects got completely out of hand in the creature design. How exactly was this giant alien with tentacles and gaping vagina mouths with hundreds of teeth hiding inside a dog and humans? It was awesome when it would explode, but I wondered how it could fit all of its appendages inside these guys. Or, I wondered how it could extend the flesh of the hosts to such extremes in size and shape. The scale felt so off that I stopped looking for any clues because the fucking thing could just erupt out of (or from) anyone. Maybe such questions of practicality are pointless here, as--again--the audience is asked to watch smart people drill for aliens and then party like it's 1982!

The most egregious "Wait, why did this prequel need to happen?" moment came when they did the alien test. It's not deja vu if you really have seen it before.

Spoiler: And the earring bit could have been very inspired--a subtle catch by the hero. Instead, she announces it not once but twice. Maybe the filmmakers expected everyone to be asleep at this point so they felt the need to remind us that, yes, the guy once had an earring, and that no, it was in the other ear.

Or maybe they expected everyone who watched this to be about as smart as the scientists. This one felt like a big rehash and a trying one at that.

[Mutilated Prey]

Not a bad prequel, but yeah, the CGI is over the top unfortunately. Almost like watching the creatures in Resident Evil that run around on all fours - it's pretty bad. I do like how they set it up to segue right into the 1982 version though.

The man character looks like that chick that sucks on George's peach pit from Seinfeld.

[BloodMan]

There are precisely 2 shots from the 1982 film used... the wide angle of the dog n chopper in the snow... and the shot of the angle from the chopper looking down at the dog... everything else was reshot... and they also made a big mistake too... "Lars" isn't the one shooting in Carpenter's movie... if you look closely in JC's... the guy shooting is the one who blows up, the pilot runs out and starts shooting at the dog and people on the ground and gets shot in the eye by garry... how lazy is that on the remake writers/director/etc... In the prequel, Lars is wearing the pilots clothes (from JC's)... and in the original, that "Lars" is wearing a big grey parka... with a hole in the sleeve... not a navy blue snowsuit... Gah!!!

[rhett]

Originally Posted by Mutilated Prey

Not a bad prequel, but yeah, the CGI is over the top unfortunately. Almost like watching the creatures in Resident Evil that run around on all fours - it's pretty bad.

You know, I'm not really a fan of CGI but I thought it was used to good effect here. The thing is, Bottin's work is the zenith, pretty much the gold standard for special effects, even to this day. There was no way they could practically match that, so they went a different route. Here the CGI isn't just trying to do what Bottin did but worse, instead it's trying to show some effects that even Bottin couldn't do, like showing how two faces meld together. I liked the creativity of the effects, and again while they can never match the original I think they took it in a different direction and in the process fleshed out the whole creature and the kind of, um, things it's able to do.

And tying it back to the original is totally awesome. You could really see the respect there, which is missing from most remakes/reboots/prequels/whatever. Of the post TCM remake cycle, I still think this one is the best, or at least head and shoulders with other top entries.

[fceurich39]

I like this film it's cool to watch it before John Carpenter's version back 2 back!!! the prequel is like an appetizer before the main course of the 82 version!

[Steel76]

I really liked the prequel.
Sure, it was disappointing that they replaced a lot of the practical effects with CGI. But it´s far from as bad as many makes it out to be.
And as mentioned above, it works great as a double feature with the 1982 film

[ImmortalSlasher]

The movie's back on HBO. It's funny, this feels like deja vu from some months back on the other forum. My post then and my feelings now are still the same.

I've been watching and listening to this one a bit over the days. I'm trying to find the good parts. Really attempting to see if it's worth owning. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is one of those actresses who should be able to make a movie worth owning by herself. But this is The Thing. A prequel and in some ways remake of one of the best sci-fi horror movies. A movie that really takes away from the opening of Carpenter's The Thing if you've never seen it before. The 2011 version has good acting, a good soundtrack, and even the CGI isn't that bad. But that deep feeling of dread and paranoia is gone. Or it is certainly no where near as strong as in the Carpenter version. I can't bring myself to own this movie despite all of Mary Elizabeth Winstead's strong scenes. I even think her intro humming "Who Can It Be Now?" is pretty cool.

[Zombie Dude]

I'm still surprised we didn't get a version on dvd/blu with most of the practical effects unaltered. There was a lot of work put into the practical effects, its gotta suck to have pretty muchh all of it done over with CGI.

[ImmortalSlasher]

Originally Posted by Zombie Dude

I'm still surprised we didn't get a version on dvd/blu with most of the practical effects unaltered. There was a lot of work put into the practical effects, its gotta suck to have pretty muchh all of it done over with CGI.

I recall reading a post or story that there was another cut of the film with less action. But if they released this alternate cut along with version with less CGI then the studio would look stupid if more people liked that version.

You can't mess with the original Thing. It's like trying to remake Alien or Aliens. There is no point.

[maybrick]

Originally Posted by ImmortalSlasher

You can't mess with the original Thing. It's like trying to remake Alien or Aliens. There is no point.

Damn straight. James Arness made for one super bad assed monster.

[Zombie Dude]

Originally Posted by ImmortalSlasher

I recall reading a post or story that there was another cut of the film with less action. But if they released this alternate cut along with version with less CGI then the studio would look stupid if more people liked that version.

You can't mess with the original Thing. It's like trying to remake Alien or Aliens. There is no point.

They could just release all the cuts in one set. The studio looks stupid anyway; most of the practical effects show up in the special features so people can see that's not what they got in the final cut. Maybe we'll see a new cut for one of the originals anniversaries.

[wago70]

Finally rented this. The effects reminded me of DEEP RISING's. I liked the practical ones, though (non cgi). I wonder, for all the millions of dollars it takes to make a movie can they AT LEAST come up with new creature sounds? They're like the same skittering, squealing sound effects that were already used in everything from CLOVERFIELD to EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS and so on.
The music score was stock as well (Beltrami - sounded like SCREAM). All the basics were in place and there was mediocrity to spare (and lots of situations you've seen in other films - such as two characters trying to out run the collapsing ground behind them).
I did enjoy seeing the alien ship in action. I still don't understand how something so slimy and organic can operate a metallic ship, though...

[maybrick]

Originally Posted by wago70

I still don't understand how something so slimy and organic can operate a metallic ship, though...

Uh... it's a shapeshifter?

[wago70]

Yes, but I wonder what form it chooses? That would be interesting to actually see. Instead the end of the film shows us something that looks like a toothed vagina and that alien creature from Howard the Duck which was completely at odds with its technology. That is unless it shapeshifts into some sort of metal and becomes part of the craft. It would have been interesting to add to the mythos.

[Mutilated Prey]

You guys kill me