Remakes are a tricky business. If your film - designed to update and modernize a familiar story - fails to live up or even surpass the original, then it's ultimately disregarded over time by fans. Prequels are a different breed. The hook there is telling a story that leads into and connects to the following film that has already been established. One doesn't expect great things out of them, but by expanding on what we already know, they can be entertaining.
2011's version of The Thing is an unusual hybrid of both. In one sense it is a remake, given that a) the title is unchanged from the 1982 version b) that it follows a similar story structure of an Antarctic research team encountering a deadly alien who can absorb and mimic its human victims. And c) those characters begin to get picked off one by one and whoever is left is unsure who to trust.
On the other hand it is a prequel as well - uncovering the grisly event details of the burnt-out Norwegian camp that Kurt Russell discovers in the original film, and what led to the the remaining survivors chasing that husky dog across the snow we know so well from Carpenter's opening scene. The film (shot in Toronto, Canada) had been on the shelf for some time, until Universal finally decided to roll it out in late 2011.
After failing to strike much of a chord at the box-office and critics sliced it up as a cheap carbon copy of the original film, Universal released the film in Blu-ray/DVD Combo on January 31, 2012, in the hopes that the movie could perhaps gain a little more respect as something not intended to overthrow its predecessor, but rather a movie that aims to enhance the classic a little further.
The Movie
There's no question that many people like myself adore John Carpenter's brilliant 1982 version of The Thing. It's a hard one to top, much less remake. Even though the title hasn't changed, Universal at least makes the correct move of not trying to do so.
Instead the filmmakers opt to spin the prequel story hinted at in the original film; how a Norwegian team and an American scientist (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) unearth a space ship, find a frozen lifeform, take it back to camp, and all hell breaks loose because of it.
Carpenter's film was a psychological masterpiece sprinkled with creature effects in areas, but most of the terror took place off screen. This movie is more inclined to show this creature and what it does to its victims, featuring plenty of questionable CGI special effects to get the job done over practical ones that worked well in the original and were apparently sidelined from this movie when it went into post-production.
Even though there are elements here that make hardcore fans yearn for the original, 2011's The Thing is better than one might give it credit for. It's actually an admirable prequel that obviously can't reach the heights of its predecessor, but it still honors and expands on what came before in an entertaining fashion. Rating: 3.5/5
The Blu-ray/DVD Combo
VIDEO - The visual presentation of 2011's The Thing is highly interesting. As a current release, one might expect a pitch-perfect digital image to follow, but instead the cinematic appearance of this film seamlessly bookends to the visual style of the original 1982 film. From a visual standpoint you could watch the two back-to-back and never notice the transition. It's an intentional move, so its hard to fault the picture for it too much. Rating: 4/5
AUDIO - Sound was an extremely important element in the original film, and 2011's DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 track is nothing short of phenomenal. From windy weather, to background and creature noises, The Thing's soundtrack deserves recognition for what it can bring out of your stereo surround sound system. Rating: 5/5
EXTRAS - The Blu-ray disc of the edition is equipped with a few decent bonus features, even if many of them are brief. The full Audio Commentary by Director Matthijs van Heijningen and Producer Eric Newman is an informative one - covering why certain decisions were made and also why many of the practical effects were encapsulated by CGI in post-production.
That subject continues in "The Thing Evolves" - which focuses on the discarded effects work and also the meticulous care taken in the script to line-up properly with the original film. "Fire & Ice" zeroes in on the stunts concerning the flamethrower weapons and lighting guys on fire. There are additional behind-the-scenes clips in the U-control option that runs concurrent to the film.
Normally Deleted & Extended scenes are ripe for passing over as options, but in this case they carry more weight by offering good character beats, additional visual effects, and even more explanation about what certain characters discovered in Carpenter's film. The edition also comes with a standard definition DVD copy of the movie and a digital download insert. Rating: 3/5
Agree To Disagree
I'm sure many of you out there will disagree with my view of this prequel, and side with the plethora of scathing critics who had their way with the film when it was released theatrically. Hey, I expected the worst too, but was pleasantly surprised when this version of The Thing didn't turn out as bad as I thought.
No, it doesn't come close to the original, but it still has its own merits to support that classic work. Don't forget, Carpenter's film wasn't a huge success off the start either and generated respect over time. Hopefully this one will too. The Blu-ray edition does a nice job of handling this package for consumers, but there is room for improvement. Consumer/Collector Value: 3.5/5
Source:
- The Thing. Dir. Matthijs van Heijningen. Perf. Mary-Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton. Universal Pictures. 2011. Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror. Running Time: 103 mins.
Ryan Young - Ryan Young is a Film and Sports article/review writer, based in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada.
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