First off I want to start by saying I'm a huge fan of the 1982 original film, and regard it very highly, among the top 5 horror films ever made, so I was skeptical about this prequel/remake, and as a a consequence have only just got round to watching it, so I'm interested in people's thoughts on this. Let's get this out of the way: this movie is not as good as the original, but it comes closer than I thought it had any right to. The film gets a '15' certificate here in the UK, which gave me alarm bells as I feared the gore, which was such a feature of the original, would be watered down. That fear didn't last long, as this film has got just as many gross, twisted transformations in it as Carpenter's version, and could have probably warranted an '18' certificate. Most of the FX are clearly CGI, but they're decent enough for the time and you can also tell they were trying to make them look as close to the first film as possible, and it largely works with a few exceptions. Issues? Sure. The characters are pretty thin and bar one or two I struggled to differentiate most of them and didn't care that much about them as there was next to no backstory. Even the main characters are wasted here, especially Egerton who seems to do or say very little. This film has a fairly lean runtime that could have possibly have benefitted from some extra character work, but given the nature of this movie I guess I can kind of excuse the filmmakers using the cast as largely fodder to be picked off by the alien. The other issue I take with it is the actions of the alien itself. This thing can perfectly imitate people, yet time and again it's running around the place in the guise of a 7 foot spider with human bits sticking out of it, screaming and dripping in gore, which towards the end takes the tension out things a little as it degenerates into standard monster stalker fare, which if I'm honest isn't exactly unexpected. I read another review on IMDB that suggests that the creature isn't experienced with humans and by the time Kurt Russell turns up has learnt it's lesson, so again, I can let this go to a degree. I think this film's strongest aspect though is that it's clearly been put together with great care and love for the original movie, right down to the sets, the axe and other stuff Mcready's crew discovers when they arrive, the music, horrible sounds that the alien makes and a neat twist on the blood test scene in the 82 movie. It nicely sets the scene for the original film to begin, and I think justifies it's existence. I thoroughly enjoyed it and feel that it's a great companion piece to the classic original, and is a few tweaks away from being an excellent film.
I enjoyed this one as well, I agree that it's very well thought-out and it really tries to be a serious prequel to the original film. Gets a thumbs-up from me also.
I watched the two movies in a row back when I got both of them on DVD and it really is almost seamless how the prequel leads into the original movie. Can only recommend this viewing experience!
I know, much like scarface was a remake. The 82 version is the one everyone thinks of these days though.
I liked it okay. The problem is that the best thing about it is the (mostly) careful attention to detail, but later in the film it often just becomes a game of "make sure the prop is left in the right place". My main issues with the film are the CGI that the studio forced them to puke all over the film*, and the re-shoot ending* which kinda totally sucks if I'm honest. Also, while I'm complaining...the blood test in the '82 version works brilliantly. The '11 analog is very poor. Fillings in the teeth? So this organism can replicate a person down to the tiniest detail but they think that it can't make the tops of a few teeth look silver? And also, the Thing replicates you so well that it has your memories and can pass for you in almost every way...but it forgets not only to wear an earring, but which ear it was supposed to be in? *The original intent was a skillful melding of physical and visual effects, but later on the mandate became "replace it all!" **The pilot alien was totally removed (replaced by some kind of Tetris light column) and the addition/expansion of the Big Recognizable Evil Alien which can alter its form at will, but still can't reach Mary Winstead when she hunkers in a conduit.
OK, Boomer. Seriously though, I do wonder if the younger generations will watch the old source materials these days. I get a feeling it will be more of a wikipedia factoid than stuff they actually go seek out and watch but I could be wrong. In the olden days, this stuff was shuffled in among the newer shows and movies on TV but now you have to more actively seek this stuff out if you have an interest. As it turns out James Rolfe at Cinemassacre recently did a discussion about it that had me wanting to check it out again sometime (naturally not streaming anywhere and with Comcast shitcanning my TCM to another tier). While I get your point, both The Thing and The Thing from Another World are different takes on the original short story Who Goes There? but I think the 2011 movie is pretty much just a remake of The Thing 1982 so calling it the original kind of works.
I liked this attention to detail. It really is possible to watch both versions back to back as one movie, and I appreciate that approach. Some of the CGI is good, some of it is really poor in places. Overall it doesn't really spoil things in my view. You have to go looking for it in the main, and to be honest, after watching the 82 version last night, there's a lot in that that looks very fake now too. I've read a commenter on IMDB that claims the blu ray has been tidied up from the theatrical, but as I watched this on Netflix I can't be sure what version I've seen. I liked that they tried to do a different spin on things instead of just remaking the scene, but yes, it is less successful, in terms of tension at least. The way the 82 version fooled you into thinking the last test would yield results just as they're doing the penultimate one is one of, if not the best jump scares in the movie. And don't get me started on clothes either. Apparently, it was studio interference that was behind this decision. I'd sure like to see the unaltered footage. Pretty standard movie tropes, I'm not going to hate on this version too much for that. Overall now I've watched them both back to back, I'd actually place the 2011 version even closer to the 1982 one in terms of overall quality and entertainment, I think the 82 version just gets the nod though, on account of it's originality, groundbreaking visual effects for it's time and it's unconventional ending, but I really did enjoy the 2011 version a lot more than I thought I would.
Except (IIRC) they did botch one major plot point. In the '82 movie we see that the Norwegians found the saucer, stood around the circumference, and set off charges. None of which happens in '11, and can't possibly happen off screen because when Winstead and Edgerton get to the saucer at the end of the film it is still entombed. The ice ceiling only comes down when the ship tries to take off. For a movie that makes sure there's a blood-stained axe in just the right spot, that's a pretty major bungle. Which is a real shame, because the idea that the only way to find it is to get really close and peer into an open mouth should/could have be terrifying. Yeah some of it really is quality work, and then some of it was so average I have to assume was finished at the last minute. All that said, I definitely don't hate it. There's a lot to like about it. But I personally don't find it to be remotely as effective as the '82 movie. But considering it apparently started life as a remake of the '82, I am glad they eventually went with prequel instead.