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The Thing (2011) - 6/11/2011 1:22:25 PM   
MuckyMuckMan


Posts: 2320
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I saw The Thing prequel at the Leeds International Film Festival last night and thought it was a great watch. Perfectly paced and answers all your questions (bar one) as to what happened at the Norwegian oupost. I'm really glad they used subtitles for the Norwegian interaction so it didn't feel too Americanised even with a few American actors thrown in.

The great thing (sorry for the pun) about the film though is the incredible detail the filmmakers went to make the film tie in with the 82 film perfectly. I went home straight after and watched the Carpenter film and was stunned by the little details that the prequel film has picked up on. Both films will sit hand in hand perfectly. The slight downside is that they used mostly CGI for the creature, and although its done incredibly well the original has that special quality that CGI always lacks.

There has been alot of negative comments said about the title too, but for me I think it works (calling it the The Thing). If you think about it, the storyline of both films works as a whole (especially when watched one after another) and answers all the questions from the first film starting at the Norwegian outpost following through to the American outpost.

Apparently the film hasn't done very well in the US so if you're a fan of the 82 film I urge you to go see it and make your own mind up. Oh and watch the Carpenter film within 24 hrs of seeing the prequel!

4 out of 5.

< Message edited by MuckyMuckMan -- 6/11/2011 1:24:01 PM >

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RE: The Thing (2011) - 6/11/2011 2:07:46 PM   
The REAL Bozz


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I'm still holding out hope for this being a decent creature feature. It was never gonna match Carpenters. Most have written it off without even seeing it which I don't understand. It hardly got slaughtered review wise.

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RE: The Thing (2011) - 6/11/2011 4:35:16 PM   
MuckyMuckMan


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You're right its not as good as Carpenter's masterpiece but its still a great prequel. Much better than I was expecting and when watched as a double bill (which i did last night when i got home) is brilliant cause Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., the director, is obviously a fan of Carpenter's film and has gone into so much detail to make sure there's continuity.

You have to remember too that the film won't have the suprise factor like the first so it will lose some of the impact that the first film had over the viewer.

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RE: The Thing (2011) - 28/11/2011 5:04:58 AM   
JohnChard

 

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From: Birmingham
 Thanks for this, Mucky.

Big fan of Carpenter and the 82 Thing especially, but I have had no reservations about going to see this because it's a prequel and not a remake. So I'm off to see it Friday lunch time.

Just wanted to chip in and say thanks for posting about it, especially since it's a positive post as well.

Cheers

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RE: The Thing (2011) - 28/11/2011 7:50:46 AM   
jonson


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Yeah, I concur with the above. Nice to see a positive review. All the bad reviews will be comparisons to the '82 version, which is completely unfair. NOTHING will be as good as Carpenter's, so why compare?
I'm very much looking forward to seeing this now.


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RE: The Thing (2011) - 28/11/2011 10:02:21 AM   
NCC1701A

 

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It's an awesome film a bit slow to get going but once it does it's a great thrill ride. Not as good as Carpenter's film but the maker's of this film have done so well with this prequel.

4/5.

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RE: The Thing (2011) - 28/11/2011 12:25:30 PM   
ongbakdan


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I enjoyed this and like others have said its made me want to watch the original again (tonight!). The effects where decent for mainly CGI and I liked the various designs of 'The Thing'.

I do think there where too many characters and it felt hard to care too much for them. There was not as much tension as the original either, but I think that can be said for a lot of films these days as more and more people are desencitised to shocks and gore, so that shouldnt be a put off.

Clearly a lot of thought had been put into keeping it in tone (etc) with the original and for fans of the superior film, they'll appreciate that. It makes me wonder what a fresh audience will make of it, perhaps not even knowing about the original, after all it is nearly 30 years old?

Overall though I enjoyed it and would give it a strong 3 stars just pushing for 4. Go see it!

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RE: The Thing (2011) - 28/11/2011 8:25:20 PM   
MuckyMuckMan


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Glad you enjoyed it Dan and I hope you're watching the Carpenter film right now cause you'll pick up on nice touches from the prequel.

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RE: The Thing (2011) - 29/11/2011 7:55:59 AM   
mackey

 

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I dunno......I found it fairly tedious to be honest. It worked best during the opening 20 minutes or so but after that I struggled to keep interest. I think the main problem for me was that it didn't have any characters I cared about and as a result there was no suspense or tension. I also thought alot of the effects work was poor. As the film is a direct prequel it must be considered with the original in mind. It falls well below the standards of the original in every respect.

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RE: The Thing (2011) - 29/11/2011 4:52:22 PM   
akivo

 

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As a standalone film this isn't bad at all, but unsurprisingly suffers greatly in comparison with Carpenter's version.

The real downer for me was the effects work. I will never forget seeing Carpenter's version for the first time on TV back in the 80s - I had never seen effects like that and was stunned and horrified. The work in that film still stands up today as a benchmark for quality practical effects and prosthetics. Unfortunately The Thing 2011 relies heavily on CGI for its creature work and in my opinion, while this process is very effective in a fantasy film like Harry Potter or LOTR it takes the viewer out of the film for a horror movie as it looks out of place and unrealistic.

With such great advances in prosthetics and technology it's a pity the film makers decided not to use practical effects for this version.

6/10 for me.

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RE: The Thing (2011) - 2/12/2011 2:15:19 PM   
kargon


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 Pleasntly surprised, i really didnt have any hope for this as Carpenter's movie is possibly my favourite film of all time, but I thought it was quite good, even though there women in it. It was in keeping with the original even if most of it was made up of the exact same lines of dialogue and scenes. Carpenter's id give 5 out of 5, this i'd go as far to give 4 out of 5.

Well worth a watch, dont dismiss it.


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RE: The Thing (2011) - 2/12/2011 2:45:46 PM   
NCC1701A

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: kargon

Pleasntly surprised, i really didnt have any hope for this as Carpenter's movie is possibly my favourite film of all time, but I thought it was quite good, even though there women in it. It was in keeping with the original even if most of it was made up of the exact same lines of dialogue and scenes. Carpenter's id give 5 out of 5, this i'd go as far to give 4 out of 5.

Well worth a watch, dont dismiss it.




Glad you enjoyed to many people have dismissed it. Agree with your rating for both films.

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RE: The Thing (2011) - 5/12/2011 12:42:08 PM   
Cool Breeze


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 Typical,i havnt been to the cinema in months cos theres nothing interesting on,this is a film im interested in seeing and its playing nowhere near me.The cinemas are just full of Twishite,and 3d kids movies.

Have to wait for the dvd i guess!


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RE: The Thing (2011) - 5/12/2011 12:50:58 PM   
Shifty Bench


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Not too bad. I think it couldn't make up its mind if it wanted to be a remake or a prequel though, that ending seemed tacked on. As a standalone film, it's good but it should have stayed a remake and shouldn't have tried so hard to tie in Carpenter's film. Also, I actually think you'd be better watching Carpenter's film first. It works better being reminded of the events of Carpenter's film watching this than watching the '82 one first and thinking- 'I already knew that'.

2.5/5.

< Message edited by Shifty Bench -- 5/12/2011 12:54:19 PM >

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RE: The Thing (2011) - 5/12/2011 4:46:26 PM   
Scruffybobby


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 The Thing is fine as it goes, but it's ultimately a little too confused between being a prequel or a remake. There's some effective scenes - like the impromptu dental health checks - but overall there's too many beats that follow Carpenter's film

There's also a lack of any real suspense and an over reliance on "BOO!" type scares (one literal). It's also hard to care about most of the characters given that they're mostly interchangable guys in chunky jumpers and big beards.  Mary Elizabeth Winstead is fine if a little uninspring and Edgerton is again solid but kinda dull

There are some nice nods to the 1982 film - like the final scenes that segue into the opening of the earlier film. Overall though it's just a bit.."meh".

2.5/5

< Message edited by Scruffybobby -- 5/12/2011 7:34:21 PM >

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RE: The Thing (2011) - 5/12/2011 8:55:16 PM   
Emyr Thy King


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 Is it made clear whether the parasites actually designed and built the ship (if they can morph and have digits or use tentacles) or do they simply acquire knowledge through 'assimilating' other species?

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