The Thing (2011)

When it’s over, same story, just a different approach.  A group of scientists discover an alien spaceship buried deep within the ice of Antarctica.  Upon excavating the creature they believe to be the navigator of the ship, they unleash a deadly life form that can mimic any living tissue it touches, including humans.  This film marks the second remake based on John W. Campbell’s 1938 novella, “Who Goes There.”  The first was The Thing From Another World (1951), then 30 years later with The Thing (1982).  Three times a charm, making this third instalment a worthy companion to John Carpenter’s 1982 version.  The film is suppose to be technically a prequel to Carpenter’s film, but I felt it complimented the film more than it preceded it.  I liked the incorporation of multiple creatures as opposed to just one at a time, as was in the 1982 version.  This heightened the whole “guessing” factor as to who was infected and who was still human.  The spaceship scenes offered the audience a new level of understanding about the alien’s origin, helping to bridge the 1982 film with the 2011.  Originally, I wasn’t keen on seeing Carpenter’s vision redone or updated, but Dutch filmmaker, Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., surprised me with the introduction of new scenes that expanded the story and mystery behind this creature, this Thing.  Finally, after almost another 30 years later, a female lead, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, has been casted to outsmart the creature, filling the role Kurt Russell made memorable in 1982, when the film was strictly defined by a male cast. 


My rating 3.5 out of 5