The Thing (2011)

Thats one of the early lines in the film from Kate, it could also be asked about making a prequel to the much loved '82 classic. Just like in the movie, my answer is "yes I do". Making a film this many years after a classic and trying to make the story before that movie is challenging. When watching The Thing from '82 you had to wonder about the Norwegians and the back story, thats why this film is interesting. I went into the film with an open mind. It surprised me in the amount of detail. They really tried to match this up with the prior film as best they could. With the age gap between the films, I think they did a great job. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Kate a paleontologist, brought to Antartica to help in bringing a frozen "thing" out of the ice. She starts out observing and asking questions while Dr. Halvorson conducts his analysis of the specimen. As the story unfolds however, its Kate that uses her head and leads the group. The question throughout the film is- who is human? Nobody is who they seem all the way til the end. And some people you think aren't human, turn out to be only to be different later. The effects and cgi are executed very well here. The examination of a consumed human within a thing is creepy. They even have to cut through a casing around the human- sick stuff. The star of the movie is definately Winstead, although the cast is collectively good. The casting was very good for a film that mixes characters from different countries. One of the best scenes in the movie is when the group gathers for a test to see who is human. This is where Winstead is at her best. Great work here. And the best weapon against these things is THE FLAMETHROWER! Great action throughout the movie- you won't be disappointed. Theres even some time spent in the craft these visitors came to Antartica in. And you'll get that feeling of isolation and fear that the '82 movie was effective at. Not to mention not everyone speaks English which adds another dimension. What could be worse than being in the freezing cold, thousands of miles from civilization and not knowing if the person next to you is human? The movie doesn't end with the credits. Most the people at the theater left at this time. But there is a bridging of this film straight into the '82 film. The dog being chased by the helicopter is here. "Thats no dog!" Some production notes that I thought were interesting. There was a million screen captures of the '82 film on a lap top. That was used to create as close as possible, the Norwegian camp. The film used practical effects as much as possible over CGI. The movie was shot in Toronto. The lead character of Kate was inspired by the Aliens films, which you feel a little watching the film. John Carpenter wanted to make an appearance in the film, but this didn't happen because of scheduling.