Checked out the 2011 prequel of "The Thing" flick?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Went down to the local movie theather today & saw the first showing of the 2011 prequel of "The Thing" in DFX format with an upgraded 18,000 watts surround system in place + an DLP projection system for that super razor sharp & crystal clear viewing (comparable to watching it on an Imax setting). The prequel stays true to John Carpenter's 1982 flick of the same name. Even the ending leads to the beginning of the 1982 TT film version.

What's interesting, all the scenes shown in the 1982 version of the Noregian Antartica base follow in chronological order in the prequel including the two-headed creature that's shown burnt to a crisp.

Although the majority of the special EFX is CG nowdays in this TT prequel, in some key scenes, there are some real-time puppetry with mechanical EFX as well. I think if the prequel had stayed true to the 1982 TT version in terms of using the same real-time puppetry type of EFX, it'd be even better because of the high tech EFX nowdays.

Plus, Universal Studios finally allows the audience to get a glimpse of what it's really like inside the alien spacecraft (which wasn't shown in the '82 flick).

What are your thoughts about this The Thing prequel?

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Skykid]

What are your thoughts about this The Thing prequel?

What are yours, you just watched it!

I nearly puked when I heard about this, but at the time I thought it was a straight remake (which I'm sure it partially still is.) I'm aggressively against them remaking everything from the 80's (and now even Point Break, wtf?!)

I'm sure this The Thing (supposed 'prequel' of the same name) is a total pile of shit - but what isn't these days?

I won't be spending my money on it unless I hear good things from trusted sources. Until then the cynical hat stays firmly on.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Well, the alien craft is perfectly capable of taking off in this prequel, especially with it's massive anti-grav turbines powered up in action. It'd would've interesting to show the 1982 TT U.S. crew trying to start up the craft (but that would be a side story anyways that's really not important to the superb plot and pacing of the '82 original).

There are two female characters this time around in the prequel and one will fall to victim of the TT creature indeed. The way how it unfolds, you won't see it coming.

What's interesting is that we finally get to see the backstory of how everything came to be in the prequel. Sure, the CG EFX sucks big time, I'd rather use the old-school puppetry and mechanical EFX as not to break the overall cool EFX from the '82 flick. Sure, it might cost more in production, but for the die-hard TT fans of the '82 flick, it'd be worth in the end.

Sure, some bits of the classic music score from the original flick is re-used in the prequel for that nostalglic factor. I'm glad to have bought the TT music OST when it was still available back in the mid-1990s. Is easily a great companion piece along with owning the original '82 TT classic.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Never_Scurred]

What are your thoughts about this The Thing prequel?

What are yours, you just watched it!

I nearly puked when I heard about this, but at the time I thought it was a straight remake (which I'm sure it partially still is.) I'm aggressively against them remaking everything from the 80's (and now even Point Break, wtf?!)

I'm sure this The Thing (supposed 'prequel' of the same name) is a total pile of shit - but what isn't these days?

I won't be spending my money on it unless I hear good things from trusted sources. Until then the cynical hat stays firmly on.

Wasn't Point Break already remade as....The Fast and the Furious?

[dannnnn]

Until then the cynical hat stays firmly on.

Yep so does mine.

Somebody told me they were originally planning to do this all in Norwegian with subtitles, which could have been interesting. As it is, it just seems like another lame remake to me, although I do hope to be proven wrong. The problem is, no matter how good it actually is, it's never gonna live up to The Thing (1982) which came about at the perfect time and has that classic 80's Carpenter atmosphere.

Also, why call it The Thing? At least give it a subtitle for Christ's sake. It's supposed to be a prequel, not a direct remake, there's no excuse.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

Terrible, terrible CG.

Probably the best bit was the last 30 seconds that tied the two films together.

Ramona Flowers is still pretty.

Skykid, avoid.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

There is a bit of Norwegian dialect spoken with English subtitles sprinkled throughout the prequel indeed.

I'm convinced that if the film studio wanted to ante up the special EFX with their TT franchise, they would've used the same type EFX like that of the '82 flick instead of going all cheap with the CG EFX scenes. It would have been more convincing and realistic if they did so. It means having a dedicate special EFX crew to take on the challenge of trying to outdo the state-of-the-art EFX showcase in the '82 TT flick without resorting to cheap-ass CG to tell the story. Sure, the prequel could've been done this way, but would the studio be willing to fork over $$$ to pull it off? Even to this day, the EFX shown in the '82 version of TT has never been outdone.

Marco Beltrami did the musical score for the TT prequel this time around.

Back in '82, when Universal Studios released the TT flick, it was just two weeks out of the starting gate when E.T. came out and the TT flick really didn't have a proper chance to garner a larger audience with it's superb pacing and storyline, Carpenter-style. In other words, it bombed big time at the U.S. box office upon it's intial release. It wasn't until it's subsquent release to the home video market, that slowly & by word of mouth, movie fans found out that it was a good flick indeed.

I recall watching the "Lights, Camera, Action!" film series that went into a bit of detail showcasing the incredible EFX shown in the '82 flick of TT. Quite cool for it's time.

------------------------
Even NBC showed the alternative cut of TT on TV back in the mid-1980s...I recall watching it from beginning to end to see what changes were made compared to the original theaterical version. This includes:

*Background narrative for all the characters (when first introduced) including their name, age and occupation.

and lastly,

*A different scene of the Husky dog looking back and running off as the alternative ending...so TT creature still lives to see another day.

These two "alternative" TT scenes were never shown on the big screen back in '82.
-----------------------

The tagline for TT prequel is "Not quite human. Yet." whereas in the '82 original, "Man is the Warmest Place to hide" tagline.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Skykid]

There are two female characters this time around in the prequel

Instant fail.

Skykid, avoid.

You don't have to tell me twice.

Hollywood don't fool me anymore. Get better or get out.

[CMoon]

I would really like to hear more feedback. I'm not as cynical as Skykid, perhaps because I can sometimes find some treasure buried down deep in the garbage, but on the other hand, The Thing is one of my favorite films. It will, by default, disappoint, however that does not mean I'm interested in it and don't want to see it.

Please, more feedback on whether you actually thought the films was good or not. Honestly, none of the shots I've seen so far have convinced me. In particular, the lead actress just doesn't carry any weight in the scenes I've seen. I felt like she was reading off a cue card or something. Definitely no Sigourney Weaver. Worried greatly about the mood and tension, which along with the soundtrack were among the most important parts of Carpenter's The Thing. Toss in shitty CGI and there will be literally nothing going for this film.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

There are some key scenes in the prequel that does have some high tension factor moments like in the original '82 version. There is a new method of detecting to see if one is a human or not (aside from "testing the blood" issue). More flamethrower action this time around.

The Lars character in the prequel is the same guy we see in the beginning chopper scene in the '82 version firing at the Husky. We already know what happens to Lars eventually.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

Mew is probably the best thing about the film. This is a film that did not need to be made, with a story best left to the imagination. The only real draw would be the effects - which sadly, are awful here.

Take away the effects and all you have is the story - which is a half-arsed retread of the original.

There is no reason why a bunch of decent animators and a good director cant pull their fingers out and deliver a convincing CGI monster. The rumours that they tried to use mechanical effects where they were possible and that its 50/50 split between mechanical and CGI effects are bare faced lies. The AVP guys, Tom Woodruff and Alec Gillis are heavily billed in the credits. I have no real idea what they contributed apart from one short sequence early on.

John Carpenter cut the stop-motion sequence from the original film's ending because it looked rubbish. I dont know what kind of filmmaker could look at the unconvincing, fake CGI blood effects in this movie and say "hey lets go with that, it looks fine".

There are some nods to the original soundtrack here and there and the films ending replicates the start of the 1982 movie perfectly.

Its not the worst movie ever made though, so see it on the cheap if you feel you 'owe it' to the original's memory. The best thing we can hope for is that this prequel helps promote a rerelease of the original on DVD or something. Was it rereleased recently? I need to replace my old PAL copy.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

It was released on Blu-Ray fomat sometime back. You might like that version.

The two McFarlane produced action figures of the '82 TT creature are ace. To see them three dimensionally (and from the sides and backside), they weren't shown in their entirety in the film of course.

As for the main female lead, her whereabouts/survival are unknown at the end. Does she survive or not?

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

Yes. She camps in the van for a while and then goes and rescues MacReady. In this fanfiction I wrote.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Yeah, that'd be an interesting sidestory. It seems to me that all the events take place, in a matter of what seems like two or three days at the most, for TT prequel.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

The saving grace is that a lot is still left mysterious. You know, it could've been a lot worse.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Yep, you're right about it could've been a lot worse in terms of plot-wise/story arc-wise.

I have to admit the opening '82 TT title screen sequence is done quite well with the real flame/burning EFX. In the prequel, it's all CG for the opening movie title.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[greg]

Somebody told me they were originally planning to do this all in Norwegian with subtitles, which could have been interesting.

That would've been great. I'm not very interested in seeing this movie. I never got around to getting the original John Carpenter movie on DVD, and now because of this new prequel, I'm sure the prices are going to bump up the price of those DVDs.

[Skykid]

Worried greatly about the mood and tension

You're "worried greatly" about a shitty 2011 cash-in of a John Carpenter 80's classic?

What's the world coming to.

[dan76]

Has there ever been a decent prequel???

No amount of cynicism on our part can outweigh the amount of cynicism involved in the making this damn "thing".

Isn't there an Alien prequel coming... Jesus.

[greg]

Has there ever been a decent prequel???

Well, I have high hopes for the upcoming Hobbit movie, despite the cash in with trying to get Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, and Orlando Bloom's characters into the script for no reason. I mean, I can imagine a cameo of Legolas, but Galadriel and Saruman? They aren't in the book! Why on earth would they be in the Hobbit movie?

Isn't there an Alien prequel coming...

This actually has some promise to it as well.

[GaijinPunch]

Isn't there an Alien prequel coming... Jesus.

I'm hoping that's the one that breaks the cycle, and technically, there's a lot more potential for a story that "should" be told... rather than this one, where you are best assuming those socialist scientists just got fucked up pretty much in the same way the capitalist pigs did.

[Moniker]

Red Dragon and Star Trek were very good prequels. Maybe Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, although it's probably Lynch's weakest effort save Dune.

[Skykid]

Red Dragon and Star Trek were very good prequels.

RD was average. Manhunter was better.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

If you have a sharp eye for detail, the fonts used for the ending credits in this TT prequel on spot-on with the fonts used for the '82 version's ending credits.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[dan76]

Red Dragon and Star Trek were very good prequels. Maybe Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, although it's probably Lynch's weakest effort save Dune.

Are you talking about the Star Trek "reboot" that came out recently? Do people actually like this film because I had to turn it off about an hour in. I'm no big Star Trek fan but I just could not stand it. The performances were terrible - Iike a school play, missed it by a mile. Maybe it got better? I'll never know.

Fact is is that if something is successful enough for a studio to sink money into a prequel it means (artistically) it doesn't need one - because it is already successful!

I would love to see a proper sequel to the Thing though. Kurt Russel is a lot older but still trim enough to do it. Also, I remember seeing a scene of him recuperating in a medical room at the end... Did I imagine this (maybe my 13 year old mind got all confused with another film) as I know there were a few weird cuts screened on tv in the 80's.

This from IMDB:
The version broadcast on television in the eighties ended with a few shots of a dog running, stopping to look around and heading off into the distance, leading the spectator to believe the Thing had survived.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Yep, that's the "alternative" ending scene that NBC showed back in the mid-1980s. According to Carpenter, he insists that the original theaterical version is the one he intended for audiences to see. Yes, a true sequel to the '82 version would be ace. The only bar in terms of outdoing the incredible real-time puppetry & mechanical EFX, would have to assemble a special EFX crew coming up with some new and novel ways to keep the same level of EFX without resorting to cheap-ass CG this time around. It can be done. If Carpenter were to do a proper TT sequel, that'll be one for the ages.

The alternative cut of the '82 version of TT on TNT has been shown from time to time & also features the obligatory background narration for all characters scene. The only minor gripe is the sped up pacing, due to commercials placed in at inopportune moments.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[dan76]

That last shot of the dog looking back and running off gives a whole new spin on The Littlest Hobo tv show!

[CMoon]

OK, I went and saw this despite what everyone here (and elsewhere) has said. I went in with lowered expectations and it allowed me to enjoy what worked in this film.

First off, if Carpenter's The Thing did not exist, I don't know if we'd be trashing The Thing (11) so heavily. It is a flawed (at times deeply) enjoyable monster/horror/sci fi film that doesn't cover any new ground. Outside of context, I'd give it a C- (good for one viewing.)

Now on to problems with the film:

a. Lack of characters you can relate to (or even care about.) Truth is, I don't even remember the characters' names now. The Thing (82) took special care to ensure that each character was memorable with their little quirks--and these too made you more likely to suspect certain characters over others. I felt no attachment anyone in The Thing (11), and it is a glaring mistake on the part of scripting. I can't even blame the actors here as I don't think the film ever allowed screen time for character development.

b. Following directly from (a), lack of charm. Regardless of its serious subject matter, The Thing (82) rarely felt deadly serious, and when the going got tough, the characters' seriousness really hit you. There is an attempt early on at a sex joke, but by the end of the first minute, all humor is gone from The Thing (11). This might sound absurd, but Macready's sombrero is sorely missed here.

a & b corollary. Impossible to disentangle bad scripting, bad direction, bad acting, but all come together to emphasize points a & b. Basically it is a charmless film where no one on staff has made any real attempt to connect with the audience. Bleargh!

c. Too much monster, too fast. The thing is on the screen a lot, and it doesn't look particularly good. Every shot of it diminishes the sense of terror and dread. There were some girls screaming in the theatre at the beginning of the film, but by the end they weren't screaming. Why? Because the film had exhausted everything it could muster an hour before the end.

d. Too long. 2/3rds of all the monster screen time probably should have been cut and replaced with (good) characterization, and then the whole thing should have had another 20 minutes edited off of it. Go back and look at The Thing (82) and it works because it is brief, shocking, and leaves you wanting more.

e. Crappy CGI. LOTS OF IT. Very little real effects. Bleargh again.

f. Too normal. Surprisingly in a world with Resident Evil and Silent Hill, big fleshy things with tentacles has been done a million times. The Thing (82) still works because its vision of horror is surreal and sometimes borderline absurd. The weirdness is so much, sometimes characters just stare in disbelief ('you gotta be fuckin' kidding me!'). This is not to say the monster designs weren't at times worthy, but I never felt that first experience of the dog splitting in half and having the plant/flower thing come out of it. This may have been diminished by the CGI. Perhaps these designs would have been incredible if done with practical effects (though I think most would have been impossible.)

g. Too much jump-scare-tactics, not enough dark revelations. Where The Thing (11) ultimately fails to emulate The Thing (82) is its deviation from Carpenter's creeping horror (Lovecraft overtones intended). Instead, this is about things jumping out at you: build, fake jump, relief, real jump. Again and again. Seriously, fuck that. I'm not a teenage girl. The Thing (82) is horror in the sense that it slowly, piece by piece, strips away all humanity, blurs the line between what is human, etc. Perhaps because there are no secrets to be unveiled in this film, the directors might have thought there is no room for hideous revelations, but I think they've made a terrible oversight--being how the disintegration of those characters they never invested in is where we work our way back to 'who goes there?'

Those were my big complaints with the film. All that said, you might think I hated it, but it really wasn't that bad; just so many wasted opportunities. I still don't get why the end got high-jacked by Alien, but honestly, there's nothing in this film that really justifies it being made to begin with. It does feel entirely like a labor of love/fan-fiction project. A film where you care because you already love the source material, not because of the story/characters. If this was meant to build up to some sort of sequel (The Thing gets into the cities), it isn't something I'm terribly interested in seeing if it just means more lame special effects and mediocre acting.

[GaijinPunch]

Maybe Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, although it's probably Lynch's weakest effort save Dune.

I liked this a lot, actually. Wonder if we'll ever see the full version.

[CMoon]

Maybe Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, although it's probably Lynch's weakest effort save Dune.

I liked this a lot, actually. Wonder if we'll ever see the full version.

Assuming you mean FWWM, not Dune. There were apparently longer versions of both. FWWM is particularly frustrating because you'd assume the deleted scenes would have surfaced by now. In fact, I'd assume at this point that the deleted scenes were just a rumor (an hour+ of extra footage) except that it is well documented that the scenes were filmed. Apparently there's been several attempts to get the footage released, and the last word is that when the TP box comes out on blu ray, it might include the footage. A blu ray of FWWM might also do the same, but it is really weird how much time has passed without a release. Maybe it's horrible?