I do have to start this review by saying that I am a big fan of John Carpenters brilliant 1982 movie, so I was a little apprehensive seeing the “prequel” movie.
So the other night I visited my local Apollo Cinema to see 2011 The Thing, some have said it’s a remake and some have said it isn’t, I would say it’s a bit of both.
The Thing – Prequel Or Remake
The Thing is based in 1982 in the Norwegian site that first discovers the alien in the ice and the alien craft that has been buried for around 100,000 years and brings the alien back to base to examine it.
Yes this does sound the same as the John Carpenter movie, but let’s be honest, it would really, those of us that have seen the 1982 movie will know how this new one ends, but it is great to see how it all started in the first place.
The problem with making a prequel that is so close to the other movie is that you have seen it all before and though you do get to see a bit more of the alien, the suspense that Carpenter gave us, isn’t here in this new film.
It doesn’t really have jumpy bits and the atmosphere is a bit lacking in the horror department, I do have to say that the effects of the alien are nicely done and do tie in well with Carpenter’s movie.
It is nice to see the movie tie in with the 1982 one and it is an enjoyable film to watch if you haven’t seen the 1982 The Thing then when this one finishes you’ll want to see it to see how it continues. But, if you have seen Carpenter’s The Thing then you may not enjoy it as much as you possibly could have done.
Overall Thoughts Of The Thing
Don’t get me wrong this is a good movie, but for fans of the John Carpenter’s The Thing, then you’ll have seen this all before, with a few exceptions, but those feeling of Deja Vu just don’t go away.
So overall a great movie, but probably a prequel that wasn’t really necessary.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
