Posts
2011, 10-13; writing completed 10-24:
Review of film: “THE THING”
The original version of this movie came out in 1951, titled “THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD”, which was based on a John W. Campbell novella from 1938 titled “Who Goes There?”...
... It featured the discovery in the Arctic of a strange creature from Outer Space, played by James Arness who later went on to fame as Marshall Dillon in TV’s “Gunsmoke”...
... In 1982, a sci-fi horror movie more faithful to the original story was made by John Carpenter, simply titled “THE THING”...
... This new 103-minute R-rated film is in-effect a “PREQUEL” to Carpenter’s movie...
... The film is set in Antarctica, where people from a Norwegian research station have discovered something strange nearby...
... They soon set off in a series of track-equipped snow-cat-type vehicles to further investigate a STRUCTURE found nearby...
... In short order, we’re introduced to the camp’s leader, Dr. Sandor Halvorson (ULRICH THOMSEN)..
... AFTER checking out the discovery by his people, he flies from the base to visit a graduate student paleontologist in the U.S. named Kate Lloyd (MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD), since he’s learned that she supposedly has some great interest in and / or knowledge of the “subject” of their discovery, which he feels will be of “help” to his group...
... With little forethought or information being given, Mary decides to JOIN the stranger guy Ulrich & flies off to the BASE in Antarctica...
... In short order, she joins guys from the base & goes to see the incredible huge METALLIC-type STRUCTURE buried beneath the snow... It in-essence resembles a sort of FLYING SAUCER that had crashed...
... Nearby, Ulrich leads Mary to the “SPECIMEN” found near the structure. It’s some type of creature encased in ice...
... Mary stares at it as one of the men state that it’s felt the creature has been IN the ice for at least “100,000 years” (possibly based on how much snow & ice was on top of it? -- The movie isn’t super “big” on clear “EXPLANATIONS”)...
... The men use saws to cut out a block of ice containing the creature, & take it to a sort of warehouse at the BASE station...
... Soon, the men decide to use a drill to get a “SAMPLE” of the creature “Thing” OUT from the block of ice, thereby (unwisely) opening up the creature to the “air” & other “elements” around them...
... Led by Ulrich, the men celebrate the likelihood that they’ll all be “immortalized” for having made a discovery of an ALIEN life-form...
... It doesn’t take long for “STRANGE” happenings to start occurring: one guy -- I think it was Jameson (ADEWALE AKINNUOYE-AGBAJE) – claims he’s seen something jump “OUT” of the block of ice...
... People tend to “doubt” him— until someone gets seemingly KILLED in bloody fashion & “disappears” from the group (-- they can see loads of spattered BLOOD, but no “remains” of the guy in question)...
... Everyone, including American Adam Goodman (ERIC CHRISTIAN OLSEN) start to SEARCH for the “missing” person...
... They even go outside to look for the guy...
... And, certain people who are searching THEMSELVES seem to be attacked & “dragged-away” by the “THING” creature...
... In time, they find some remains of one or more of the missing guys... Not long after that, a study is done of the CELL sample taken from the creature when it was still in the ice block...
... Mary & Ulrich & others are quite disturbed to see that the starburst-shaped ALIEN cells soon start taking “OVER” HUMAN cells in the same dish...
... That leads them to believe that the THING appears to have the ability to act with great speed to “ABSORB” any organic part of its HUMAN hosts & thus “CHANGE FORMS” with them...
... That means (according to Mary) that various of the “missing” people could now be in actuality a ”replicated” ALIEN creature!...
... Working with American helicopter pilot Sam Carter (JOEL EDGERTON), Mary tries to determine WHO among them might be under the ALIEN control of “the THING”...
... In time, we SEE the “creature”: it’s a weird “SLIMY” conglomeration, consisting of sort of multi-legged and “TENTACLED” elements, with “swirling” grinding-type mouths & at times “portions” of people it’s ATTACKED (which looks very strange)...
... Ulrich at one point tries to “escape” an attack by “one” of the creatures...
... And we see some decent “ACTION” sequences (of attacks, explosions, etc.) at times (tho the quality of it is inconsistent)...
... Will we begin to see tensions build-up from people starting to DISTRUST each other (not knowing who’s really fully “HUMAN” anymore)?...
... Will the efforts by Joel & others to use FLAMETHROWERS actually be effective in KILLING the people “ABSORBED” by The THING?...
... Will the “remaining” humans be able to STOP the alien Things from ESCAPING from the base region to potentially ravage OTHER areas?...
... I have some “CONFLICTING” reactions of the film: on one hand, I like the basic sci-fi “CONCEPTS” inherent in the story...
... The acting is “DECENT”, even if nothing “special”. It’s hard to be “more” than that, given the “odd” elements of the storylines...
... There are numerous general “HOLES” in the plot as constituted: the way Ulrich goes to enlist the help of someone he doesn’t KNOW (namely, Mary); the careless way the people HANDLE the ice-encased creature (not bothering to take photos or video of each step, & the sloppy way they get the “SAMPLE” of The Thing & then don’t “PROTECT” the site area it’s in)...
... There’s a sort of plot cleverness allied with the “ORGANIC” component of the creature’s ability to “absorb” humans...
... But, these supposed “scientists” keep doing FOOLISH things in the way they “manage” the problems that arise from the escape of the Things (including the odd way a base surrounded by snow & ice has such a huge complement of flame-throwers & the like, the NEGLIGENT behavior of many of the scientists, etc)...
... As an experience, I found the movie to be ENJOYABLE overall-- if you suspend disbelief & “overlook” the plot anomalies & periodically weird or unimpressive SPECIAL-EFFECTS & the like...
... The movie has some good “SCARINESS” at times. It certainly could have been done much better in a number of ways (& a well-done sequel to the story could be something highly appreciated) ...
... But, taking it for what it “is”, I’m rating it at 7.50 of 10 stars for SCI-FI or “horror” fans...
[ ... An ASIDE: the advance screening hosted by LATINOSCOOP was FILLED... As people entered the theater, they were given a thin strip of yellow paper urging the attendees to use TWITTER or similar services to tell OTHERS where they were...
[ ... Then, just before the movie was to start, they told the audience that the 1st 40 people who showed PROOF of sending such an announcement would win SOUVENIRS in the form of a CAP saying “THE THING”...
[ ... And, other people were offered posters of the film... A CLEVER use of social media & mementos to advertise the film & the event!... ]
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