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My son and I went to see The Thing (2011) yesterday, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, and Ulrich Thompson; Directed by Mathisjis Heijningen Jr (sic); written by Eric Heisserrer with writing credit for the immortal and illustrious John W Campbell Jr original short story.
No spoilers...
For what it is (a creature feature with a whodunit twist), it is a pretty good movie. The acting is good, the dialog is okay, the F/X are very good. Frequently scary, occasionally horrifying. Mary Elizabeth does rather well as the lead, and there are some good performances by supporting actors.
Now, I'm a fan of the John Carpenter 1982 version starring Kurt Russell, so it is only natural that comparisons to the "original" (I've never seen the 50s version, so I mean the 1982 one) come up. On the whole the 2011 Thing is entertaining, scary, creepy, gross, and all those other things we want a creature feature to be. There's nothing wrong with it as-is, for what it is, and it is probably better than 90% of the horror drivel Hollywood puts out.
However, IMHO, it just isn't quite up to the John Carpenter/Kurt Russell 2011 movie. The things that set the 1982 version above the remake are drama, acting, dialog and, of course, being the "firstest with the mostest".
It's well known if you've read the movie synopsis or seen the trailer that the 2011 version is about the Norweigan team that originally discovered the ship and Thing. Some of the dialog is in Norweigan with subtitles. This is fine and doesn't bother me, but in a sense it does detract from dialog a bit... subtle nuances are lost along the way sometimes. One character who doesn't speak English at all, was one of the best dramatic performances, conveying his emotions with body language and tone and facial expression better than even the lead character.
While the 2011 cast turns out a more than adequate performance, the 1982 actors were simply better. There were more scenes of discovery and drama in the original, more opportunity for tension. The 2011 version has more action and F/X but less drama and tension.
Also, it is still amazing that the F/X of the 1982 version are almost as good as the 2011 F/X. John Carpenter and company just had to work at it harder. There were a few stand-out F/X scenes in the new movie though, worthy of honorable mention to be sure.
Kurt Russell's character performance in the 1982 version really stands out, as well... not that Mary Elizabeth didn't do well too, but the story of the 1982 film allowed Kurt more opportunity to showcase his acting skills.
Overall, it is a worthy remake and an entertaining creature-feature... but it doesn't top John Carpenter's Thing.
No spoilers...
For what it is (a creature feature with a whodunit twist), it is a pretty good movie. The acting is good, the dialog is okay, the F/X are very good. Frequently scary, occasionally horrifying. Mary Elizabeth does rather well as the lead, and there are some good performances by supporting actors.
Now, I'm a fan of the John Carpenter 1982 version starring Kurt Russell, so it is only natural that comparisons to the "original" (I've never seen the 50s version, so I mean the 1982 one) come up. On the whole the 2011 Thing is entertaining, scary, creepy, gross, and all those other things we want a creature feature to be. There's nothing wrong with it as-is, for what it is, and it is probably better than 90% of the horror drivel Hollywood puts out.
However, IMHO, it just isn't quite up to the John Carpenter/Kurt Russell 2011 movie. The things that set the 1982 version above the remake are drama, acting, dialog and, of course, being the "firstest with the mostest".
It's well known if you've read the movie synopsis or seen the trailer that the 2011 version is about the Norweigan team that originally discovered the ship and Thing. Some of the dialog is in Norweigan with subtitles. This is fine and doesn't bother me, but in a sense it does detract from dialog a bit... subtle nuances are lost along the way sometimes. One character who doesn't speak English at all, was one of the best dramatic performances, conveying his emotions with body language and tone and facial expression better than even the lead character.
While the 2011 cast turns out a more than adequate performance, the 1982 actors were simply better. There were more scenes of discovery and drama in the original, more opportunity for tension. The 2011 version has more action and F/X but less drama and tension.
Also, it is still amazing that the F/X of the 1982 version are almost as good as the 2011 F/X. John Carpenter and company just had to work at it harder. There were a few stand-out F/X scenes in the new movie though, worthy of honorable mention to be sure.
Kurt Russell's character performance in the 1982 version really stands out, as well... not that Mary Elizabeth didn't do well too, but the story of the 1982 film allowed Kurt more opportunity to showcase his acting skills.
Overall, it is a worthy remake and an entertaining creature-feature... but it doesn't top John Carpenter's Thing.
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