The Thing

Matthijs Van Heijningen Jr.

Overview

An American paleontologist and a team of Norwegian scientists fight for their lives against a shape-shifting extraterrestrial that can perfectly mimic any living creature in this prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 horror classic. Upon receiving word that the Antarctic research team has unearthed an alien craft, paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) joins the group to explore what secrets the ship might hold. Though by Kate's estimation the creature inside the spaceship has been dead for centuries, it has actually just been lying dormant in the ice. Perfectly preserved, it has awaited the day when it would finally be freed from its frigid prison; now, after eons of lying in wait, that day has finally come. Suddenly revived during a crucial experiment, the malevolent alien begins methodically mimicking each member of the crew undetected. By the time Kate realizes the frightening implications of the creature's unique ability, it may already be too late. As paranoia among the crew begins to intensify, it's up to Kate and the crew's helicopter pilot, Carter (Joel Edgerton), to make sure the extraterrestrial menace is exterminated before it has the opportunity to escape -- for, should it manage to make its way to a heavily populated area, humanity's days may be numbered. Matthijs Van Heijningen Jr. makes his feature directorial debut from a script by Eric Heisserer and Battlestar Galactica's Ronald D. Moore.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/31/2012
UPC:	0025192072789
Original Release:	2011
Rating:	R
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:43:00
Sales rank:	4,755

Special Features

Deleted/extended scenes; The Thing evolves; Fire & ice; Feature commentary with director Matthijs van Heijningen and producer Eric Newman

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Mary Elizabeth Winstead	Kate Lloyd
Paul Braunstein	Griggs
Trond Espen Seim	Edvard Wolner
Kim Bubbs	Juliette
Jørgen Langhelle	Lars
Jan Gunnar Røise	Olav
Stig Henrik Hoff	Peder
Kristofer Hivju	Jonas
Jo Adrian Haavind	Henrik
Carsten Bjornlund	Karl
Jonathan Lloyd Walker	Colin
Ole Martin Aune Nilsen	Matias (Heli Pilot)
Michael Brown	Security Guard
Carsten Bjørnlund	Karl
Marco Beltrami	Composer

Technical Credits

Eric Heisserer

Ronald D. Moore

John W. Campbell Jr.

Matthijs Van Heijningen Jr.	Director
Matthijs Van Heijningen	Director
Eric Christian Olsen	Director
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje	Director
Ulrich Thomsen	Director
Mary Elizabeth Winstead	Director
Eric Newman	Producer
Marc Abraham	Producer
J. Miles Dale	Producer,Executive Producer
Gabrielle Neimand	Producer,Executive Producer
David Foster	Executive Producer
Lawrence Turman	Executive Producer
Eric Heisserer	Screenwriter
Ronald D. Moore	Screenwriter
John W. Campbell Jr.	Screenwriter
Glen Gauthier	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

Nearly 30 years after John Carpenter unleashed what would eventually be hailed as one of the most-terrifying and creative sci-fi horror films in history, Hollywood delivers what could be called a "premake" -- a film that technically exists as a prequel, but copies the template of the original so completely that it's basically a remake. Those new to the game will most likely enjoy the proceedings, as the shape-shifting monster is still a unique villain. Fans of the original, meanwhile, will breathe a sigh of relief that the film isn't terrible, although it'd be a stretch to call it great. Indeed, 2011's The Thing proves to be a thoroughly okay horror flick. The acting is alright; the script is somewhat clever, but overall, just alright; the way they tie this film and Carpenter's together is alright, if a bit forced. One thing is for certain, though: It's not nearly in the same league as either Carpenter's film or Howard Hawks' The Thing From Another World. The setup is thus: A young paleontologist (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is recruited to head down to an Antarctic base with a group of Americans to investigate a long-frozen UFO and an alien species discovered by a group of Norwegian scientists. Indeed, this base will eventually become the burned-out building that Kurt Russell and his all-male group of blue-collar schmoes and scientists explore in Carpenter's film. Along with an American chopper pilot (Joel Edgerton), Winstead and her cohorts go through the process of discovering this alien species is alive and can replicate human beings. Thankfully for the heroine, everyone in the Norwegian camp, with the exception of the mysterious Lars (Jørgen Langhelle), speaks English, thus rendering the language barrier all but moot (just one of the film's convenient plot devices). Dutch filmmaker Matthijs Van Heijningen Jr. tries his best to replicate his predecessor's style, embracing a widescreen scope and, for the most part, restrained camerawork (although some needlessly shaky handheld footage does rear its head). The pacing goes from slow to thrilling, then full-bore creature action by the end. Kudos goes to Amalgamated Dynamics and Image Engine for their mix of practical and computer-generated effects, which are quite good, though they end up falling short of the nightmarish designs of prosthetics master Rob Bottin, who brought the creature to life in the 1982 version. With so many junky reboots, remakes, and restarts, it's really hard to knock 2011's The Thing, which is a pretty okay picture. Will it be remembered? Hardly. Will people dissect it to learn which of the iconic cast members were imposters all along? Nope (and the cast really isn't that great to begin with). The highlight of all of this is that it's genuinely nice to see this creature back in action, even if the movie it's in is just alright.