The Thing (I) (2011)

At an Antarctica research site, the discovery of an alien craft leads to a confrontation between graduate student Kate Lloyd and scientist Dr. Sander Halvorson.

Director:

Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.

Writers:

Eric Heisserer, John W. Campbell Jr. (short story "Who Goes There?")

Stars:

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mary Elizabeth Winstead	...	Kate Lloyd
Joel Edgerton	...	Sam Carter
Ulrich Thomsen	...	Dr. Sander Halvorson
Eric Christian Olsen	...	Adam Finch
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje	...	Derek Jameson
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 Bjørnlund	...	Karl
Jonathan Walker	...	Colin (as Jonathan Lloyd Walker)

Storyline

Paleontologist Kate Lloyd is invited by Dr. Sandor Halvorson to join his team who have found something extraordinary. Deep below the Arctic ice, they have found an alien spacecraft that has been there for perhaps 100,000 years. Not far from where the craft landed, they find the remains of the occupant. It's cut out of the ice and taken back to their camp but as the ice melts, the creature reanimates and not only begins to attack them but manages to infect them, with team members devolving into the alien creature.

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Plot Keywords:

alien | antarctica | scientist | paleontologist | norwegian | 

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Taglines:

It's not human. Yet.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong creature violence and gore, disturbing images, and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Norwegian Danish

Release Date:

14 October 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled The Thing Prequel

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$8,493,665 (USA) (14 October 2011)

Gross:

$16,907,450 (USA) (11 November 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morgan Creek Productions, Universal Pictures, Strike Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The red axe that 'Joel Edgerton' uses and eventually sticks into the wall can be seen still stuck in the wall when the Americans visit the Norwegian camp in the original John Carpenter version.

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Goofs

The dog in the final scene (intercut with closing credits) has inconsistent coloration because two different dogs were cast. The initial escape shots were filmed in 2011 and the subsequent aerial shots were taken from the John Carpenter film The Thing.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Peder: [In Norwegian] Okay, I've got another one. A good one. A man and woman are making love one night when their young boy walks in.

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Crazy Credits

The Universal logo of the 1990s is used instead of the current (2011) logo.

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Connections

Featured in Great Movie Mistakes IV (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Who Can It Be Now"
Written and Performed by Colin Hay
Courtesy of Lazy Eye Records America

User Reviews

A Pitch Perfect Prequel

Like most, when I heard they were going to remake John Carpenter's The Thing, I got worried. Then I heard the interesting news that it was going to be a prequel, focusing on the Norwegian's story that was alluded to in the first film. I became very curious to see what they would do with it. If you've seen the original movie, you know for a fact there is only ONE way this movie can end. And there are also several key moments that needed to occur in order to keep in tune with the continuity.

Well you know what? Not a single beat was missed. From the red axe in the wall to the two faced creature burned in the snow to even the dog running from the helicopter. IT'S ALL THERE. And it's amazing. This prequel kept the spirit of the original film and a lot of themes while even embellishing and complimenting them. It was excellent. I have never been more pleased by a prequel or even a sequel for that matter.

And I honestly think it's harder to make a prequel, because you have stricter guidelines. But this movie shines as a perfect example of what a proper prequel should look like. Nothing was over looked and every important detail was accounted for. And as people have already stated, the epilogue, mixed with the Carpenter theme is not only awesome, its chilling.

There is nothing wrong with this prequel film and no true Carpenter fan should find a reason to complain. It in no way detracts from the first movie at all.