Honestly if you give this film less than a 7 then you haven't really thought about it very much. A classic sci-fi horror creature feature with stunning real effects, a great ensemble cast and a true passion for both previous movies.
The IMDb description of the 1951 original reads "Scientists and American Air Force officials fend off a blood-thirsty alien organism while at a remote arctic outpost". If you have seen the 1951 version, and the and John Carpenters 1982, and you liked them, then I think it is fair to say you will like Matthijs van Heijningen's 2011 version. It is a play on a theme in regards to the basic premise so it cannot just invent a new premise. Given the basic premise I think this movie hit the tone just right.
I very much enjoyed the casting. It was refreshing to see a sci-fi horror film not dominated by American types. The Norwegians were great. The ensemble acting was just excellent.
The music was effectively unnerving. It had the right feel of tension and bombast. Simple never brilliant but always effective and never distracting. Just right.
The CGI, animatronics and effects were just great. Although they might seem old hat to some people just think about it for a minute - really do you see people wearing animatronic suits while burning up in flames running around screaming. Most films would just go CGI and leave it at that but this film feels much more physical for doing it the right way. I applaud them and I can only hope we see more actual humans in our effects. Plasticky CGI (The Hobbit) and shaky camera action scenes (Elysium) are just not thrilling. The mixture of effects techniques and the punctuation of the music and effects very much make this movie stand out from the normal CGI laden poorly shot garbage.
John Carpenter is the king of tone and beat so to think it could ever compare to the original in those terms is just unfair. This version of the The Thing was a great homage to the 1982 film and to classic sci-fi horror generally.
The IMDb description of the 1951 original reads "Scientists and American Air Force officials fend off a blood-thirsty alien organism while at a remote arctic outpost". If you have seen the 1951 version, and the and John Carpenters 1982, and you liked them, then I think it is fair to say you will like Matthijs van Heijningen's 2011 version. It is a play on a theme in regards to the basic premise so it cannot just invent a new premise. Given the basic premise I think this movie hit the tone just right.
I very much enjoyed the casting. It was refreshing to see a sci-fi horror film not dominated by American types. The Norwegians were great. The ensemble acting was just excellent.
The music was effectively unnerving. It had the right feel of tension and bombast. Simple never brilliant but always effective and never distracting. Just right.
The CGI, animatronics and effects were just great. Although they might seem old hat to some people just think about it for a minute - really do you see people wearing animatronic suits while burning up in flames running around screaming. Most films would just go CGI and leave it at that but this film feels much more physical for doing it the right way. I applaud them and I can only hope we see more actual humans in our effects. Plasticky CGI (The Hobbit) and shaky camera action scenes (Elysium) are just not thrilling. The mixture of effects techniques and the punctuation of the music and effects very much make this movie stand out from the normal CGI laden poorly shot garbage.
John Carpenter is the king of tone and beat so to think it could ever compare to the original in those terms is just unfair. This version of the The Thing was a great homage to the 1982 film and to classic sci-fi horror generally.