The Thing (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. (as Matthijs van Heijningen)

Writers:

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

Stars:

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mary Elizabeth Winstead	...	Kate Lloyd
Joel Edgerton	...	Carter
Ulrich Thomsen	...	Dr. Sander Halvorson
Eric Christian Olsen	...	Adam Finch
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje	...	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.

---

Plot Keywords:

snow | alien | scientist | antarctica | alien creature | 

---

Taglines:

In a place where there is nothing, they found something.

---

Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Norwegian Danish

Release Date:

14 October 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Thing: The Beginning

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,493,665, 16 October 2011, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$16,928,670, 17 November 2011

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$31,505,287

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morgan Creek Entertainment,Universal Pictures,Strike Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The songs the crew are singing are "Sámiid Ædnan", the Norwegian entry in the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest, originally sung by Sverre Kjelsberg and Mattis Hætta. And the other one is called "Jeg gikk en tur på stien" (translated: I walked along the forest path), a well known children's song about someone walking in the woods, and meeting a cuckoo. The origin of this song is unknown.

---

Goofs

It would be considerably more efficient for The Thing if it were to immediately attack anyone it was alone with instead of going through an elaborate revealing process.

---

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.

---

Crazy Credits

SPOILER: There are a few short scenes during the first part of the end credits, which tie the ending of this film to the beginning of the 1982 film.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Xtro (2013)

---

Soundtracks

Jeg Gikk En Tur Pa Stien
Traditional

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.