I Thought it was really good movie.
Hot Mary makes the movie much better! love the fact she was the lead!

"The Thing: The Beginning"

Maybe they thought it sounded too mediocre. And also I was just passing by to revive these threads.

It was good, gave the backstory, but I feel that it could have been... more.  There certainly have been worse prequels/sequels.

i was waiting for the thermite charges to unearth the ship, however the filmmakers said that to excavate the ship as it was done in JC's version would have taken hundreds of men instead of the dozen or so Norwegians they had in the film so they left it in the ice and that made sense.

and i guess in one last defence of this film, JC had a year to prepare to shoot his version back in 1981 and was released in 1982. That kind of shooting schedule now is unprecedented (unless you are the late Stanley Kubrick), and the year in pre production obviously paid off for JC. this version, from green light to wrap was done in 3 months, that is a big deal.

all in all i have to say that this was a successful remake.

Did it follow the same beats, sure. But it’s those beats that you’re there for. The Thing creature isn’t the star of the movie; it’s the isolated Antarctic research station. The cat and mouse in the confined space is the magic of all three films. It’s what separates it from just an alien invasion movie, IE: Body snatcher, slither, etc…

you also come to see what kind of gross monstrosities it turns into, those need the local (and same beats) too, they just wouldn’t be quite as effective on a busy Manhattan street than inside the intimate confines of the station.

the CGI IMO was fine, there are many parts in JC’s that look dated and I dare say fake, but people are nostalgic for old school FX and over look it.

I love the first JC remake and like the B and W one to, I thought this was a fun addition.

I wrote quick opinion about the prequel when I saw it in theaters and having seen it a second time my opinion remains the same. Yes it followed some of the same beats as Carpenter's version and I thought cgi was a bit iffy, though I sure as he'll have seen worse many times more, but I enjoyed it a lot. It was well made, added a few things demonstrating itself as a prequel and to me I feel it captured some of the atmosphere (I know others disagree but that is how I felt watching it) of the 82 version. It I a nice companion piece to Carpenter's, I think.

That being said, it could have been placed in the hands of Michael Bay, a person who decidely does NOT love horror but loves the profits.

It is obvious that the filmmakers loved and truly respected JC's version and for that I give them props. I was 13 when JC's version was released and adults were walking out after the dog-thing scene so I have very fond memories of 'The Thing'. It was better than the average remake/prequel, and that is undeniable.  Sure it was missing the extreme paranoia and the nihilism, but the montague as the credits were rolling that connected the 2 films were as good as I have seen!!!!!!!

Bunshinsaba wrote:

alien25 wrote:

I am probably older than anyone else on this forum.  I also don't understand all of the disdain for the CGI in the preguel.

I'm 49. You older than that?

Yep!

Sorry Wolfie, I totally forgot about you!
Nice to know that there other old farts floating around here.