The Thing About the Thing

The thing about The Thing (2011) isn't that it has the same title as John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). It isn't that it is a prequel. It's that it is so faithful to the it.

This is kind of a spoiler, but I guess everyone knows already: Remember how Carpenter's movie starts, with the Norwegians in the helicopter shooting at a dog? That's how this movie ends. It shows how the Norwegians and a few Americans like biologist Mary Elizabeth Winstead find the alien, how it kills everyone, and I think I'll stop spoilering now.

It all looks just like Carpenter had made it, with his lovely mix of cinematic beauty and low-budget cheesiness. There are interesting, realistic characters that you care about, shocks and gross-outs and a touch of cosmic wonder (and terror, of course).

If it were a stand-alone, it would be a great movie. As a companion piece to Carpenter's movie, it's extraordinary.