For anyone who knows me, I have a high regard for "John Carpenter's The Thing", in fact for me it is the greatest horror film ever made. Ever since 1982, there have been rumours of either a remake or a sequel. None have come to fruition.
And what we have here is none of the above, it is in fact a prequel, which ends leading up to the events at the beginning of Carpenter's classic. Given the reverence that I hold the original film, it was always going to be a tough act to follow, and I always had my doubts as to whether anyone could pull it off. It is pleasing to report that the magic has been recreated. Although it is being called a prequel and not a remake, let's get one thing straight, it is essentially the first film all over again, there is no escaping that fact. But it is given enough of a spin as to make it fresh, and plus by mirroring the original so much, that can only be a good thing.
For those who have dared not to see the original.......a Norwegian expedition in the Antartic finds a crashed UFO, one that has been buried for thousands of years, and along with the ship, there is a frozen survivor, also buried in the ice. This specimen is taken back to the Camp for examination. Assisting the Norwegians are some newly arrived American specialists, experts in dealing with remains. A sample is taken from the speciman, despite the protestations of US scientist Kate Lloyd. Over time the frozen creature thaws out, and escapes from its icy tomb, to go and wreak havoc on the expedition Site.
What makes the creature extraordinary is that the fact that it can imitate perfectly anything it comes into contact with, it absorbs them, and then becomes them, and its hope is to take over the human race. And given that each single cell is an organism, it can take over more than one person at anytime.
There is the lead scientist who is blinded by the terror it can cause by the glory he is seeking. There is also Kate Lloyd, the voice of reason, and usually standing alone. And a group of both Norwegians and Americans stuck in the middle.
The tension is not built up as brilliantly as it is in the original film. That was one of the key factors, the not knowing who to trust, and also the sense of isolation which again worked so well before is poorly realised here.
Having said that, there is much to praise. Right from the start, the photography is stunningly beautiful. There are echoes of the original Morricone score in this soundtrack. Even down to little things like using the same font type on the opening title credits, it all adds to the magic.
Plus with this being a new film, and it being a first screening, there is that uncertainty of not knowing who lives and who dies, who is infected and who isn't. I guess it is the closest I will ever get to seeing the original film on the big screen for the very first time.
There was a feeling of unease when watching the movie, which is as it should be, not only because of my concern that it would be a complete disaster, but also the great story creates a disturbance within the viewer, not wanting to take their eyes off the screen for a moment.
The cast alas fail to deliver any worthy performances. Ulrich Thomsen especially is rather weak. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is passable as Kate Lloyd, there are a few decent performances from the Norwegian members of the cast. But when one looks at Carpenter's movie, the whole cast excelled in each role. They were a delight to watch, but there is very little shining through acting wise with this new film unfortunately.
One thing is clear from the very start, the set design for the Norwegian camp has been wonderfully recreated, presumably using the original film as a template, it is seen briefly in the 1982 version when Kurt Russell and team bring the creature back to their Camp. But not only is the set building consistant, but again it is little details like the correct type door handle, or the same bedding sheets. It gives the impression of having been done by someone who is either a big fan of the film or someone who cares about detail and getting it right or both.
It is great to see more of the Alien ship. The visual effects work are excellent, and it give it a scale that was exceeding the budget restrictions with the original. But where the visual effects have improved the ship, the CGI work on the creature has really let the show down. At times they are very poor, and one is sat there crying out for make up maestro Rob Bottin to work his magic once again. There are some great moments, but for the most part it is obvious CGI. The worst example is the creature seen at the end of the film in the alien ship. I have seen better FX on Saturday night children's shows.
It was getting towards the end of the film, and I had a few unanswered questions, but they were soon answered with a brilliant sequence in the closing credits, and playing to the chilling music of Ennio Morricone. Truly fantastic.
So to sum up, yes it has its faults, but this is tagged with John Carpenter's The Thing. It is the pefect companion piece, and though not perfect itself, it does an admirable job, and I for one was dreading what I would be seeing, and was pleasantly surprised, and it carries on in the time honoured tradition of that truly great 1982 classic.
SomeTHING to enjoy..........8 out of 10
No comments:
Post a Comment