The Thing (2011)

This was a prequel to a movie that was a remake of a adaptation of a novella by John W. Campbell. The novella was published in 1938, was adapted for the screen in 1951, got remade in 1982, and then given a prequel in 2011, so that means every couple decades somebody has to either remake or add to the Thing mythology. And that's ok with me because it's all great stuff. The original story was one of the most influential science fiction stores of all time that's still a lot of fun to read today, the original film is a sci-fi classic that stands out as a masterpiece of the golden age of Hollywood sci-fi, and John Carpenter's remake is one of my all time favorite films by one of my all time favorite directors. And now there's a prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 film, and... it's pretty good. I liked it.

Of course, if there was every a film that didn't need to be made, it was this one, since even though the 1982 film stared in media res, the back story was all filled in and needed no real elaboration. But somebody decided to elaborate, and at least we got a film that was well done, with a nice script, good acting, deft direction, and some awesome special effects that were updated from the previous film, but so well done that they actually looked like they matched that film's practical effects.

So... check it out. I don't have much to say about this film, since there really isn't much to say about it. It's a prequel to the 1982 classic that pretty much tells the same story, follows the same story beats, and while it isn't nearly as good, it's still good enough. It's worth seeing if you're a fan of the originals or just like stories with big scares and awesome monsters.