From fun fantasy movies like Super 8, to action flicks such as Transformers and G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra, Hollywood has recently scoured the ranks of ‘80s nostalgia in order to come up with their next hit movie. And now ‘80s fever has reached the horror genre with the release of a prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 classic, The Thing. Oddly enough also titled The Thing, this reboot of sorts takes place right before the original's events and looks to fill in the blanks.
The trailer retains Carpenter's flick's sense of isolation and claustrophobia, and genuinely does provide some intensity, but it there's a strong feeling of a decent cover band trying their best to do justice to a classic. When Carpenter directed the original, so many of his ideas were fresh and unique compared to his contemporaries. The special effects were unlike anything ever seen before and everything in the movie just felt real, but in a world where movies are shot inside cozy conditions with the aid of CGI, so many of those innovative practices of the past are gone.
With some quick shots of the monster, and most of the cast shown in short clips as they scream in terror, there isn’t enough here to cast The Thing as a sure bet, at least not yet. With a strong core already established by Carpenter with the original, The Thing already has a more promising premise than most of the slashers and gorefests that are opposing it. Also, the trailer earns bonus points for using Carpenter's badass original score near the preview's end.
Dutch commercial director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. is making his feature debut here, so it'll be interesting to see what kind of style he can bring to Carpenter's world. In terms of more certain elements, the casting of genre regular, and bonafide hottie, Mary-Elizabeth Winstead offers a glimmer of hope for the movie to have a strong leading lady.
We'll see if The Thing can break free on its own and stand up against the original when it's released on October 14.
Trailer Park: John Carpenter's Gory Masterpiece Gets Prequel-ized In “The Thing”
The prequel to the 1982 remake/classic has some big shoes to fill.
Jul 14, 2011
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