What Do The Critics Say?

"The scares come from boo's, big bangs and bashes, there is a bit of suspense and spookiness to be had thanks to a solid cast whose terror is augmented by practical effects and (mostly) judicious use of CGI. I enjoyed The Thing as it played out and I recommend seeing it for those who're curious" Staci Layne Wilson HORROR.COM "Enjoyable, disposable multiplex fodder, full of deliciously gruesome digital effects. Hopefully we'll never tire of the visual splendour inherent in seeing human faces tear themselves apart. It's beautiful, in its own special way." Jim Schembri THE AGE "It's not rocket science, but The Thing does offer solid cheap thrills for the slick gore crowd, proving once again: Horror doesn't have to be horrible." Tom Long DETROIT NEWS "It's full of chills and thrills and isolated Antarctic atmosphere and terrific Hieronymus Bosch creature effects, and if it winks genially at the plot twists of Carpenter's film, it never feels even a little like some kind of inside joke. Go back to Antarctica with Hieronymus Bosch in a thrilling tribute to John Carpenter's 1982 monster-fest. Winstead makes an appealing star, ably supported by Joel Edgerton." Andrew O'Hehir SALON MOVIE REVIEWS "Matthijs van Heijningen's update of the previously twice-made "Thing" horror movies is a completely respectable effort in spite of everything you've heard or read otherwise. Critics and audience members pretending that John Carpenter's 1982 version is better, or scarier, than Heijningen's film are in for a painful revelation if they ever take the time to actually compare the films in close succession." Cole Smithey CAPSULES "Heijningen and company deliver lean suspense, and they update the Carpenter crew's gnarly alien-shapeshifter effects skillfully enough to remind us why the concept captures geek imaginations. They run with Carpenter’s throwaway detail of Norwegian casualties to build language-barrier conflict." Tom Russo BOSTON GLOBE

"Sharing a producer with the '82 version, this Thing is capably helmed by a Dutch director of TV spots, Matthijs van Heijningen Jr, who matches the look and period feel of Carpenter's thriller (one character brandishes a slide rule), and brings the same blue-collar sensibility (bosses suck). John Carpenter should approve of this reasonably respectful and tough-minded prequel to his 1982 The Thing." Brian Miller VILLAGE VOICE "Just make sure you stick around for the closing credits. The images and sounds should send chills down the spine of anyone who holds Carpenter's film in high regard." Adam Tobias WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES "Dutch director Matthijs van Heijningen builds extreme tension in his fiery crew. Screenwriter Eric Heisserer introduces some very clever moments. There is plenty of blood and incredible human-monster transformation. It's a remake disguised as a prequel. A very good remake." Victoria Alexander FILMS IN REVIEW "Stepping into the famously blood-spattered snowshoes of Russell are the well-cast duo of Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton. Aside from the fine anchoring work taken on by Winstead and Edgerton, the standout aspect of The Thing is its wide array of forcefully frightening special effects. The gruesome being from parts unknown has a macabre chameleonic streak in its biological make-up that allows it to take over any human body as a host." Leigh Paatsch HIT MAGAZINE "What was most enjoyable about "The Thing" for a movie dork like me was looking out for the ways the 2011 and 1982 versions overlapped. The filmmakers of the new movie went to great lengths to ensure that every little detail Russell encounters in the original has some sort of explanation. "The Thing" is the feature debut of Dutch director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr who does a nice job his first time out of keeping the action brisk, tense and effectively scary." Mathew DeKinder ST LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

The Inside Story Antarctica: an extraordinary continent of awesome beauty. It is also home to an isolated outpost known as Thule Station. There, a crew of international scientists has unearthed a remarkable discovery. But elation quickly turns to terrifying paranoia in the thriller The Thing, as the group of researchers encounters something inhuman that has the ability to turn itself into an exact replica of any living being. The history of The Thing dates back to 1938, when noted sci-fi author John W Campbell Jr released his pulp novella "Who Goes There?", a terrifying story that explores what happens at a research station in Antarctica when a crew of scientists unearths an alien vessel. Inspired by Campbell’s novella, Howard Hawks and Christian Nyby crafted the 1951 film "The Thing From Another World" starring Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan and James Arness. That thriller expanded upon Campbell’s exploration of group paranoia and demonstrated the story’s parallels with the Cold War period. Thirty years later, John Carpenter returned to Campbell’s book for inspiration when he wrote and directed 1982’s "The Thing", starring Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley and Keith David. With its groundbreaking practical effects, the film, which was written by 1977 Writers Guild of America Award winner Bill Lancaster ("The Bad News Bears") and produced by David Foster and Lawrence Turman, became a classic thriller that has inspired a generation of fans and filmmakers alike. In 2004, producers Marc Abraham and Eric Newman had just released Universal’s blockbuster "Dawn of the Dead" when studio executives approached the partners about shepherding another project. Newman recalls that early conversation: "Nobody’s got a better, richer pedigree in the monster/horror zone than Universal. They said, 'Here’s our entire library. What do you think about The Thing?' Our first reaction to it was that you’re not going to improve upon it; you’re not going to do a better version of The Thing. It’s not a movie that could be rebooted or remade." After careful consideration, Abraham and Newman found themselves drawn to the story’s themes of trust and paranoia. "This story has always been: in every incarnation, whether it was Carpenter’s film or back to the novella; about paranoia," Abraham ("Slither") explained. He believes those themes to be "consistently relevant because they’re about trusting, or distrusting, people that you’re stuck in a very dire situation with." "The first thing we said about this version of the movie is that its theme had to be about who you can trust and who you can’t. More than ever, we live in a time where if there is an enemy, it’s very likely that the enemy’s not someone you would suspect. The bad guys don’t wear uniforms anymore," Newman (who formed Strike Entertainment with Abraham and Thomas A. Bliss) adds. Once they decided to tackle the project, the production partners needed to find a way into the story and add to what had been so cleverly done before. "The only way that this project appealed to us was if it fit in the Carpenter universe in a way that was respectful but creatively consistent. What always interested me was the fate of the Norwegians who are obliquely referenced in the original movie, Newman ("Children of Men") explained. In determining the direction of this companion piece, Abraham ("The Hurricane") credits Newman’s encyclopedic knowledge of the source material. "Eric’s a true aficionado of these movies and has enormous respect for John Carpenter. He’s got a photographic memory, so he knew every single beat in the movie. Once we decided that we didn’t want to remake "The Thing", he came up with the idea of telling the story about what happened." David Foster, who produced Carpenter’s version, joined Newman and Abraham on the project as an executive producer. He maked it quite clear that "this is a stand-alone picture. This is not "The Thing" that John Carpenter made, which I loved and John will tell you it was the best film he ever made. This ends where that picture began. It’s pretty important that fans of "The Thing" know that they’re not going to see the same thing over and over again." When plans for the prequel of Carpenter’s "The Thing" became public, Eric Heisserer ("Final Destination 5") launched a campaign to write the screenplay. As a longtime admirer of the property, he wanted to ensure that the film would work for him. "Knowing it was going to get made, I felt I had to jump on the grenade, as it were. I knew that if I could deliver something that satisfies the fan in me, hopefully, it will satisfy other fans elsewhere." Heisserer went to the meeting armed with ideas of what the movie should be. He wanted his version to look and feel much like an extension of Carpenter’s vision. Heisserer (Samuel Bayer's "A Nightmare on Elm Street") recalls: "I focused entirely on character and story. I focused on continuity, and I looked for surprises. I looked for opportunities that I could bring to this that we hadn’t seen before. I tried my best to do something unexpected in a world where we already know the outcome." Ultimately, he tapped into the story’s central themes of suspicion and distrust. "I felt "The Thing" has always been a paranoid thriller and a case study on trust, and what you can give and what you can take." The producers approached director Matthijs van Heijningen to helm the project and found that their instincts about his suitability were spot-on. Newman describes their first meeting: "We just started talking about it and never stopped. It was like a date that never ended; next thing you knew, you were married." A veteran commercial director from Holland, van Heijningen makes his feature film debut. Abraham admits that he was sold by van Heijningen’s skills at crafting fascinating tales. "This guy is a storyteller. So you combine that with a good visual sense. Also in his commercial work, you see he’s very passionate about character and authenticity. He was clever about what he wanted to do and how he envisioned this. He was respectful of the original; he knew it cold. I think his time has come to make a feature film, and this is a good one for him." "I adored the original movie; it’s one of my favorites," van Heijningen (who wrote, edited and directed the short film "Red Rain") states. "I jumped into this project as I was carried away with the idea. Sometimes I would wake up thinking, 'Oh my God, what am I doing?' Of course, I felt that pressure. I’ve tried to make the biggest tribute to the original movie as I can." Heisserer, van Heijningen and the producers began a period of intense collaboration during preproduction. Heisserer compares the process to an autopsy. "We have relics from Carpenter’s film that inform us of what had to have happened at the Norwegian camp. But that was just forensic evidence. We had to figure out what happened and make sure that we counted for that in our story." This painstaking attention to detail proved to be quite productive. To ensure accuracy, they spent a great deal of time examining each frame of Carpenter’s film, making sure that where appropriate, touch points and artifacts were referenced. "As fans of the movie, it was a world that we were very comfortable in," Newman shared. "We could talk about it all day long, and we did. It was impossible for us to make this movie without acknowledging in a very real way that the Carpenter movie exists. That was the design from day one." Casting The Thing allowed the filmmakers to balance the supernatural elements of the creature tale with the more traditional aspects of storytelling, AS Newman explained. "When you make a horror film, you’re trying to sell a reality that doesn’t exist. You have an even greater obligation to sell the reality in the areas you can control. The performance, the characterizations and what situations are not supernatural have to be even more grounded. The cast is where you start." They began by making Columbia University paleontologist Dr Kate Lloyd the central character of the story. "The original Carpenter movie is a very male experience. Historically, whether it’s "Rosemary’s Baby" or "Alien" or "The Exorcist", there is often a feminine perspective in these films. Given that it’s 1982, it’s a man’s world. Kate is the heroine, and she provides a great way into the this tale." Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who played Lucy Gennaro McClane in "Die Hard 4.0", was cast as the scientist who travels to Antarctica for an incredible chance for advancement in her field. "Having a female lead immediately differentiates us," Winstead ("Final Destination 3") notes. "Kate has to be a really intelligent girl of strong will and strength of character. It’s rare to get the chance to do something where the woman gets to have that kind of power in a very realistic way. Executive Producer J. Miles Dale recalls: "I worked with Mary on "Scott Pilgrim vs the World", where she played a very different character. She’s got versatility, gravity, pathos and strength. She has everything that Kate needs to be." Kate develops a strong bond with Carter, one of three helicopter pilots who service the camp with supplies and transport personnel. In a departure from the norm, the relationship never develops into a romantic one. "The Kate and Carter dynamic, one of the central relationships in the story, was never designed to be a love story. It had more to do with building a structure between two characters who trust one another, Newman explained. The filmmakers also wanted Carter to evoke MacReady, the character played by Kurt Russell in Carpenter’s film. Carter is just the type of man who would have known and worked with the maverick pilot in '82. 2002 and '10 AFI Award winner and co-founder of Blue Tongue Films Joel Edgerton, proved to be just the person for the job. "Joel was, first and foremost, the right actor," Newman ("The Last Exorcism") said. "He’s a brilliant stage and film performer and has an intelligence to him that we needed. We don’t have the time to give everyone a hero, get to know you moment. We had to go with someone who brought that depth to every scene." Though he has portrayed many characters in his career, Australian-born Edgerton had never tackled a role quite like Carter. "I don’t think I’ve ever played a heroic character before. None as heroic as Carter." Next to be seen in "Warrior", he describes Carter as a "Come on, I’ll get us out of here type guy." Three time Robert and two time Bodil Awards winning Danish actor Ulrich Thomsen was cast as brilliant researcher Dr Sander Halvorson, the man who brings Kate to the icy frontier. "In the context of the story, Sander is the bad guy because he drills into the ice to get a tissue sample of the creature and he’s not supposed to do that. But he’s a scientist and can’t wait. The creature springs back to life, and madness ensues." Best known for his role as Marty Deeks in TV's "NCIS: Los Angeles, Eric Christian Olsen was brought aboard the production to play American Adam Goldman, Sander’s research assistant. "There’s a monster out here, but it’s about what we’re going to do to each other under the guise of self-preservation that most interested me." What's It All About?

Paleontologist Kate Lloyd has traveled to the desolate region for the expedition of her lifetime, joining a Norwegian scientific team that has been searching for, and has now found, an extraterrestrial ship buried in the ice. She discovers an organism that seems to have died in the crash eons ago. But it is about change. The alien creature will soon awaken. Taken back to the research teams base, a decision is made to take a tissue sample. This simple experiment will free the deadly alien from its frozen prison. What they are about to discover is that this alien can take over a host body, and in the confined living and working huts of the base, that makes the humans easy targets. Now on the loose, this parasite that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish. Kate must now join forces with the crew's pilot, Carter, to keep it from killing them off one at a time.

The Verdict "Some are calling it a prequel, but in fact it is a remake of John Carpenter's 1982 film, with a change to the films chronological time-line. Carpenter's film, which starred Kurt Russell as R.J. MacReady, was a raw, exciting and scary interpretation of author John W Campbell Jr's novella "Who Goes There?". The world of movie-making has come a long way since then. Over the three decades since Carpenter's "The Thing", massive advancements have been made in equipment, SFX and CGI effects, and that augers well for production companies looking to remake or reinvent some of the highly popular films which entertained many of those who are now senior cinemagoers. Needless to say, many of these so-called classics have, for that generation of film-lovers, become so revered, they consider it sacrilegious to re-make them. To make matters worse, many of those older film fans and film critics, firmly believe that nobody makes films like they did 'in the good old days'. What they are forgetting, is that many of the re-makes we are being offered, are for a new, young, generation of cinemagoers who weren't born before, say, 1993. Nothing stays the same and I for one, get very excited when I hear of a re-make in the offering. Some remakes, I must admit, haven't live up to my personal expectations, but does that really count if the target audience is those aged between fifteen and twenty-five? Of course not! Best to keep an open mind and bury any thoughts about those 'classics' from another era, deep in a dark corner of the mind, when planning to see anything touted as a remake. "The Thing" is a remake that works well. It has a creepy, scary edge, the creature effects are good and it will, have you on the edge of your seat. In a twist on the Carpenter 'classic', the hero in this edition is a woman. Those who enjoy "The Thing" will be pleased to discover that it leaves itself open for a sequel. Scary fun. 4 STARS." Who Is Playing Who?

Mary Elizabeth Winstead Joel Edgerton Ulrich Thomsen Jan Gunnar Røise Eric Christian Olsen Kim Bubbs Stig Henrik Hoff Jonathan Walker Trond Espen Seim Kristofer Hivju Carsten Bjørnlund Jørgen Langhelle Davetta Sherwood Jo Adrian Haavind Maria De Nancuva

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Kate Lloyd Sam Carter Dr Sander Halvorson Dr Jaun Jacobs Adam Goodman Juliette Peder Colin Edvard Wolner Jombry Karl Lars Davida Morris Henrik Zara Larsen

The Production Team Directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr Written by Eric Heisserer From the short story "Who Goes There?" by John W Campbell Jr Produced by Marc Abraham & Eric Newman Executive Producers J. Miles Dale/David Foster/Gabrielle Neimand Original Music by Marco Beltrami Cinematography by Michel Abramowicz Film Editing by Peter Boyle/Julian Clarke/Jono Griffith Casting by Denise Chamian & Angela Demo Production Design by Sean Haworth Art Direction by Patrick Banister Set Decoration by Odetta Stoddard Costume Design by Luis Sequeira Run Time 103 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2011 - Universal Pictures - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2011 - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian & International Copyright, Trademark Laws & Intellectual Property Rights.