The Thing - DVD

Movie: With his remake of the 1951 science fiction classic The Thing from Another World by Howard Hawks and Christian Nyby, John Carpenter created a horror classic in 1982 that, while not a financial success at the time, continues to win over a loyal fan base to this day due to its coherent atmosphere and great effects for the time. Now, director Matthijs van Heijningen, along with the production team behind the successful Dawn of the Dead remake, has once again set out to bring The Thing to life. But the whole thing was not meant to be a remake. Rather, the latest version tells the prequel to Carpenter's film, set in the very research station that Kurt Russel's character finds destroyed and abandoned at the beginning of the 1982 film. What happened to the Norwegian research team?

After they accidentally discover a spaceship hidden in the ice, that same research team calls in American paleontologist Dr. Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) to help. She is to help the team around research leader Edvard Wollner (Trond Espen Seim) with the investigation of the spaceship. In the process, Kate, Dr. Sander Halvorsen (Ulrich Thomsen) and Kate's colleague Adam (Eric Christian Olsen) come across a creature trapped in the ice that appears to have died in the crash. But obsessed with curiosity and a thirst for research, the researchers naturally don't leave the creature in its ice coffin, but bring it to the station to experiment on the supposed cadaver. But in doing so, they have awakened a particularly bloodthirsty creature that mercilessly reduces the crew of the secluded research station in a most perfidious manner.

Even though The Thing sees itself as a prequel to The Thing From Another World and there are definitely some successful references to Carpenter's classic (especially during the credits the bridge between both films is built), it's hard not to speak of a classic remake here. Because basically, the exact same story is told here only with different characters. There are even moments that seem to be taken over almost identically. But regardless of whether it's a remake or a prequel, there's really only one really important question: does the whole thing work as a proper horror movie?

The answer is - with minor reservations - yes! The claustrophobic atmosphere in the research station, which is isolated from the outside world, makes for some good goosebump moments and the attacks from the Thing are also staged very effectively at times. The only negative aspect is the excessive use of computer effects. Because even though the practical effects in Carpenter's film are clearly recognizable as such, they were and are extremely effective in their own special way. The computer effects here, on the other hand, seem a bit too sterile to really scare the hell out of the viewer. But they are still fun.

The actors are fine, though Ulrich Thomsen seems a little underwhelming and Mary Elizabeth Winstead a little over the top. Winstead basically holds the role that Kurt Russel played in Carpenter's film. And Winstead just doesn't come close to the latter's coolness. That being said, the actors do a decent job, especially since most of them are just fodder for the walking monster anyway.

Bottom line, then, is that The Thing doesn't fare quite as well in direct comparison with The Thing from Another World - at least for fans of Carpenter's film - but is certainly enjoyable as an entertaining monster horror. Not a new cult film, but entertaining genre entertainment with some nice effects. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The technical implementation can fully convince. While the look of the picture is more Carpenter's film oriented and not quite as slick as many other recent productions, the sound can provide some very well used surround effects for a comforting goosebumps. Good!

Extras: As a bonus, the DVD first has to offer a very interesting audio commentary by director Matthijss van Heijningen and his producer Eric Newman. The two not only talk about the references to the original, but also discuss quite frankly the choices that have not been quite so well received by fans of John Carpenter's film. These include having a female American heroine in a Norwegian research station, as well as the fact that many of the scenes that were actually filmed with practical effects were subsequently converted into less effective CGI. It's a commentary really worth hearing, and one that shows many a weakness in a new light.

The two featurettes are worth watching, but unfortunately quite short. Fire and Ice only has five minutes to fill the viewer in on the pyrotechnic effects. And The Thing evolves is also just too short, at just under 15 minutes, to offer in-depth information about the making of the film. It's interesting to note that many of the practical effects are discussed here that are unfortunately not seen in the finished film, but would have been a very nice nod to the effects in Carpenter's film. Finally, the DVD has nine minutes of cut and extended scenes to offer, which definitely offer some moments worth watching, including a slightly extended ending. Good!

Conclusion:The Thing is a decent horror film, whether it's a prequel or just a remake of John Carpenter's version of the classic story. Surely, this work does not come up to the film of 1982, but the inclined genre fan will be well entertained. The DVD is technically atmospheric, the bonus material is good, but a bit too scarce to really go into depth. Nevertheless, there is still a decent: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp