The Thing (2011) - 5 stars out of 10

The Thing (2011) - 5 stars out of 10

I know that I am going to take a lot of flack for this, but I enjoyed the prequel to "The Thing" more than the original!  The original thrives as a mystery film but lacked the technology for the alien to meet its full potential.  That potential is realized x100 in this graphically horrific version of the same concept.  Like its predecessor, "The Thing" lacks character development and receives its low rating because I didn't care when characters died, nor can I list the name of a single person mere hours after watching.  But the alien is awesome and never gets old because it takes on so many different forms!  From the mini-arm-Thing to the bursting-out-of-your-stomach-Thing to melded-two-faced-Thing, every version is unique and scarier than the last.  The idea of a replicating alien is awesome but once that is discovered 1/2-hour into the film, there isn't really anywhere for it to go (except for progressively killing everybody off).  Like the original, it isn't the best story in the world but this film makes up for that with awesome imagery.  It isn't a must-see but something to be enjoyed by any fan of the original, especially as the ending bridges the gap between the two films.