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Should The Thing ... be left alone?

Discussion in 'Sensorium' started by Beren, Feb 21, 2011.

  1. Beren

    Beren Lovesick and Lonely Wanderer Staff Member Member of the Week Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Apparently a prequel to The Thing is being made, based on what happened to the Norwegians who stumbled on the ship:

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0905372/

    I have to admit, I'm ambivalent about this on more than one level.

    The Thing was personally one of my favorite horror films of all time. The gore factor paled in comparison to the sheer paranoia and atmosphere that infused the movie. In my experience, prequels have a habit of leaving a bad taste in my mouth (Revenge of the Sith being a notable exception).

    Secondly, part of me would like fuller explanation of some of the elements in the original movie. What did The Thing originally look like? What did it look like when the Norwegians carted it back in that large block of ice? What's inside that spaceship? How did Blair get infected? Why was it forced to crash land on earth, in the one place in the world that was to its least advantage, Antarctica? On the other hand, part of what made it so fun and frightening to watch is that the viewer is as much in the dark about The Thing as MacReady and the rest. So herein is part of my ambivalence.

    Thirdly, the prequel will have a hard standard to live up to. Kurt Russell and Keith David were awesome as MacReady and Childs, rough and tumble guys who pulled up their sleaves and did what they had to do without hesitation. The rest of the cast, talented actors like Wilford Brimley, Donald Moffat, Richard Masur, Richard Dysart, Thomas G. Waites and the rest, had the acting range to convey the sheer fear, paranoia, and bewilderment that would necessarily accompany their predicament.

    If the prequel can pull off something equally good, great. But I'm not sure if they can.

    I'm not doing this as a poll. More as a polite solicitation of other opinions. :)
     
    Beren, Feb 21, 2011
    #1
  2. T2Bruno

    T2Bruno The only source of knowledge is experience Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    The Thing originally looked a lot like Marshall Dillon.
     
    T2Bruno, Feb 21, 2011
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  3. Rawgrim Gems: 21/31
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    Well...I love the original movie...But I will have to say that, since its a prequel, its ok. A remake, however, would suck badly. In the next few years, Hollywood is remaking about 60 movies. Commando, totall Recall, The Running Man, Escape from New York, to name a few. Thankfully The Thing isn`t being remade yet. The prequel might be interesting though. I am sure I will watch it, but I am also sure it won`t be as good as the original movie.
     
    Rawgrim, Feb 21, 2011
    #3
  4. dmc

    dmc Speak softly and carry a big briefcase Staff Member Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    Errr... Rawgrim, you DO KNOW that the Carpenter movie was itself a remake of a '50's sci-fi movie, right? Hence, the "original" is a bit of a misnomer.

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044121/
     
    dmc, Feb 21, 2011
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  5. Rawgrim Gems: 21/31
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    I didn`t know that, dmc. Thanks for letting me know though. I might look up the 50s version of the movie.
     
    Rawgrim, Feb 22, 2011
    #5
  6. T2Bruno

    T2Bruno The only source of knowledge is experience Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    ... which stars James Arness (aka Marshall Dillon from Gunsmoke) as The Thing.
     
    T2Bruno, Feb 22, 2011
    #6
  7. dmc

    dmc Speak softly and carry a big briefcase Staff Member Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    Sorry for missing that T2, but I never liked Gunsmoke.
     
    dmc, Feb 22, 2011
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  8. nior Gems: 24/31
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    I loved The Thing but am not too excited about the prequel. I'm getting bugged by the idea that they're gonna do a prequel because they sort of know they're gonna suck with a remake. Btw, I couldn't remember, was there any reference of female members of the Norwegian team?
     
    nior, Feb 22, 2011
    #8
  9. Beren

    Beren Lovesick and Lonely Wanderer Staff Member Member of the Week Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Not at all. When I looked at the Wikipedia entry for the prequel, they apparently wanted to steer clear of Kurt Russell as MacReady and drew on Ellen Ripley style inspiration instead.
     
    Beren, Feb 22, 2011
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  10. nior Gems: 24/31
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    Hmmm. Most of us know (or are under the impression) that there were no survivors from the Norwegian team. The chopper at the start of the movie crashed with the last of the team leaving the dog (the Thing) to the American team. What you said about the Ripley-style inspiration, makes me curious about how they gonna make the prequel work.
     
    nior, Feb 22, 2011
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  11. LKD Gems: 31/31
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    FYI, the movies were loosely based on a story entitled Who Goes There by John W. Campell. He wrote it in the 30s. I remember reading it years ago. Fun story.
     
    LKD, Feb 23, 2011
    #11
  12. Fallen Paladin

    Fallen Paladin The One and the Same Veteran

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    Beren, Revenge of the Sith didn't leave a bad taste in your mouth? I guess the previous two prequels lowered your standards... a lot :p

    [I'd respond to this, but it would take this thread off-topic. :p] - Beren ;)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 3, 2011
    Fallen Paladin, Feb 25, 2011
    #12
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