The original was best known as the Howard Hawks fluke that featured future Gunsmoke star James Arness as a killer carrot from outer space. A few decades later, John Carpenter revisited the material and, along with the brilliant work of F/X wizard Rob Bottin, turned it into one of the greatest Grand Guignol geek shows ever. So naturally Hollywood can't leave well enough alone, but instead of going the remake route, they've decided to highlight how The Thing and its shapeshifting splatter came to visit itself upon Kurt Russell and his rogue's gallery of South Pole suspects. This new film, also called The Thing, is therefore one of those dreaded "prequels," an attempt to tie back to the source without totally ruining the ride for everyone. Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., the newcomer behind the lens, almost pulls it off. Sadly, the lack of a solid script -- and any significant scares -- does him in.
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