Warning: This Review Contains Spoilers
Antarctica, 1982. Two teams in the snowy wasteland end up set upon by the same monster in the midst of winter (but I guess it always is in Antarctica right?). I originally looked at these films in order to contest whether it was worth the remake – which ended up being a mistake. The John Carpenter film from 1982 is actually a remake of the 1951 film ‘The Thing From Another Planet’ by Harry Hawk. The 2011 film is actually a prequel to this and below, I will explain my reasoning for this but also cover a few things I have found are still slightly unclear.
The Videotapes (1982) and the Opening Scenes (2011)
Upon visiting the Norwegian base, MacReady and Blair come across some tapes. They later watch them back at their own camp and see the discoveries made. The 2011 film plays all this out for us as the audience – from the discovery of the UFO to the removal of the creature from the ice. However, as far as we know, it is not on the tapes that they take a sample of the creature and are willing to remove it from the ice-box themselves before it inevitably escapes. It is mentioned though that there are 9 tapes found so this is just something that is not shown.
The Ice Box
As mentioned above, the creature that is discovered by the Norwegians is encased in a block of ice. This was actually one of the main points in the 2011 film when I actually sat back and said to myself ‘This is a prequel’ but still felt that I needed more confirmation. I had recognised the room they brought the ice into immediately as the one that MacReady finds the same block in the 1982 film.
The Merged Creature
We learn from both films that in order of ‘The Thing’ to change its appearance it must merge with a host body and imitate them. We actually see this the most often in the 2011 film, but there is evidence of such a creature burnt in the snow that is found by MacReady and Blair. The said creation being is shown to us in the prequel; the group are attacked in their break room and in the melee, it begins merging itself with Adam but is set upon by Kate before it can complete the process, causing the deformity that her and Carter burn – and is later found during the search of the camp.
Axe in the Wall
This was something I actually had to go back and check, because it is such a small piece of evidence that would back up my conclusion and something many would miss. When trying to make their escape, Carter hacks an attacking arm in half against the wall. It works first go but unfortunately it reattaches itself. Understandably, he reaches for the axe again but Kate tells him not to touch it as it has the blood of ‘The Thing’ on its handle. We see the axe again, when MacReady and Blair walk through the hallway on arrival at the Norwegian base. To me, it looks the same – even down to the bloodstains – but that could just be a trick of the mind.
What I Expected of the Ending
So, this is where I became a little bit lost. As the camp burns, only two characters are left standing – Kate and Carter. They chase the creature in to the pit where the UFO is buried and Kate blows it up. I expected there to be only one man standing – ready for the merge into the opening scene of the 1982 version. The balance is redressed however, when Kate burns Carter alive because she believes he is no longer human. It is explained earlier in the film the creature cannot replicate non-organic material (e.g fillings, metal shunts for broken bones). This is Kate’s evidence at the end as Carter no longer has his earring in. Now, it could have fallen out but what settles it for her is that he reaches for the wrong ear.
Here is where the problems arise for me. The 1982 film opens with a helicopter flying over a deserted, white wasteland chasing a husky and firing shots in its direction:
Firstly, they no longer have a helicopter in the 2011 film. It is crashed reasonably close to the beginning due to an attack from the creature. This then makes it impossible to make the flight to chase the dog.
Secondly, it is a man that exits the helicopter – which with the death of Carter this is also no longer possible, as the sole survivor is now a woman. If Carter had survived instead, it would have been easy to explain the gentleman that exits the helicopter speak Norwegian as he may have assumed the new base he finds also speak it and uses what little he has learnt during his time.
For me, the ending and previous scenes mentioned above in this section take away the feeling of this film being a prequel as the opening of the 1982 film is no longer possible. I will still ascertain that the film was supposed to be, and definitely started out as, a prequel but I think some things got a little lost along the way.
