Film Review: The Thing (2011)

Being a massive fan of John Carpenter's 1982 classic, I was unsure that I really wanted to sit and watch a prequel that fills in the gaps of what exactly happened in the Norwegian camp running up to the start of that film, but nonetheless, I gave it a go. And while it wasn't as terrible as I thought it was going to be, the whole thing was a waste of time, pretty much.

Paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is recruited by a team of Norwegian scientists, who have discovered an alien spaceship under the ice in Antarctica. Unearthing the body of one of the aliens, the team set about discovering what it is, until they find out it's still alive, can kill, and replicate human and animal form.

So far, so 1982 right? And that's the way it stays really. Pretty much the same stuff happens to them, that happened to Kurt Russell and company almost 30 years ago. There's some nice nods to the Carpenter film (which was a remake, of course) but that and the samey plot all tended to remind me of the superior movie.

Then, of course, there's the CGI. It's pretty bad. When a film released in 1982 can still top the special effects than one released in 2011, you know it's going to be bad. Some of it is horrendous, and really blunts some moments that had the potential to be quite good. Some models are used, and even they are worse!

A lot of time has been taken to recreate everything from the scene in Carpenter's film where the Norwegian camp is explored, that much is certain, and the film makers themselves refused to remake the 1982 version, likening it to "painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa", so I guess it all comes down to whether you want to know what happened beforehand, or would you rather just let your imagination do the work for you. I know I'd rather have left it all open, and I don't think there were any online petitions asking for these 'secrets' to be revealed somehow.

The very end of the film is very good though, and does segue perfectly into Carpenter's, even the iconic theme by Ennio Morricone plays, which is a very nice touch and is probably the best moment in the entire film because it works perfectly. You could easily put the 'original' on immediately after. If you had gotten anything else from the new movie, that is.

The performances are solid throughout, Winstead is fine, and Joel Edgerton is perfectly watchable as the helicopter pilot (American, obviously), but when it came to the Norwegian crew, they are all blatantly 'Thing fodder', except, of course, for the one who can't speak English. We all should know what happens to him.

In the end, The Thing is another in a long line of reboots or prequels or remakes no one asked for, and will soon be forgotten. And it didn't exactly do the business at the U.S. box office, which is just as well, because I can just imagine some bonehead cinema goer asking for a sequel.

**
Not the absolute disaster I was expecting, and with a very good ending, post credits. Other than that, you may as well put the 1982 classic on, and not worry about what happened at the Norwegian camp, we've all managed not knowing for 29 years!

Film Review: Warrior

Whilst it's certainly not the first film to feature forms of Ultimate Fighting or MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), 'Warrior' is probably going to be the benchmark. Elliciting memories of what Rocky did for boxing movies is the best comparison to make, and while there is a lot in common between the two films I'm going try not to compare and contrast between the two, because, much like boxing and MMA, they are very different beasts.

That hasn't stopped some reviewers though. I'm sure some of you have seen the bus advert for 'Warrior', declaring it was like "All the Rocky movies rolled into one" (I can't remember the publication, but it's a terrible comparison.) If you are going in expecting that you will be getting talking love interest robots that talk, men in cut off shirts hugging in the sea, subplots about children's jewellery etc, you may be disappointed.

But anyway, 'Warrior' tells the story of two brothers, Tommy (Tom Hardy) and Brendan Conlon (Joel Edgerton), two men who haven't seen each other in years and have very little in common. Brendan is a school teacher who is married with kids, but facing steep bills and possible bankruptcy.

Little is known about Tommy, other than he was in the Marines and has showed back up in town, seemingly on a mission to get as far in the MMA world as possible. One thing the two brothers have in common is a fractured relationship with their estranged, alcoholic father Paddy (Nick Nolte) and their separate roads lead to a huge MMA tournement, where their paths inevitably cross.

While the story is a trifle cliched, it doesn't stop it being enthralling. And for the most part the tone of the film is very serious, particularly the relationship between the brothers and their father, that pulls no punches at all (no pun intended.) The only downside really is some of the subplots (namely one involving Brendan's students trying to watch him fight) almost seem like something from a different, cheesier film.

The performances throughout the film are superb, from Edgerton's subtle underdog family man to Hardy's slightly unhinged wrecking machine (damn it, just made an unintentional Rocky reference, apologies), but also brilliant is Nick Nolte. I know there's plenty of joke mileage to get out of it not taking a lot of effort for him to play an alcoholic, but it's a fantastic, heart breaking performance from a guy who should be in more films. Nolte always seems to have the small roles lately, it's great to see him given such a substantial character.

Also keep an eye out for former WWE superstar Kurt Angle as the feared Russian competitor Koba, who is odds on favourite to win the competition. Was quite amusing to see the very American athlete playing a Russian. I guess Dolph Lundgren was busy!

When we get to the tournement, we get to the fighting (although we get some smaller matches earlier), and these are superb. Obviously, I don't know much about MMA, but these were thrillingly shot, and brought out such a reaction from me at times, you'd think I was watching it live. Heart-poundingly good!

Without giving too much away (and this could be read as a positive rather than a negative), but at the end of the film I was desperate for it to continue. Things were left unanswered and unresolved, but anytime you want a 139 minute film (and it doesn't feel that long at all) to continue, the filmmakers must be doing something right.

****
Despite being a little corny in places, Warrior is a superb film, that whilst being more about the relationship between brothers and their father, still has plenty to please fight films. Great performances from the leads, and welcome back Nick Nolte. Highly recommended.