The Thing: Blu Ray Review

The Thing: Blu Ray Review

Rating: R16
Released by Universal Home Ent

So, the prequel to John Carpenter's masterpiece is now out on the small screen after barely making a dent in the box office.

It's 1982 and Dr Kate Lloyd (Mary Elisabeth Winstead) is hauled into the service of a US and Norwegian scientific team which is heading for Antarctica after a crash UFO is discovered in the ice.

But things take a turn for the nasty when the eager beavers in charge of the dig, decide to free the beast from within the ice - and soon a shapeshifter's on the loose with the ability to take on the appearance of anyone in the base....

It's upto the surviving members of the team to try and save the day before the creatures break their way into the wider world.

The Thing in its prequel form is a little bit of a disappointment to be frank.

While Winstead's relatively impressive and has the requisite pluck to take on the marauding creature, the effects and the push for more conventional horror ideas leave this a little floundering.

That said, there are a few good moments of mistrust and tension as the team tries to work out who's the good guys and who's not - but most of the scenes end with the creature splaying open and throwing tendrils everywhere, giving more of an impression of B Movie schlock than anything particularly sophisticated.

Marks go to the flick for the end tying into the original film, but the whole film falls into unoriginal territory and while you can get that they're trying to make a companion piece to the original, you can't help but feel that when compared to it, it falls short.

Extras: Deleted scenes, commentary and a couple of docos.

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