I have seen a lot of horror movies. I've seen hundreds of slasher, alien, ghost, vampire, and zombie movies. It is my favorite genre. However, they stopped scaring me a long time ago. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy them anymore, but they have lost that ability to make me sink into my seat and cover my eyes in horror. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this movie did that to me, but it was the first to have an actual EFFECT on me in a long, long time. It hurts my pride to say this...but I was actually frightened during a scene 3/4ths of the way through this movie. This scene, which I will say nothing about, scared the piss out of me. It was the best thing I've seen in a horror movie in 30 years, since Jack Nicholson's descent into madness in The Shining. Think I'm exaggerating? I'm not. This movie was superb. The acting was uniformly terrific and convincing, the effects were splendidly grotesque, and the pacing was brilliant. The terror just mounts and mounts until the horrifying conclusion. Please, take the advice of a horror aficianado: go see this movie...and stay through the credits.… Expand

The Thing is a tense, atmospheric and scary prequel to the cult classic that is a fun and frightening film that is on par with the original and should be viewed at Halloween time

Truly a movie made for the fans of "The Thing' and I am one of those huge fans. Very well put together movie, a bit predictable for me and some very minor things here and there I would have liked to have seen better but overall, a solid prequel. I would have rated the movie a 10 if it weren't for over use of CGI. ( Not terrible, but the CG still takes you out of the immersion of the film.) Highly recommend this to anyone seeking a good October thrill movie or fans of the thing.… Expand

Awesome prequel... graphics up to snuff. Actors were decent. Score wasn't too shabby, and the action/intensity was all there. Storyline got better and better as it went along. Atmosphere was just right for the style of the story, which does differ slightly from Carpenter's version. Definitely a great expansion to the THE THING universe.

Think of it as Jurassic Park + Aliens + X-files + Predator + The Thing (1982) + Dawn of the Dead = The Thing 2011

I see a lot of people trying to turn this into some sort of competition with the '82 John Carpenter release I mean, seriously, look at what people are saying they are trying to top. Carpenter as director/producer, Morricone for the score, and actors like Russell and Brimley? Seriously? You will never, ever, ever top that... no matter how much money you have, how hard you try. It will never be undone because it was all the right timing and magic to make that a timeless masterpiece that just can't be beaten.

Instead, the prequel focuses on not trying to outdo Carpenter's, but expand on it... and it does it amazingly well. A very worthy prequel indeed! I just think to many people are trying to toss the two films into competition, when the production and development teams themselves have stated they were not attempting to "beat" carpenters masterpiece, but fill in the blanks and give a very detailed back story.

Carpenters version is thriller, panic, and group fear with some action.

STRIKE's version was action, chaos, anxiety and the tragedy that occurred leading up to the events of Carpenters with a far more descriptive background on the thing itself... yet still not unveiling all the secrets of this unusual alien monster.

And for the effort, and one happy fan, I still say it deserves right around a 9/10. Especially considering prequels and additions and remakes today... this one stands out like the "dawn of the dead" STRIKE update.

Very entertaining, and the ending scene during the credits really reached out and touched my nostalgic heart... the crowd actually cheered. I took friends to see it on release night tonight as well, and all 6 of them... and this is a first, came out loving it. 2 of them had not even seen the Carpenter version. Now that's impressive!… Expand

I would just like to point out first that I have seen the John Carpenter version. I thought this was great movie overall to both fans of the original and to newcomers. It does a great job at pleasing both. The actors and actresses did a fine job in my opinion which is just my opinion. The only complaint I really have for the movie is some minor plot holes with this movie and the second and the use of CGIs. I don't think they were bad just overused. I preferred the original use of suspense.… Expand

i was very pleased with this film . i loved the 1982 version of The Thing it was ground breaking and the effect where and still are amazing . This is not a Remake like it almost would seem by the name . It is in fact a prequel set just before the events with kurt russell, now having seen the 1982 version about 10x i kinda know whats gona happen for the most part in this film , now that doesnt mean there wasnt alot to enjoy , seeing cool new versions of the thing (which are very well done) , and still being in suspense on who is infected and who isn't. they stayed very true to leading up to every thing in carpenters version of the thing . the only thing that could have made this a much better film is if this was a sequel and we got to find out what happend to kurt russell and kieth david... maybe a trilogy?... hopefully. still though silid movie all around.… Expand

This is a worthy prequel to say the least. While it discards the paranoia and careful considerations of the 1982 version, it instead chooses to create a sense of tension and urgency with even greater effectiveness. While some of the side characters could have used some work, the main characters were likable and sensible (A rare quality in a horror movie). The characters are as quick on the uptake as the audience, and the Thing, while showing less forethought than the 1982 version, is still incredibly intelligent and, most importantly, scary. Mary Elizabeth Winstead in particular gave a stunning performance. Along with some problems with minor characters seemingly existing only to be killed/assimilated is the issue of CG simply not being up to the standard of the old models used by the original movie. While the 1982 version is still king, the prequel is definitely a must-see.… Expand

Great movie was really surprised. My expectations were quite low for this movie. I am a really big fan of Carpenter's the thing, and was worried that this new prequel would drop the bomb and ruin the name. But it didnt, this movie was much better than i expected. Carpenter's movie is still better but this movie is worth the watch too. Acting, story, effects, atmosphere were all really good.

This was an awesome setup for the sequel, which came out in 1982. I felt that I was horrified to my fullest amount, and I was satisfied with the ending and plot. Great movie.

The hardest job in movies has to be the task of creating a prequel to a cult classic. George Lucas showed us all how to make a supreme mess of this job. His prequels took shape as three massive dumps and then he used the original films as toilet paper. In the case of The Thing (2011) Matthjis van Heijiningen demonstrates how it should be done.
When I first heard that this movie was in production, I had instantly assumed it would be terrible and like the Star Wars prequels, it would also serve to diminish the value of the original.
I'm am delighted to say that it didn't. If anything, this new movie enhances the experience of watching the original.
I watched the entire movie with scepticism. Waiting for gaping plot holes to open up. They didn't happen. The movie is tight and links up perfectly with the beloved 1982 version.

I absolutely love this film. I don't think I can watch one without the other now.
When the DVD comes out, it will get a place in my collection right next to the Carpenter original.

At the time of writing this review:
Critic score: 49
User: 7.1

A demonstration on what value you should put on critic scores.
They've directed me towards a vat of absolute crud this year.… Expand

Been a horror buff for many years and know what to look for in these sorts of films. In this case The Thing is one of my favorites and the script, setting, creature, etc is just pristine. Seeing this prequel, I went in with skepticism because a lot of the time these films are harsh knock offs copying from the original. Well it does in some places but changes the subjects it gets it right, plays it safe, which is good because the original is a classic. Script is of course weak, weaker then the original but turned out to be excellent, well done special effects and creepy atmosphere. I really liked Mary Elizabeth.. I thought by the end she almost came off as a Ripley like character. Hoping it does well enough to get a sequel to that side of the story. I won't spoil anything but the ending I really enjoyed.. too many happy endings nowadays but this one was good. My brother and I enjoyed it so much might just see it again. My only points would be to improve the script, give Mary more speaking parts and maybe flesh her out a bit more.. only disappointment was the final creature, just was silly having the guys face plastered over it.. but just a nit pick more then anything. Great film and thats saying a lot since a lot of the horror flicks lately have sucked.… Expand

IT IS GREAT, NO MATTER WHAT OTHERS SAY. A lot of care was placed in this movie in order to replicate every single detail from the original one. Congratulations to all the Cast and Crew, because you must be proud of your work. I would love getting a sequel.

I think this prequel stayed true to the Carpenter version. I have to say that before this movie, I never heard of "The Thing" (1982). While I read up on this one some more, I figured out it was a prequel to the 1982 original. I was very interested to see it. I watched the Carpenter version (for the first time) after watching "The Thing" (2011, prequel) And I loved it.

It really felt like I was watching the sequel. The film makers of "The Thing" (2011) made it so well, that it really made the Carpenter version feel like a sequel, even though it was made in the 80's. Excellent work.

Acting performances were great,, especially Mary Elizabeth Winstead (love her!) It's obvious she has an incredible career ahead of her. If you like horror films, I think you're in for a real treat with this one. Fans of the original SHOULD not be disappointed.… Expand

As expected, this provided a richer experience than Carpenter's and quite a bit more than a remake-type prequel. This film is a worthy successor to those entries created around John W. Campbell's landmark novella "Who Goes There?" from 1938. That includes Howard Hawk's 1952 compelling interpretation and - of course - John Carpenter's contribution in 1982. plot - good sci-fi relies on realistic but unusual mortal dangers inevitably imposed by the many weaknessses present in the human condition. Check! [A-] characters - an acute, fear-induced tension/mistrust pits Swedes against Americans, workers against scientists and those motivated by professional ambition against the protagonist who is concerned for the safety of everyone isolated there. [A+] music - Beltrami borrowed Ennio Morricone's score. Good decision. [A] effects - successfully advanced the state-of-the-art from Carpenter's benchmark. [A] hardware - the ship, though detailed, was a disappointment for me. [B-] action - well-paced, quite intense and believable. [A]

This outing is a quality product to be sure - but nothing will beat Carpenter's ending with Kurt Russell and Keith David seated and freezing to death, glaring suspiciously at each other over a bottle of bourbon in the smoky, burning wreckage of an Arctic encampment as night falls. . .… Expand

This prequel is a well-made, tense, atmosphere and surprisingly scary flick that pays respect to the previous film and is better than I thought it would be. Great Halloween treat.

this film was good. let along quit a bit of mist scenes in this film i would of liked to of seen in the movie but i guess time is always a factour when it comes to horrors for some reason. quit a short film but it did its time and did it well. the actors were chosen poorly(could of worked on finding better people for it) and the scrips had to be worked on. the visual effects were proper. the location was a good place for it. but overall i give it a 8 because i liket one of the actors and the place it was filmed in :) so i recommend it to those sci-fi freaks out there like me :)… Expand