[4]

While it’s technically a prequel, this new Thing is a lot like the old Thing, but pales by comparison in every conceivable way. The characters are less engaging, the atmosphere is less palpable, the tension is lacking, and the ground-breaking practical effects of the 1982 version are replaced with some pretty cheezy-looking CGI. The film also eschews the all-male ensemble for the hackneyed ‘lone survivor girl’ approach (and she’s way too young and pretty to be a brilliant scientist). I like how things are set up for the haunting discoveries at the start of the 1982 version, but this is otherwise a prequel/remake (like so many) that didn’t need to exist.