The Thing

Movie review by Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media
The Thing Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 17+

Gory remake of two scary classics lacks their bite.

R 2011 103 minutes
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Parents say

age 15+

Based on 7 reviews

Kids say

age 15+

Based on 13 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Thing -- which takes place slightly before the events of 1982's The Thing and includes some of the same events as the original 1951 movie The Thing from Another World -- has lots of strong, gory visual effects with terrifying mutations between humans and aliens. Humans' faces suddenly split apart, with teeth and tendrils bursting from within, and there's lots of shooting and even a gooey alien autopsy. Language is strong (including "f--k" and "s--t") but not constant. Sex scenes aren't an issue, but one character does tell a very dirty sex joke involving a young boy.

Community Reviews

Shelfunit
Shelfunit Adult
August 27, 2020
age 15+

A decent Prequel.

Contrary to the CSM claim, this is a prequel to the 1982 classic of the same name - called such because, well, what else could you call it? It details the story of the Norwegian base and their finding, and exhumation of an alien space craft, along with its passenger. Not as good as the original, with many of the effects being CGI rather than practical effects due to studio interference, which lessens the impact of the creature(s). The end segues seemlessly into the 1982 film.
StepMomSterToo
StepMomSterToo Adult
July 23, 2012
age 17+

The Thing prequel Gory Monster fun

This movie does lack where the 80's version delivers, mostly in that the special effects come across as overdone. People die in ways that computer graphics can't really make believable, but do not think that this makes this movie an okay for younger teens. It's one of those movies where just about everyone dies, and if they are dying, then you are seeing it. Not for kids. A fun movie for the monster movie fan, but not for kids.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

When a spaceship is discovered buried in the ice in Antarctica, Dr. Sander Halvorson (Ulrich Thomsen) summons top paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) to help investigate. The reason? There's a survivor, a creepy, dark shape frozen in ice a short distance away from the ship. Kate joins several Norwegian researchers in studying the beast, but before anyone can get down to business, the creature gets loose. Worse, Kate soon discovers that it has the ability to perfectly mimic human beings. Not knowing who to trust, Kate soon comes to a hard decision: No one must leave the site alive.

Is It Any Good?

Howard Hawks' The Thing from Another World (1951) -- based, like this movie, on a short story by John W. Campbell Jr. -- used a particular, unique style to establish characters and build suspense. John Carpenter's brilliant remake The Thing (1982) managed to be truly frightening while playing with a subtle social and political commentary. But this "premake" -- directed by first timer Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. -- feels like nothing more than a marketing ploy, a move to cash in on a familiar brand with no further attempt to make it relevant.

The movie's visual effects, a combination of digital and latex, look good and manage to copy Rob Bottin's groundbreaking work from the 1982 movie. And by virtue of copying, the new movie manages to re-capture some of the same terrifying human/creature hybrids that caused such chills before. This movie also uses locations and timing to similar effect, but eventually it runs out of steam, forgetting all about the paranoia theme and ignoring any other potentially interesting themes.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's gory violence. What was your reaction? Do you think that's what the filmmakers intended?

  • Is the movie scary? What made it scary? In general, what's scarier -- the things you see, or the things you don't?

  • One of the movie's themes is trust. Do you think you would have put more trust in the other characters? Is there any danger in trusting someone in real life?

Movie Details

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