Movie · 2011 · Horror, Science Fiction, Mystery · 1h 43m · R · English
Curator score: 0.9/10 (156.9K ratings)
It's not human. Yet.
Overview
When paleontologist Kate Lloyd travels to an isolated outpost in Antarctica for the expedition of a lifetime, she joins an international team that unearths a remarkable discovery. Their elation quickly turns to fear as they realize that their experiment has freed a mysterious being from its frozen prison. Paranoia spreads like an epidemic as a creature that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish in this spine-tingling thriller.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.9/10
IMDb: 6.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 34%
Metacritic: 49
TMDB: 6.2/10
Director
Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.
Production
Universal Pictures, Morgan Creek Entertainment, Strike Entertainment
Cast
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen, Eric Christian Olsen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Paul Braunstein, Trond Espen Seim, Kim Bubbs, Jørgen Langhelle, Jan Gunnar Røise, Stig Henrik Hoff, Kristofer Hivju, Jo Adrian Haavind, Carsten Bjørnlund, Jonathan Walker, Ole Martin Aune Nilsen, Michael Brown
Curator Review
Verdict
A decent, watchable Antarctic creature feature that benefits from a strong premise, chilly atmosphere, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s grounded lead performance, but it never fully escapes the shadow of the 1982 film it’s attached to. The practical-versus-CGI divide is a real issue, and the movie often feels more like a competent echo than a fresh horror classic.
Best for
fans of paranoia-driven sci-fi horror
viewers curious about prequels and franchise lore
people who enjoy isolated-outpost survival stories
audiences who don’t mind uneven effects if the setup is strong
Skip if
you want the 1982 film’s level of tension and craftsmanship
weak CGI pulls you out of creature horror
you dislike prequels that mostly replay familiar beats
you’re looking for a truly original monster movie
Overview
This prequel has the bones of a solid studio horror film: a frozen setting, a sealed-off team, and a shapeshifting threat that turns trust into a liability. The premise naturally generates dread, and the movie knows how to stage suspicion in tight corridors and dim labs. Mary Elizabeth Winstead gives it a much-needed center of gravity, playing the smartest person in the room without making her feel invincible.
Worth noting
The problem is that the film is constantly measured against a far better predecessor, and it rarely wins that comparison. Its biggest creature moments lean into digital effects that feel less tactile and less frightening than the practical work horror fans expect from this material. Instead of deepening the original’s paranoia, it often feels like it is reenacting it with less precision and less restraint.
Bottom line
Still, as a late-night genre watch, it has enough atmosphere and momentum to stay afloat. If you approach it as a competent, occasionally effective prelude rather than a replacement for a classic, there is some value here. It’s not essential viewing, but it is not a total write-off either.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Jay (2.5★) · 2438 likes
you got a problem when the practical effects from 1982 are terrifying to this day yet cgi from 7 years ago looks like its from a show on the cw
amaya (1★) · 1471 likes
my mom was like "let's watch the thing. it's good." and then she puts this on someone get me out of here
Joe A (2★) · 733 likes
The frustrating part about The Thing (2011) is that they had the blueprint for an interesting prequel— an alley-oop they miss because the energy is siphoned away from telling a taut thriller and put into making the monster bigger and scarier. It’s a fundamental misunderstanding of why the first one is so special. Understandably, the movie craves its own identity, but searches for it in all the wrong places.
Like at least change the damn title. Oh well, Mary Elizabeth-Winstead you are innocent.
ScreeningNotes (3★) · 585 likes
Hi, my name is Screening Notes, and I'm... a remake apologist.
Hi Screening Notes.
It's been three and a half weeks since my last remake, but last night... last night I watched the remake of The Thing, and I don't mean John Carpenter's 1982 masterpiece, I mean the new 2011 one... and I liked it. I mean, I didn't just think it wasn't bad, I actively enjoyed watching it. The effects are nothing compared to Carpenter's and the ending has… more
Geoffrey Broomer · 566 likes
You see, what we're talking about here is an organism that imitates other media forms, and imitates them ...perfectly. When this Thing (2011) attacked The Thing (1982), it tried to digest it. Absorb it. And in the process, shape its own frames to imitate it. This, for instance, that's not The Thing (1982). That's imitation. We got to it before it had time to finish...