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The Thing (2011)
A shell of the original
Movies such as The Thing (2011) highlight one of the biggest problems I have with remakes these days. The film presents the essential aspects of the original - gruesome body horror as well as your general, albeit weak, sense of paranoia - but ends up losing a lot of the character, humour and tension which Carpenter's film exuded, which made it one of the most memorable horror movies of the 20th century.
The most obvious culprit when it comes to the lack of tension is the creature. Remember Jaws? Remember Alien? Remember how little we saw of those monsters and how frightening it was? This film does the opposite which is to its demise. Minutes of the film are spent looking at a computer generated mess which completely ruins the immersion of the picture and therefore tension is lost. I also think the way the characters act in this film is totally unrealistic. There are multiple instances where the characters prioritize emotional connection and grief over the obvious threat to human survival lurking around the corner. In scenes such as Jameson's death, the camera prioritizes the reactions to Jameson being stabbed and then proceeds to show Carter grieving despite the horrors going on at the other side of the room. It's as if this threat isn't threatening enough: it's secondary. This completely stunts any tension from being created. Compare this to the creature scenes from the original and you notice that The Thing is the focus of all the scenes it appears in, not the characters who are meeting their fate.
It must also be said that for a film set in a place as bitterly cold as Antarctica, the movie feels weirdly warm in places: It just goes to show how effective the refrigerated sets of the original were in establishing that particular atmosphere. And when it comes to the research facility, it feels devoid of charm or any lived-in-ness which 1982 did so well (although I do respect the attention to detail on trying to make the set as close to the original base as possible).
With respect to the performances, they're about as good as the original (excluding Kurt Russell because he's the GOAT). I think casting a female lead was refreshing: Mary Elizabeth Winstead fits the role really well, even if it is your typical smart character who gets everything right but ends up being shut down by a superior or overpowered by other panicking characters.
Sorry if this review was a bit messy. I'm sure all of these criticisms have been ranted about before, but I thought I'd write a review considering how much I adore Carpenter's film and wished for this film to do something new and authentic with the same concepts as the original.
Better Call Saul: Rock and Hard Place (2022)
Do not look at viewer discretion at the top of the Netflix screen before the episode starts
I am warning you, the viewer discretion reasons (e.g. Violence, drug misuse etc.) will spoil this episode for you. After clicking on the episode, look away from your screen for about 15 seconds before watching. Thank me later.
Doctor Who: Flux: Chapter One - The Halloween Apocalypse (2021)
Favourite slide of the show
Absolutely amazing, I love the bit when John Bishop dies. My review is apparently too short so I'm just gonna keep writing until I fulfil the review quota for characters.
Clarkson's Farm: Tractoring (2021)
Funny
Thought it was pretty funny. I don't really much else to say.
Rick and Morty: The Vat of Acid Episode (2020)
Can't believe my eyes
This episode blew me away with its creative and hilarious jokes. Besides that it was a bit crap
The Night of the Doctor (2013)
Just fantastic.
A couples weeks ago I was trying to rank all of the doctors. As I had seen no Paul McGann Doctor Who stories, I placed him last. Then I showed the list to my friend who said you could watch The Night of the Doctor on the BBC Youtube Channel, so I decided to watch it. From that short film, I placed Paul McGann above Colin Baker, John Hurt, Peter Davison and Sylvester McCoy. He is amazing in The Night of the Doctor. He is funny, serious and is The Doctor that we know and love. You don't even need to see any other 8th doctor episodes or films to watch this. Definitely recommend.