FILM REVIEW: The Thing (2011 prequel)

Director: Matthijs van Heijiningen Jr.
Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Running Time: 102 minutes
Genre: Horror thriller

A prequel to the 1982 classic of the same name on paper is totally unnecessary and uncalled for. Even now, 30 years after its release, the original film remains a masterpiece of psychological horror storytelling and the creature effects remain miraculously decent despite its age. So this prequel has an awful lot to live up to and it essentially comes off very much like 2010's sequel Predators, a film which captures the spirit of the original classic, but does little to elevate it from being a modern rethread.

A film like this can't help but be compared to the original as there are so many nods and winks to it throughout its 100 minute running time. Finding out how the Norwegian camp from the original came to end up like this was an interesting idea and at a basic level the style and set-design are excellent for the most part and consistent with the original. But much more important and an essential part of what made the original so tense was the characterization, the strong central cast who felt like more than filler for when the trouble began. In this aspect, this film fails, we are given Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Kate Lloyd, who is the sole character we get to know or appreciate in any way, with supports like Carter (underused Joel Edgerton as a Kurt Russell clone) and the two-faced Adam (Eric Christian Olsen) wasted. The rest are either cardboard cut-out characters, like the callous Dr. Halvorson (Ulrich Thomsen), who are underdeveloped and given little room to be nothing but stereotypes. This would not matter if the film had a hidden ace up its sleeve, but it doesn't. Once the alien is loose, it becomes a stalk'n'slash horror with the body count rising steadily and some shoddy CGI (even compared to 1982's version, where prosthetics have held up considerably better) kill any tension that could have been sought from the creepy premise of not knowing who could possibly be the creature.

While entertaining as a throwaway action horror film, this prequel does not do enough to distinguish itself from the classic 1982 film. Much like other new rethreads of older classics, this film serves more as a homage to the original film rather than trying to invoke any unique and original scares/thrills of its own. Only for die hard 'The Thing' fans.

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SONG OF THE DAY: 11/7/12

Jane's Addiction are a band that name was always familiar to me, but never know much of their catalogue (bar maybe 'Just Because') until one evening when I heard their latest single 'Irresistible Force (Met the Immovable Object) on Paul McLoone's radio show on Today FM. So I sought out that song on their new album, The Great Escape Artist, and along with Irresistible Force, I'll Hit You Back are the two stand-outs. I was surprised to find out that this was only Jane's fourth album since 1988 and in an age where disposable albums are released yearly in a overly-saturated and quality declining market, it's good to see bands like Jane's Addiction still going strong.

FILM REVIEW: A Lonely Place to Die (2011)

Director: Julian Gilbey
Starring: Melissa George, Ed Speleers, Sean Harris, Eamonn Walker and Karel Roden
Running Time: 99 minutes
Genre: Thriller

I saw Julian Gilbey's 'A Lonely Place to Die' knowing very little about the film. Marketed as a mountain climbing adventure that gets out-of-hand by the wonderfully misleading posters/promotional materials for the film that advertise a Cliffhanger-type thriller hide a truly great and thoroughly entertaining thriller that is tough and unforgiving and builds to a highly effective and strong finale. This is all propelled by a strong cast, relentless pace and terrific set-pieces. 

Set in the wilderness of the Scottish Highlands, a crew of inexperienced mountaineers come across a kidnapped young foreign girl buried in a chamber. What follows is their attempts to get to a local town and warn the authorities. However, the kidnappers are on their trail and what should be a routine mountaineering expedition becomes a nightmare for all involved. The group, who are perhaps slightly generic on the surface with the battling female lead, the funny guy/love interest, the arsehole, the mother who misses her child and the fake lead. But with credit to Gilbey, the characters do not have long to fill these roles as once the kidnappers find out the young girl is missing, the action is relentless and the kidnapper's vicious in their pursuit of the girl. We are given very little insight to why the girl is so valuable, but with the introduction of  Darko (Karel Roden) and Andy (Oz's Eamonn Walker) the pieces fall into place. Melissa George is a great lead, tough yet inexperienced, she makes you feel for her plight. Ed (Ed Speleers) could easily be an annoying sidekick, but Speleers does a good job of keeping him amusing and genuine, and his making light of their horrible situation provides much needs moments of comic relief. The villains Mr. Kidd (the vastly underrated Sean Harris) and Mr. McRae (Stephen McCole) are worthy adversaries and are cold, vicious and brutal (as exhibited in their memorable introduction). Not to spoil from the films best set-pieces, but once the first shot is fired, the film becomes relentless in pace with the action non-stop and Kidd and McRae's menace becoming swiftly ominous. 

'A Lonely Place to Die' is a great little thriller. Despite the minor logic flaws, this a tough and entertaining film with George carrying the film with her charisma and presence in opposite to the devilish and sinisterly excellent Harris and McCole. If you like films with a raw edge, non-stop tension and action and a satisfyingly tense finale that packs a punch, 'A Lonely Place to Die' is for you. 

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