Posts Tagged ‘The Thing’
Movie Maniacs: Series 3
Today we’re going to take a look at Series 3 of McFarlane Toys Movie Maniacs line. This line had characters from my two favorite movies: The Thing and Army of Darkness. The sculpt of each figure got even better in this bunch. You can see it more in The Thing figures with the detail being greater and more intricate. The human figures of the line actually look like the actors that portray those roles. A lot of time you get movie figures that look somewhat like the actor or not at all. As far as articulation goes there really isn’t much but that’s absolutely fine as they are really meant to be for show and stay posed in their movie stance. Here’s the list of figures in this bunch:
- Ash (Army of Darkness)
- The Thing: Blair Monster (The Thing)
- The Thing: Norris Creature & Spider (The Thing)
- Edward Scissorhands (Edward Scissorhands)
- Brundlefly (The Fly)
- John Shaft (Shaft)
- Snake Plissken (Escape from L.A.)
The Thing (2011): Review
This film tells what happens that leads up to the events of the 1982 film “John Carpenter’s The Thing”. A Norwegian research team stumble upon a spaceship and an extraterrestrial being out in the Antarctic snow. They return back to base with “The Thing” (frozen in a block of ice) and call on Paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) to examine the recent find. While celebrating their discovery it breaks out and wreaks havoc on the crew. It isn’t until after their first encounter with the creature that they realize it kills its prey and replicates its body, hiding itself in plain sight.
There’s something about this flick thats a bit more disturbing than the 1982 sequel. I don’t know exactly what it is but I think alot of it has to do with the advancement of movie effects. The way the creature reveals itself and tears the hosts’ body open on numerous occasions is the key “gross out” factor of this film…..and I loved every minute of it! It says alot when a movie makes me not want to eat or drink anything while I’m watching it. This one does the trick. That, along with the fact that everyone is being questioned and no one can be trusted makes this a great horror/thriller flick. I’m glad that this ended up being a prequel rather than a remake for the simple fact that I remember watching the original so many times and always wondering what happened at the base they stumble upon. They made the gap between the two movies rather seamless and it shows. If you watch both movies back to back (i really suggest you do) and pay close attention to the end of the 2011 version and watch the beginning of the 1982 version, the continuity that is kept at the Norwegian base excellent. From the creature that is out in the snow, down to a simple thing as an ax in a wall. A definite watch if you’re interested in a nice little scare.
The Thing is out on DVD and Blu-Ray 1/31/12
