The Thing prequel opinions and unused pilot concept

I was a huge fan of John Carpenters Thing. I thought the prequel was awful. I would have liked to learn new things about the creature. I also think the director should have owned the film and made it his own and not to try to shoehorn everything we know from J.C.'s version. Despite some not liking Cameron's sequel to Alien it was the best route to go in my opinion. He presented new elements and didn't just rehash what was done in the original like most would do.

Cool pic I was really looking forward to the the thing prequel,but i couldnt ignore the plot holes,the main one being, how the alien ship melts the ice above it and how its discovered in the first place ( s.o.s. beacon? where have i heard that before? ) some very dodgy cgi lessened the experience for me and the idea of the fillings was rediculous. Saying that there was some nice pieces of continuity and the end credit sequence was the best part of the film for me. I really really wanted to love this film as much as the JC version,sadly i cannot.

"THE THING" 2011 BLEW BIG METAL CHUNKS. TOO PREDICTABLE. SURPRISED TO SEE THE SAME HUMANS DID EFFECTS IN THAT MOVIE WHO ALSO DID MOST OF THE ALIEN MOVIES. GILLIS AND WOODRUFF.

I couldn't stand how "dumb" the thing was. It transformed for no logical reason some times. In fact, it appeared to have transformed at the worst possible times. Keep in mind that in the original JC Thing, THE THING WAS SMART ENOUGH TO BUILD A SPACESHIP FROM SPARE PARTS! In the prequel it was acting like an animal with no intelligence or self control.

Thanks for the pic - never seen that before. Guess they didn't want to show that pilot because of the similarities to the space jockey. If they used it we would probably end up with Aliens Vs Predator Vs The Thing lol. I agree with the continuity error in the film regarding the space ship melting the ice above it. It is clearly shown in the JC movie that Kurt Russel's character brings back tapes that show the Norwegians blowing up the ice ontop of the spaceship. This annoys not just for continuity's sake but also because the film makers prided themselves on being huge fans of JC's film and boasted of having a copy of the movie on the set so they could refer to it.

I was wndering about starting a thread about The Thing, I'm glad you think like I do. My thought initially about that is as we're dealing essentially with the Alien legacy that has been in exitence throught the galaxy for a very long time and my thought of another Thing film would be a prequel t the prequel. I would like to see what happened to and what exactly befell the alien crew in that franchise and the exact circumstances that drove it to come to crash land upon the earth 100,00's of thousands of years ago... I thought this could be approached in a similar way as in Prometheus with the holotechnology except like in an Avatar situation some kind of device is found and once triggered the person who triggered it is forced to re-live what the original crew went though in their ordeal. Then others join in to make up the numbers and pretty soon you have a sort of flash back type of movie until the end where to reasons for the alien ship coming to Earth in the first place is truely revealed. The film could start off like a seqel but then refer back to what the original aliens who piloted the space craft actually origiunally encountered that was The Thing and all subsequent plot scenarios about it's origins are then set in motion for us the viewer. Very Well done for strting that thread! Good for you Xenomorph54!

The dog didn't look the same, and the practical effects were cooler than the CGI they ended up using, but I really can't see the pilot of THAT ship looking like the Space Jockey.......... Maybe kind of, but not really............. Oh and yes, the ship blowing the hole in the ice was breaking the continuity completely, I kinda tuned out after that in the cinema. The ONE time I go to the movies in 2011 was a waste of money *grumble mumble kicks small puppies and a grandma*

Nice find @Xenomorph54 On the other hand a few days ago I found this concept art of "THE THING" and the truth is I found some similarities to Prometheus and Aliens [img]http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x368/bipolarestancia/The_Thing_Concept_Art_by_The_Aaron_Sims_Co_09a.jpg[/img] [img]http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x368/bipolarestancia/2946q87-1.jpg[/img] [img]http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x368/bipolarestancia/The_Thing_Concept_Art_by_The_Aaron_Sims_Co_10a.jpg[/img] [img]http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x368/bipolarestancia/470_1780065.jpg[/img] [img]http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x368/bipolarestancia/tumblr_l3ptzxRSFZ1qc77bqo1_400.jpg[/img] And finally I found this great fan art of a Space Jochey, much like a Xenomorph [img]http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x368/bipolarestancia/SpaceJockey3.jpg[/img]

I think this is why Ridley is not doing a direct Prequel to Alien..... Alien Universe has much more to give and many unanswered questions. We pretty much knew what a Alien Prequel was going to be about before the Script was even written.... Norwegian Base find a burried Alien Ship, they bring back a Frozen Organism, that thores and escapes and then kills them all apart from two who apear in the Helicopter shooting at the Dog Thing. Its how they fill those gaps in, there would be many in continuity's Yes the Ship was not discovered by blowing up the ice as in The Thing Yes there are American Researchers so why did the The Things American Outpost 31 crew not discover any research made by Americans? They never really showed how and where the Thing infected the last Dog, we know it must have done but the process was not shown. The problems i had was the plot could had been better and had better director. I feel some of the plot makes no sence in that Kate seems to had survived but does she do so for long enough to get help....well as far as the orginal movie set days latter you would assume maybe not. My biggest problem was like Alien the Thing was a classic, if we had not seen Aliens and it was not made, then yes any potential sequel made say this year would have a lot to live up to. I feel that the Thing prequel had a lot of nice concept work and probs and that Alien Pilot looks great aswell as the 3 eyed tenticle monster that is said to be the Things orginal form. These where never used in the movie. I feel the Thing Prequel started to run out of time and budget and Universal Studios wanted them to hurry up and finish the movie to a set schedule. If it had more of a budget and thus never had to leave some good prop work out and use CGI and if some of the CGI scenes was not rushed out. Then this movie may had been better. So for me the Special Effects was a disapointment and also the ending. Apart from that 75% of the Effects and all but the last scene i felt was good, the last scene i was not pleased with and some of the CGI was poor.

Did someone say Space Jockey?

There is a quick scene where the kennel is shown to have blood satins all over the floor leading to a 'man hatch' that opens up for wide egress and access to both inside and out. I think one of the Americans and Norwegians happen across that part in the film. Wtach it again, I'm sure you'll see alright Big Dave.

Meant to say 'blood stains'! lol!

I think i know what you mean... We dont see what really happens but can assume with the clues.... We do see a Dog Thing that they Torch and then bring back in to study and it looks like a Dog meets Star Ship Tropper Bug. Do you mean that? Or something that happens out of sight.... i.e say in Prometheus we get a scene where Space Jockey gets to Shaw and she faints in her Space suit Jockey takes her into a Room, then fade to black. Shaw wakes up in her undies, gets back to Prometheus and is pregnant and has a Alien Baby..... Now we would not see Shaw and Space Joggy have Intercourse or indeed we wont see what kind of experiment the Jockey does to her... but we can assume he either impregnates her or implants something. But there is no scene to show such... I think thats what you mean by that scene in The Thing prequel?

The design with a snorkel [img]http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x368/bipolarestancia/553692_411543012190411_191901360821245_1554734_970639017_n.jpg[/img] The final design of the pilot [img]http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x368/bipolarestancia/Pilotfull.jpg[/img] [img]http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x368/bipolarestancia/Pilotonset.jpg[/img] [img]http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x368/bipolarestancia/Pilotonset3.jpg[/img] And the design of the pilot of the ice block [img]http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x368/bipolarestancia/bug3.png[/img] [img]http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x368/bipolarestancia/bug.png[/img] [img]http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x368/bipolarestancia/The-Thing-2011-Dissection-Scene.jpg[/img]

A concept art inside the spacecraft [img]http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x368/bipolarestancia/829_stream.jpg[/img]

In another set of information snippets I remember trailig across in the script for The Thing when the Anartica 1st research team enters and investigates the Alien Space Craft they come across burned spots upon the floor at the enterance to what appeared to be some sort of 'habitation looking cubicle' (individual crew quarters?) There are giant vats full of a liquid that looks frozen solid much like a super-sized urn yet one appears torn open. Great 'claw marks' seem to run the entire lenght down the ovular-circule looking ovid. The 'metal' looked as though it was bent outward (no punn inteded for Alien but nice none-the-less) All own corridors there are spots of ripped 'hull', 'bulk heads' and yet more ashened-looking scrtch marks that have been the product of something left there to the exposure of the elements for a long time.

Incidentaly, the vats were located in another part of the Space Ships interior.

I still feel that the definitive Thing movie has not been made. The short story was very much like Alien, only the Thing was trying to survive by blending in. It was trapped and wanted to get out alive and then....who knows!!

You know, The Thing (JC version) and Alien are my favourite Sci Fi movies - and they both involve derelict alien spacecraft. Go figure.

Predator is good too, except we only get the briefest glimpses of the ship at the begining but are only left with the Preadtor and another "Rat Pack/Wild Bunch" to desimate until the last man/woman standing!

i liked the practical effects they used also, they have some video of making the puppets and make-up on youtube and the unusual gory contorted figures are right up my alley. the CG looked rushed and sloppy to me, but im not a film snob so i enjoyed the movie for what it was. i have seen some pretty bad movies so this was fine. sucks that the make-up/puppet artists did all of that effort just to have computer effects for most of it instead. i would be furious if i put all of that effort into making art for a movie and they covered it up or didnt use it at all. if i was that company is refuse to work with that director again assuming he would do the same thing and just waste the staffs time making puppets that wont ever been seen. that seems to happen a lot, people hire practical make up teams, have them spend time and money creating art and then saying they dont want to use it at the very last minute AFTER they filmed the scenes.

Stepping outside the details of the two movies for a second, I remember John Carpenter not liking "Alien" as a standard "guy in a rubber suit" monster movie, but turning around and cashing in with "The Thing" remake. Scott is somewhere between Cameron and Carpenter on the technology scale (Cameron always a 9.9 and Carpenter usually a 5), but seems to have adopted plot devices from both. I can't imagine Carpenter liking Scott borrowing some of his elements.

The prequel could have been so much better... find out more at http://thulestation.com/about/deleted-scenes