I'm disappointed -- this looks like a straight-up remake of the original movie, with individual shots stolen right out of the 1982 film, just with CGI now instead of Bottin's make-up.

I'm still going, but this looks like it's being aimed at people who never saw the 1982 film as opposed to being this fan-service prequel that connects to it.

http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie-trai ... c3914b03c0

It doesn't look that bad, but agreed that it looks so close to the original in terms of basic plot structure and even camera shots that I wonder why they didn't just go whole-hog and declare it a remake instead of a "prequel". No teenager today is likely to have seen the "old" original, so they may have well cut out the pretense. As for the CGI, at least the trailer only offers us glimpses of the creature, so there's no reason to get paranoid about them yet. Bottin's work on the original remains peerless, but I reserve judgement until I see the final product.

I liked hearing Morricone's throbbing bass line at the end, though. And MEW is always a plus.

I grant you -- it looks better than FRIGHT NIGHT. I like that they've paid proper tribute to Carpenter's film -- which wasn't even a success in 1982 -- but I don't get why they're saying it's a prequel when it looks just like a remake.

Then again, after seeing the trailers for JOHN CARTER and this Scorsese 3-D kids movie, it doesn't look THAT bad. More that I was expecting more than just a remake masquerading as a prequel, you know?

AndyDursin wrote:but I don't get why they're saying it's a prequel when it looks just like a remake.

Probably because the word "prequel" is slightly less despised than "remake" these days. Plus, there hasn't been a particularly good track record for Carpenter remakes (Halloween? The Fog? Assault On Precinct 13? ). I expect a new version of Christine to be announced any day now...

Monterey Jack wrote:

AndyDursin wrote:but I don't get why they're saying it's a prequel when it looks just like a remake.

Probably because the word "prequel" is slightly less despised than "remake" these days. Plus, there hasn't been a particularly good track record for Carpenter remakes (Halloween? The Fog? Assault On Precinct 13? ). I expect a new version of Christine to be announced any day now...

I laugh every time I think of that line "yeah, well F---K you Dad!"

I'm not a fan of CHRISTINE. About as scary as an episode of The Smurfs, with some uneven pacing too.

AndyDursin wrote:I laugh every time I think of that line "yeah, well F---K you Dad!"

There's a lot of amusingly awkward and gratuitous profanity in Christine that pretty much earned the film's R rating on its own (like The Fog, the fairly tame violence would easilly slide by on a PG-13 rating today sans the incessant F-Bombs). I'd love to quote my favorite swear lines here, but...

I'm not a fan of CHRISTINE. About as scary as an episode of The Smurfs, with some uneven pacing too.

Even at a younger age, I was never terribly scared by Christine, but it's certainly comic book-y fun in the same manner as Creepshow (Keith Gordon is freaking hilarious in it, as is the John Travolta clone playing the stereotypical Stephen King Bully[tm]). And Carpenter's use of the Panavision frame remains peerless. Still, warts and all, it's certainly going to better than the inevitable remake/rehash/re-whatever, which will no doubt have CGI out the wazoo and claim to be "more faithful to the original novel".

BTW, Roberts "George Lebay" Blossom passed away recently...

And Carpenter's use of the Panavision frame remains peerless.

I always give Dean Cundey credit as well, he shot most all of Carpenter's early films and they have a beautiful look to them; when combined with Carpenter's eye for widescreen they're as good as it gets. Massively underrated DP.

AndyDursin wrote:

And Carpenter's use of the Panavision frame remains peerless.

I always give Dean Cundey credit as well, he shot most all of Carpenter's early films and they have a beautiful look to them; when combined with Carpenter's eye for widescreen they're as good as it gets. Massively underrated DP.

Ironically, Christine was one of the few late 70's/early 80's Carpenter films not shot by Cundey (Donald M. Morgan was the DP).

Ironically, Christine was one of the few late 70's/early 80's Carpenter films not shot by Cundey (Donald M. Morgan was the DP).

I'd forgotten that! That must have been the first one Cundey didn't shoot for him.

AndyDursin wrote:

Ironically, Christine was one of the few late 70's/early 80's Carpenter films not shot by Cundey (Donald M. Morgan was the DP).

I'd forgotten that! That must have been the first one Cundey didn't shoot for him.

Assault On Precinct 13 was shot by someone named Douglas Knapp. But between Halloween and Big Trouble In Little China, only Christine and Starman didn't have Cundey as the DP.

Meh, there's a review at AICN and it sounds exactly what the trailer shows you -- a virtual beat-for-beat remake of the Carpenter film in the guise of a prequel, with no surprises for anyone who already watched the original. Another site said the effects are a paltry CGI replication of the first film and that it's respectable yet pointless.

Sounds like I'll be saving my money.

There's a prequel comic coming out through Dark Horse.



In conjunction with the upcoming Universal Pictures film, The Thing, Dark Horse Comics has announced a special digital comic that will serve as a prequel to the October 14th release (which, in itself, is a prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter film).
The comic will be released in three parts, beginning today and continuing each Wednesday until the film's release. Full details of the comic are as follows:
"The Thing: The Northman Nightmare" tells the origin story of pioneering Norsemen who discover a shape-shifting creature that is hiding in a desolate village with few human survivors.
In December 1991, Dark Horse Comics first published The Thing From Another World #1. In the style of Aliens, Predator and Terminator, Dark Horse Comics picked up where John Carpenters classic 1982 film left off. Now, 20 years later, Dark Horse shares a much earlier story about this creature from beneath the ice.
Taking us into frigid Greenland, the comic introduces us to a group of Norsemen who find themselves caught in a game of survival when they discover a terrifying creature. The shape-shifting monster has the ability to turn itself into a perfect replica of any living being. It can look just like you or me, but inside, it remains inhuman. And it hides somewhere in a desolate village with few human survivors, among them a strange group of women...
Said editor Scott Allie: This property consistently generates much excitement from fans, which made it easy to round up an incredible team for this prequel comic. This is a sincere horror story by guys who know how to knock it out of the park.
"The Thing: The Northman Nightmare" is written by Steve Niles (Criminal Macabre), with art by Patric Reynolds (Serenity), colors by Dave Stewart (Hellboy) and a cover by Menton3 (Silent Hill). The Thing: The Northman Nightmare comes to readers as a prequel to Universal Pictures� upcoming prelude to John Carpenters classic 1982 film of the same name.
Steve Niles and Dark Horse have done it again, truly an amazing book, said Menton3. I am extremely proud to be a small part of it.
Read the first part online now at Digital.DarkHorse.com or via the free Dark Horse Comics mobile app.

http://www.isnnews.net/

The Thing comics that Dark Horse published back in the early 90's were great (I even got some fan letters printed in some of them!).

New trailer looks even more CGI-ish than the previous one...not sure if this is getting my dollars or not.