The Thing (2011) - A Review

 Don't worry. No spoilers.

Here's the trailer for anyone who hasn't seen it.

      

      So, I just got home from seeing "The Thing" and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. The preview makes it look like any other jump-out-at-you scary movie, and it definitely had that creepy vibe where some poor soul is walking around possibly about to be attacked and then RAWR. But aside from that, it also had a creepy psychological feel. You, as a viewer, are making your brain go overtime trying to figure out ways to decide who is who. And it's not always easy-going. There are so many twists and turns in this movie, it's very edge-of-your-seat.

      I heard from a lot of people before going in that the CGI isn't really that great, but considering what they were doing, from tearing people in half to making an alien swallow a human, they did pretty well. There were only a few scenes with obviously digitized computer graphics.

      I really liked how they didn't have any huge A list actors in this movie but that's my own personal preference. When I see an A lister in a scary movie, it takes away from the feeling of the movie and keeps me from feeling emotionally attached to the characters. Although, I did turn to my friend at the beginning and say, "Woah, is that Mr. Eko?" It was.

      For a prequel, it did an incredible job of setting up for the next movie. The last scene in this movie is actually the first scene for the original so the transition is rather seamless. 

I'd give it a solid 8/10.

I am curious as to why an Arctic science research station has all these flamethrowers laying around...

SAW

Now, to be honest, I'm a big fan of the "Saw" franchise.

And even though they seem to come out with a new one every Halloween, and some of the torture scenes still make me cringe after multiple times...

I mean, seriously, the girl's hair in the crank pulling back further and further until her scalp starts tearing?
The girl getting sprayed with water in the freezer until her body shatters?

*shiver

Anyways, I don't enjoy them especially for the torture or the terror scenes, but the way that the entire story fits together perfectly. It is incredibly thought out and intricate in what the audience is told.

The first "SAW" was a great movie in and of itself with wonderful twists and an epic ending.

The second "SAW", now that, it was sort of a flop. I mean, c'mon, Marky Mark? I mean, there were some good parts but in my mind, it was like another version of a "SAW" movie.

The third "SAW" made up for the second. It tied all three movies together and by the end, it felt incredibly well-rounded.

The fourth time around, it asked questioned I hadn't even thought of during the first three and answered said questions.

The fifth time, a lot of people were starting to get sick of the franchise. It was around this time that the slogan, "It's Halloween so that must mean SAW" came out.

And so on and so on. Asking more questions, answering those questions, and explaining more about Jigsaw's past. With time shifts, things happening at the same time as other things in different movies, characters becoming involved when it wasn't previously thought that they were involved, people once thought dead ending up still being alive at the time of events in a later movie, I thought it was all amazing.

I mean, think of the studio's mindset.

They have this major idea for a multiple movie series but they're not sure how it'll all pan out.

They release the first one with overwhelming positive results. But in doing so, they're keeping the movie as one storyline. Things that aren't answers are understood that they're not meant to be answered. It's a perfect sphere in and of itself.

It's kind of like the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. It's a great thing by itself but when you learn about the compass not pointing North, lines from the first one make more sense. "A compass that doesn't even point North..." because it was pointing at what he wanted the most.

WHICH IS LEARNED IN THE NEXT MOVIE.
Mindblown.

So, in closing, I'm about to watch "SAW: The Final Chapter" and in doing so, I'm hoping that it'll be as great as the first few.

The first few minus the second one of course.
Seriously. Marky Mark.

I'm never going to let that go.

I'm a bigger fan than most, I just hope my high expectations will not damper the well-thought-outness of this movie.

"I promise that my work will continue."

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