underwhelming

Rating: 5/10 (4 September 2013)

The Thing has an interesting start as a man makes a determined effort to kill a dog. It's a disquieting scene, creating a sense of mystery. The movie continues its sense of disquiet for a while, letting you worry without quite knowing why.
Unfortunately, after that the movie becomes focused on special effects and explosions. The characters are generic, the story is a little muddled, and some of the most effective scenes are also the least realistic.
For me, the most interesting thing about the movie was how much Kurt Russel looked like someone from the band the Bee Gees. I always think of his as Snake Pliskin, but here, in spite of an authoritative role and bushy beard, his baby face and blow-dried hair make him look like a Hollywood actor pretending to be a tough guy. I wish they'd made him a little scragglier.
To be fair. I didn't care much for the original movie from the 1950s either. So perhaps this is just not the story for me.