I'm writing this review only to say that after being drunk and rewatching this film I had a minor revelation about why they would call this prequel to the amazing "The Thing", "The Thing".
At first I had thought the film makers were lazy. Then I thought they were just trying to express how perhaps the prequel and the original were in fact one singular movie. But what I realised upon this last drunken viewing was that: The Thing, the creature itself, is an imitator. And that's exactly what this movie is. The Thing replicates a person (or a movie) that already exists, yet when it imitates this person (or movie), it is merely a poorer, less accurate version of this person (or movie).
This movie is literally: The Thing. It is an imitation of, The Thing. Yet it cannot fully replicate its brilliance. It is just a copy. And looking at the movie (and its title) with this logic and viewpoint makes it far more enjoyable.
At first I had thought the film makers were lazy. Then I thought they were just trying to express how perhaps the prequel and the original were in fact one singular movie. But what I realised upon this last drunken viewing was that: The Thing, the creature itself, is an imitator. And that's exactly what this movie is. The Thing replicates a person (or a movie) that already exists, yet when it imitates this person (or movie), it is merely a poorer, less accurate version of this person (or movie).
This movie is literally: The Thing. It is an imitation of, The Thing. Yet it cannot fully replicate its brilliance. It is just a copy. And looking at the movie (and its title) with this logic and viewpoint makes it far more enjoyable.