Released in October 2011, "The Thing" tells the story of far-flung research settlement and its assortment of scientists who soon find themselves under attack by a shape-changing alien. This plot is similar to the original version from 1982, and the paranoia that these individuals feel often drives the plot forward as they wonder who can they trust when there is an extraterrestrial organism that can kill, assimilate, and mimic other forms of life.
Audiences at the time didn't feel the need to check out the movie, and the film missed the mark at the box office. "The Thing" was created for $38 million, but the movie failed to break even, generating just shy of $17 million in the United States and $10.5 million in international markets.
Besides just failing to make money, "The Thing" received a middling reception, with Rotten Tomatoes showing that the movie has a 34% critic score and a 42% audience score. Despite a lackluster reception, some critics saw potential in the 2011 movie.
"Fans of the 1982 classic will want to see it and should find a lot to like," Keith and the Movies wrote. "While it trips itself up with an overloaded cast and a few scenes which feel like they belong in another film, it does deliver that almost old-school sci-fi monster movie feel." The critic seems to be right as today's audience seems more interested in the movie than 2011's did.
