15 Most Disappointing Films Of The Decade (So Far)

10. The Thing

Nobody actually expected The Thing to be any good. Technically a prequel to the incredible John Carpenter version, in reality setting the film in the source of the titular shape-shifting alien from the original from was just an excuse to repeat the same plot but without angering long-term fans with a total do-over. The cynicism was blatant, right down to introduction of a major English-speaking contingent in a Norwegian camp. Cue a movie that is really all about piggy-backing on the legacy of the original, but without the decency to admit it.

So in that regard, The Thing was as expected - a pretty bad cash-in. But in one area it had promised something great, only to really let everyone down. - the effects.

The element Carpenter's film is most fondly remembered for is its boundary-pushing special effects - the model work and animatronics in the film still feel authentic to this day. Remake director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. at first seemed to fully understand this, choosing to employ practical effects "wherever possible"; Amalgamated Dynamics were there on set, providing various impeccably-constructed to help bring the movie's horrors to life.

And you know how this goes; in the finished film the alien's pretty much all CGI. Maybe the studio got cold feet or perhaps a production team weaned on CGI couldn't be bothered giving the old tech its dues, but, either way, the single thing that made The Thing reboot seem like a good idea was butchered in post, leaving a movie even worse than expected.