The One Thing

Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton star in Universal's remake of 'The Factor.'A Universal release given Morgan Creek Prods. of the Strike Entertainment production. Created by Marc Abraham, Eric Newman. Executive producers, J. Miles Dale, David Promote, Lawrence Turman, Gabrielle Neimand. Directed by Matthijs van Heijningen. Script, Eric Heisserer, in the story "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell Junior.Kate Lloyd - Mary Elizabeth Winstead Braxton Carter - Joel Edgerton Dr. Sander Halvorson - Ulrich Thomsen Adam Goldman - Eric Christian Olsen Jameson - Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Griggs - Paul Braunstein Edvard Wolner - Trond Espen SeimFar less chilling than versions from 1951 and 1982, Universal's latest undertake "The One Thing" a minimum of includes a strong lead thesp in Mary Elizabeth Winstead, employed for that studio's bid to show an account of ice-cold macho paranoia right into a beauty-versus.-animal surprise a la "Alien." Aside from Winstead's flamethrower-carrying paleontologist, fearlessly fighting an extraterrestrial menace that hides inside its human prey, this unfrighteningly icky "Factor" is memorable mainly for illustrating CGI's gross inadequacies in accordance with old-fashioned makeup f/x. Chilly person to person will not help U to contaminate the B.O. for considerably longer than the usual weekend. Strangely enough crediting the 1938 story "Who Goes There?" as opposed to the 30-year-old pic it superficially resembles, the brand new "Factor," helmed beginning with-timer Matthijs van Heijningen, nods deferentially to John Carpenter's still-frightening cult film while exhibiting little idea of what managed to get work (and bearing no relation whatsoever to producer Howard Hawks' early '50s classic). As with the Contractor version, humans here play host to alien cells that turn your body thoroughly, departing the look although not the identity from the original. Ironically, the 2011 film follows an identical pattern, parasitically resembling a geniune form in most respects save soulfulness. Occur frigid Antarctica circa 1982, van Heijningen's movie opens with three Norwegian scientists meeting their demise when their transport vehicle doesn't happen the ice. Coming having a bigger Norwegian team to research, independent-minded Dr. Kate Lloyd (Winstead) finds herself subordinate to Dr. Sander Halvorson (Ulrich Thomsen), whose rash urge to consider a tissue sample of the mysterious organism -- a gigantic animal hidden in ice -- leads to the creature visiting existence, causing bloody havoc and sneakily infecting individuals within the team's remote outpost. Van Heijningen reduces the sooner films' claustrophobic tension in a variety of ways, most famously by permitting his figures a possible escape hatch via several fueled automobiles. Still, people from the team, particularly Kate, feel they cannot leave the outpost before separating the viral threat, that could be churning inside one. Carpenter's unnerving way of outing an infected human -- with hot copper wire dipped right into a suspicious person's bloodstream sample -- is here now changed through the clever but frightless conceit of checking your teeth for teeth fillings that the one thing can't copy. The greatest impediment to horror, though, may be the pic's lackluster CG work, which does not hold a candle (or flamethrower) to Take advantage of Bottin's disgustingly innovative and completely credible f/x from 30 years back. As before, chests burst, entrails twist and snap like cracked whips, and physiques morph into spidery monsters, however the digital strings show, and also the overall effect pales beside those of Bottin's makeup-based mixtures. Humanity stands like a highlight from the first couple of "Factor" films, although not here. Winstead ("Scott Pilgrim versus. the planetInch) radiates intelligence within the Kurt Russell/Kenneth Tobey role, yet her take-charge paleontologist-switched-torch-wielder appears seriously underwritten in the get-go. Joel Edgerton ("Warrior") eventually emerges like a co-star due to his character's survival beyond the pic's second act, although he's given little to complete besides look worried he might not be themself any longer. Thomsen's domineering investigator basically glowers, while other figures are nearly indistinguishable as well as the order of the contagion. Ennio Morricone's spare synth score of '82 is briefly heard inside a film that's about expedient replication.Camera (color, Panavision widescreen), Michel Abramowicz editors, Julian Clarke, Peter Boyle music, Marco Beltrami production designer, Sean Haworth art director, Patrick Banister set decorator, Odetta Stoddard costume designer, Luis Sequeira seem (Dolby Digital/Datasat Digital/SDDS), Glen Gauthier supervisory seem editors, Scott Hecker, Elliott L. Koretz re-recording mixers, Jon Taylor, Bob Beemer visual effects supervisor, Jesper Kjolsrud visual effects, Image Engine stunt coordinator, Ron Forsayeth assistant director, Shaun Authors second unit director, Clay Staub second unit camera, David Franco casting, Denise Chamian, Angela Demo. Examined at AMC Southdale 16, Edina, Minn., March. 11, 2011. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 103 MIN. With: Kim Bubbs, Jorgen Langhelle, Jan Gunnar Roise, Stig Henrik Hoff, Kristofer Hivju, Jo Adrian Haavind, Carsten Bjornlund, Jonathan Lloyd Master. (British, Norwegian dialogue) Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com