Weekly Review -- Ch... ch... ch... changes

This weekend was all about the power of transformation -- alien power and human transformation, that is. Not everyone was who they pretended they were, not everyone was capable of outmaneuvering their opponent in the art of mind games, and some of us were even devoured, literally and figuratively. Still, most of us simply enjoyed the metamorphoses coming our way in two very distinct works, both of which were rather impressive in their intent and execution.

The Thing (2011) -- When it comes to cult status, John Carpenter's films have a reputation of their own. One of the essential rules when dealing with them can be summed up in two little words -- DO NOT. Yes, in all capitals. Do not remake, do not change, do not touch. These are classics not to be messed with. Yes, 2005, I am looking at you and I am still waiting to get my two hours back from The Fog "re-imagining".

This prequel to Carpenter's 1982 horror/science fiction entry is another story, though. Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.'s The Thing shows tremendous respect toward the original, adding some novel touches while simultaneously linking it to the tale we know and love. Incredibly suspenseful and entertaining, it is one of the best genre films I have seen in recent years.

A team of scientists working in Antarctica have discovered an alien ship beneath the ice. After paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) arrives to assist with the find, the alien quickly starts duplicating individuals, making it nearly impossible to tell who is still human and who is not. The group, which includes Dr. Sander Halvorson (Ulrich Thomsen) and pilot Sam Carter (Joel Edgerton), starts falling apart under the pressure of fear and frustration, until Kate devises a foolproof method of confirming identities. Of course, not everything goes according to plan...

Right off the bat, I have to say that fellow fans of the 1982 film can breathe the proverbial sigh of relief. The prequel does not only establish the origins of the story, but also gives us great characters to root for and effects that are as far away from CGI as one can get using CGI. Director van Heijningen jr. knows that he needs to bring the themes and ambiance close to the original's, but not to the point of collision. While the work is his own, it is an appreciative homage to Carpenter's tale. The film manages to maintain a fine line between prequel and remake, with some nice references thrown in for the fans.

The casting follows the premise of the 1982 film. There are no glamour models or teen heartthrobs here. Instead, the actors create believable fish-out-of-water characters, not once striking a note of skepticism for being photoshopped or otherwise manicured. Winstead has played tough before -- Death Proof and Live Free or Die Hard come to mind -- and she is terrific as the paleontologist who gets entangled in the alien predicament simply due to scientific curiosity. Edgerton occasionally channels Kurt Russell in Carter's pragmatic resourcefulness, but shows Carter's other nuances as the situation escalates, creating a memorable addition to the lore. The always good Ulrich Thomsen spews sleazy ambition as Halvorson, while Kristofer Hivju is excellent as Jonas, one of the crew's few voices of reason.

The Thing reminds us that horror and science fiction cinema is not about the special effects. As long as filmmakers pay attention to the writing and acting, magic will happen, because it is the human factor that makes these otherworldly narratives fascinating. Sure, man is the warmest place to hide, but we are also the most unique species to observe. Take that, impostors.

8/10

The Chameleon (2010) -- Con artists make for fantastic film fodder. Their lives are intriguing in their criminality, rendering it possible for us mere mortals to live vicariously through their duplicitous schemes, but also making us pity their lack of self. Such is the case of Frédéric Bourdin, who had assumed identities of a bunch of people throughout his youth, simply claiming that "this is who I am".

A young man, Frédéric Fortin (Marc-André Grondin), claims to be a Louisiana family's long lost son, Nicholas Mark Randall, who disappeared four years earlier. While the sister (Emilie de Ravin) accepts him as Nicholas immediately, his troubled mother (Ellen Barkin) and brother (Nick Stahl) are very suspicious. FBI agent Jennifer Johnson (Famke Janssen) also doubts his story and is dead set on finding out the truth, but what exactly is she going to find?

The film achieves the most important feat when it comes to this kind of tale -- neutrality. Director Jean-Paul Salomé chooses to recount the events in a pragmatic manner, observing all the players in Fortin's game and firmly planting him as the master of the charade. The work chronicles the very bizarre yarn of crime, identity and family, while paying attention to the alleged impostor's idiosyncrasies and the way he relates to his new environment. The only thing that makes no sense is the fact that a DNA test is not ordered sooner. Randall's kidnapping was obviously a big deal, so how come Fortin is not immediately interrogated and tested? It seems that a police presence is completely absent from the picture, and I do not understand why Johnson is not receiving more support from her superiors when she starts her investigation.

The performances are excellent. Grondin is a force of nature as Fortin, moving from one behavioral extreme to another, keeping us guessing as to whether he is an unstable and possibly abused young man or simply an opportunistic liar. The constantly underrated Janssen gives a strong portrayal of an FBI agent determined to prove the fraud. She has some amazing moments of gravity; the car scene in particular is heart-wrenching. Barkin's performance as the conflicted, drug-addicted mother is one of the best that the actor has ever given, and de Ravin is heartbreaking as the sister who believes beyond capacity and reason.

A rumination on belonging to the ruins of truth, The Chameleon is, above all, a human drama. It shows that there is nothing incredible about living out one's existence in someone else's skin, but that the motivation behind these actions is worth examining. We do not know what exactly snaps inside a mind to make the person want to profit from other people's misery, but hundreds of years of evolution have made us well aware of the humanity's capacity for the unimaginable.

7/10