John Carpenter's 1982 version of "The Thing" is a notable, if not classic, science fiction/horror flick. It gets by on a lot of pluck, outrageously gory creature effects and Kurt Russell's inherent badass-ness.

A remake seemed kind of unnecessary (even though Carpenter himself was remaking a movie from 30 years before, 1951's "The Thing from Another World"), but it turns out that 2011's "The Thing" is actually a sly little prequel to Carpenter's movie.

The 1982 version begins with two men in a helicopter chasing a dog across the frozen, Antarctic landscape. Various attempts to shoot the dog are unsuccessful and the animal seeks shelter at an American research base.

The two men in the helicopter, later deemed to be Norwegian, are killed in a hectic confrontation with the Americans and the dog turns out not to be a dog at all, but a shape-shifting alien who can absorb and imitate any life form it comes in contact with, including humans.

At one point in the film, Russell helicopters over to the Norwegian base to investigate, finding a spaceship buried in the ice and a smoldering ruin of a station with only a handful of gruesome clues left behind to explain what happened.

The 2011 version of "The Thing" shows us exactly what went down at that mysterious Norwegian base, which, as it turns out, is pretty much the exact same thing that went down with Kurt Russell and his crew (read: alien chows down on everyone in sight).

What makes both versions of this film stand out over your standard monster movie is the paranoia factor, as the crew members all begin to suspect one another of being the alien in disguise.

"The Thing" is the feature debut of Dutch director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. who does a nice job his first time out of keeping the action brisk, tense and effectively scary.

While the creature attacks in all its bloody glory, the computer-generated effects are a little too polished and somehow less horrifying than the spectacular (and, granted, much cruder) makeup and puppetry effects of the original.

What the 2011 version lacks the most it turns out is a strong lead. Russell dominated the original film with his bearded, flame-thrower toting bravado, while the cast of the new movie is mostly forgettable, except for when they're being gruesomely transformed.

Our hero this time is paleontologist Kate Lloyd, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead ("Scott Pilgrim vs. The World"). Winstead certainly has her moments, but she's no Sigourney Weaver.

What was most enjoyable about "The Thing" for a movie dork like me was looking out for the ways the 2011 and 1982 versions overlapped. The filmmakers of the new movie went to great lengths to ensure that every little detail Russell encounters in the original has some sort of explanation, right down to a bloody ax buried in a door.

Even Spaghetti western auteur Ennio Morricone's foreboding 1982 score gets a fun little cameo over the closing credits.

So while this winds up being a prequel that doesn't quite live up to the original, it still contains enough scary fun that monster movie fans should most definitely give it a chance.

It's actually kind of unfair that this movie has to live up to the expectations of Kurt Russell with a flamethrower because in reality most of life can't live up to Kurt Russell with a flamethrower.

"The Thing" is rated R for strong creature violence and gore, disturbing images and language.