The Thing (2011)

Director: Matthij Van Heijningen, Jr.

Starring: Mary Elizabeth WInstead

Original story: John W. Campbell, Jr., "Who Goes There"

A scientific exploration group discovers an alien in the Antarctic. They dig it up out of the ice and it escapes.

 I was a big fan of the original "Thing" film, but I actually liked this one better. Telling the story of what happened before the original, this version features a female heroine who is both smart and insightful.

Chaos:

The monster creates chaos, tells lies, created distractions, provokes emotions - all to get the characters to make bad decisions. Paranoia and distrust develop between individual characters. Our hero is our hero because she uses critical thinking and mindfulness to conquer the madness.

Mindfulness:

She pays attention to details. This saves her life many times. While remaining aware of the situation she is in and big picture.

Emotions:

She does not let counterproductive emotions like pride, ego, or fear deter her from her goals. Arrogance and the wanting of fame gets in the way of safety and common sense for other characters.

Critical Thinking:

Gathering facts to solve a problem, she comes up with a way to identify the alien. She asks good questions. There are even camera shots of our hero (Kate) just "thinking."

Lesson to Be Learned:

Critical thinking, insight, and Mindfulness defeat deception & evil.