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“The Thing” is a prequel to the ‘80s movie by the same title. This time around we get to see what happened to the “Sweeds” as Mack called them, which were really Norwegians, as Dr. Cooper would correct him. Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep this as a subtitled movie and focus on the Nords and their struggle into paranoid social decay. Instead, we are forced to swallow the fact that the Nords, who this author thought were as stranded in solitude as the Americans, would call some lady from the US to investigate what they had found. Are their no Nordic specialists in ancient artifacts/paleontology? Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is that graduate student/specialist in ancient artifacts/paleontologist that is brought on to help investigate the discovery of an alien ship that was discovered in the Antarctic. That’s right, this time there is a woman, NAY two, involved in dealing with the human copying menace.

Movies based on video games tend to reek of disaster: think “BloodRayne,” “Alone in the Dark,” “Street Fighter.” We’ve had more luck when it comes to comic-book films such as “The Dark Knight,” “Kick Ass,” and “The Crow.” When a movie is made based on a comic book that has a video game feel to it, we get “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.” Does it go the way of the “BloodRayne” or is it more “Kick Ass”? Thankfully, we get something more like “Ghost World” shoved into a Super Nintendo, then kicked out by the likes of Kick Ass himself.

It’s fun, it’s campy, it’s been under appreciated by modern audiences and ultimately, and it’s destined to become a cult classic. Thanks to the great visuals inspired by old 16-bit games and tunes provided by what sounds like Gameboy nerd fixin’s with a little 1-UP mushroom on the side.

Bitter Balcony has talked smack about Michael Cera before, but “Scott Pilgrim” seems as if it’s written for him. Cera’s comedic timing and delivery are right. He kicks ass like any quarter-spending video game fan would. Cera’s joined by Ellen Wong and Mary Elizabeth Winstead who play rival love interests Knives Chau and Ramona Flowers, respectively.