Okay, now they're just screwing with us.
That's the only explanation for the way we get our first look at The Thing. You've got one of the main characters in a highly anticipated comic book summer movie, and you're carefully protecting the reveal of the character. So of course, you post outdoor billboards with the character before you release any official imagery, and you let your first worldwide media moment be courtesy of Some Random Dude on Instagram.
Really?
I'm doubly confused by the image itself. What the hell is going on with Kate Mara's head? Was she unavailable for the publicity shoot so you had to build a head out of ten different photos of her? I like that Miles Teller's superpower appears to be “being Miles Teller” so far.
But I can't honestly tell you what my reaction to The Thing is because that's such a half-assed way to get a look at him. His expression is odd, and the resolution of the image isn't great. Beyond that, I want to see him in motion. I want to see other actors reacting to him and playing a scene with him. I want to see if Josh Trank shoots him like an actor or like a special effect. I want to see if they've managed to make him a character, because that's the only thing that ultimately matters.
But at this point, Fox has one option: release a great image or a great clip, because the cat's out of the bag. Because of these international billboards, the image is now online, and they can't do anything about it. But they have to realize that this is a terrible context for anything to be judged… right?
We'll find out in the US on August 7, 2015.