quote:

ORIGINAL: jobloffski

Not getting the hate some have for this film. Not at all. Apologies for the following ramble.

Why did men create androids? Because they could. Why did David do the things he did? Because he could, and to see what would happen. He does what his own creator did.


David dares to attempt to speak to the creator of his creator in his own language. The enraged engineer rips David's head off and kills Weyland with his own creation. The creators of the engineers also seem have have used the creation of the Engineers to kill them. Visual and thematic poetry

Prometheus had his liver torn out over and over again for daring to try and take the power of the gods...Shaw suffers abdominal agonies for her act of 'Promethea'.

Wont ramble on endlessly about such things, it's these little moments that make this a GOOD film, and as for the dialogue, I've heard much much worse. Literally the lines (of dialogue) are to be looked between. The dialogue is functional, it does what it has to do, simply, briefly, and sometimes clunkily, but not ruinously so.

I've read someone complain that we aren't told how the captain reached his conclusion the planet contained an armoury...fuckin' hell, we were shown a big chamber with the 'vases' stacked up like shells, and there was a time lapse in the film that would have given ample opportunity for this to be discussed.

Why did the person who mapped out the chambers get lost? He released 'drones' to scan the area and create the map, he didn't actually have the map with him, and he and the other guy blundered into areas that hadn't been mapped out yet while panicking,

Why did the biologist beckon the snake like thing to him? Because he is seeing something nobody else in his field has ever seen, and it doesn't initially look threatening. THE THRILL OF DISCOVERING SOMETHING NEW OVERRIDING YOUR LOGIC AND THE RESULT BEING YOU END UP IN DANGER IS WHAT THE FUCKING FILM IS ABOUT, This is not a scene that is ludicrously written, it is entirely keeping with the core idea driving the film.

What's the deal with 'Zombie Fifield? He was infected by a bio weapon that had sentience and that sentience was engineered to kill humans. He went back to the ship and started to kill humans. Why is that a stupid plot development? It's totally in keeping with the things we are told by the film. What is so wrong with such a scene?

Why did Shaw's other half not mention what was happening to him and have sex with shaw? Because he was infected by sentient, DNA altering parasites and serve what became his body's function: continue the life cycle of his 'passengers'

How did Shaw get around after the abdominal surgery? She REPEATEDLY administers painkillers to herself , so the worst of the pain is medicated to a degree AND she is running for her life. You'll crawl or whatever, no matter how much agony you are in, to stay alive (the survival instinct of Shaw that becomes part of the Alien species, see Alien for Ashe's comments on the survival and adaptability of the creature we now know to contain Shaw in it;s DNA, and the destructive killer nature of the Engineer provides the other side of its nature). an, as mentioned, the reason for her repeatedly suffering abdominal agony in the film is directly tied to the fate of the mythical Prometheus: to try elevate yourself to equal status with the gods, and if you are not of strong enough character to stand by them as an equal, you will be punished for your impudence.

Is Vickers a Robot? It's irrelevant, Whether she is, or isn't, her 'father' has rejected her in favour of the 'son he always wanted' and she's pissed at her 'creator' for abandoning her.

And the derided ending, it's still in keeping with the use of the Prometheus Myth: The Engineer is destroyed by what he created, and what is then created will kill it's (in evolutionary terms) it's creators over and over again. Every time an Alien bursts from someone, the experience the agony of this Prometheus, so the over and over again nature of Aliens being birthed ties in with the punishment of prometheus. If (according to this film at least) we all have elements of the Engineer 'prometheus' race in us, we suffer the abdominal agonies the Engineer who birthed the Proto-Alien suffers, his punishment is symbolic of the punishment of his race for dabbling in creation and his punishment is ours, the price of dabbling in creation without an 'after care plan' (ie create something that can think for itself and it wont take kindly to being told what to do and will learn by the example it is shown). And in classical film structure, the film begins and ends, with an engineer being killed as the price of creating new life. It's not a tacked on ending, it is a framing device/bracketing for all that happens between.

And depending on how you watch the films now, Alien1-4 contain elements that come together in Prometheus or Prometheus contains elements that splinter apart and re-appear in fragments throughout the (chronologically) next four films...exactly how the DNA of the engineer at the start of the film broke down and then started to reform, developing into different types of like, all containing some/mostof/all the coding of their progenitor. The bald convicts of Alien 3, the bald scientists of Resurrection, the bald engineers, the suicide of Ripley to stop the Alien getting to earth, the sacrifice of the Prometheus to stop the goo getting to earth, the idea of fucking a robot, androids with their own agenda/with the moral compass of a child who just does things to see what happens, etc the DNA of the films sharing elments but also being different, blah blah blah, etc...

The themes and concerns of the previous films have come full circle via prometheus, which can now go ff on it's own narrative path, and if anybody wanted to, once the prometheus cycle is complete, an Alien 5 can happen, on Earth, taking into account the mythology created by Prometheus and any sequels, without Ripley, where the chickens finally come home to roost for those still intent on getting the Alien to Earth, for reasons we STILL aren't entirely sure of.

Not sure I'd call 'Classic' quite yet, but this is far from the dumb-assed turkey that seems to have gotten so many people so angry (IMO, of course). Things like the size disparity between the SJ in Alien and the Engineers in Prometheus...

We don't know if the Engineers in Prometheus are the 'only available size' of their race, or whether for example, warriors might be bigger.. We don't know if the Alien eggs in Alien are 'refined' by the Engineers to be a weapon, or if the engineers killed in the Prometheus 'flashbacks' were killed by not being able to control something they created. That seems likely. Just takes a little imagination to wonder why things don't seem to make total sense. Yet...

It's implied that this is the origin of the alien xenomorph, by some weird hybrid of their biological weapon / Elizabeth's human DNA / and the Space Jockey's DNA... then why is their a picture of one on the wall? The xenomorph probably already existed, because the seeding of the 'baby' into Shaw produced something that would produce eventually produce an alien. So it's probably happened elsewhere/the 'temple is a factory for producing that very end result, by whatever evolutionary path it needs to take to get there?

Also, if the Space Jockey has the same DNA as us why does the alien come out of it but only a giant facehugger out of Elizabeth? There aren't any facehuggers yet, this is the stage of evolution the creature is at it needs to evelbe fromm ooze, into worms, into snakes, into facehuggers, into aliens, that then become able to lay eggs. On other planets/in other locations, this evolutionary stage may have been reached, but on the planet in the film, there is only the ooze to start the process off.

If we have exactly the same DNA then why are we so different? We share 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees. The base of life grows from whatever environmental conditions in which it finds itself


All supposition of course, but hopefully logical


The only terrible thing about Prometheus as far as I'm concerned is seeing it in 3D is distracting, because, for example there may be characters in the mid ground and background doing stuff but the 3D effect draws attention to the foreground, where there's a feckin' rock drawing your eye to it.

Bring on the Prometheus retail release!

quote:

ORIGINAL: Filmfan 2


Once again, you prove why you're my favourite poster on this site. I was hoping you were going to post something more in-depth in regards to your thoughts on this movie, and you've delivered. A very well argued post, and it reconciles some of the problems I still had with the film after a few viewings with the film as it stands..

The only point I'd disagree with is in regards to Holloway having sex with Shaw. At that point, he wasn't aware that he had anything wrong with him and it's only during the 'morning after' that he notices the little worm in his eye.

quote:

ORIGINAL: bdmrmapf

If noone else has figured this out yet and commented... Prometheus lands on LV-223.... the crew in Alien lands on LV-426... Sir Ridley told us this was not what let up to Alien... can you see that now? Of course the jockey is not in the same position... the payload is different (atmoshphere and eggs ((organic)) in Alien, not in Prometheus)... there is something between the two movies we havnt seen.... YET! hopefully

quote:

ORIGINAL: bdmrmapf

If noone else has figured this out yet and commented... Prometheus lands on LV-223.... the crew in Alien lands on LV-426... Sir Ridley told us this was not what let up to Alien... can you see that now? Of course the jockey is not in the same position... the payload is different (atmoshphere and eggs ((organic)) in Alien, not in Prometheus)... there is something between the two movies we havnt seen.... YET! hopefully

quote:

ORIGINAL: vicandbob

More from Ridley regarding an extended cut and a directors cut...


Ridley Scott ended up doing a Director’s Cut for Alien and Blade Runner. He has said that there will not be a director’s cut for Prometheus.
However, there may be an extended cut. Spoilers ahead.

In a recent interview with Collider (embedded below) Scott talked about the cut and deleted scenes.

The Blu-ray will have about 30 minutes of deleted scenes (he mentions one where Noomi Rapace’s fight with the Engineer is longer) and the extended cut may be 20 minutes longer, but he is not sure whether to do it or not.

You’re going to do an extended cut on the Blu-ray/DVD. Is it a lot longer?
SCOTT: Twenty minutes.

So there’s, like, twenty minutes that will be added back in for a longer version?
SCOTT: Maybe. But I’m so happy with this engine, the way it is right now. I think it’s fine. I think it works. It can go in a section where, if you really want to tap in, look at the menu. To see how things are long, and it’s too long. Dramatically, I’m about putting bums on seats. For me to separate my idea of commerce from art—I’d be a fool. You can’t do that. I wouldn’t be allowed to do the films I do. So I’m very user friendly as far as the studios are concerned. To a certain extent, I’m a businessman. I’m aware that’s what I have to do. It’s my job. To say, “Screw the audience.” You can’t do that. “Am I communicating?” is the question. Am I communicating? Because if I’m not, I need to address it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: vicandbob

More from Ridley regarding an extended cut and a directors cut...


Ridley Scott ended up doing a Director’s Cut for Alien and Blade Runner. He has said that there will not be a director’s cut for Prometheus.
However, there may be an extended cut. Spoilers ahead.

In a recent interview with Collider (embedded below) Scott talked about the cut and deleted scenes.

The Blu-ray will have about 30 minutes of deleted scenes (he mentions one where Noomi Rapace’s fight with the Engineer is longer) and the extended cut may be 20 minutes longer, but he is not sure whether to do it or not.

You’re going to do an extended cut on the Blu-ray/DVD. Is it a lot longer?
SCOTT: Twenty minutes.

So there’s, like, twenty minutes that will be added back in for a longer version?
SCOTT: Maybe. But I’m so happy with this engine, the way it is right now. I think it’s fine. I think it works. It can go in a section where, if you really want to tap in, look at the menu. To see how things are long, and it’s too long. Dramatically, I’m about putting bums on seats. For me to separate my idea of commerce from art—I’d be a fool. You can’t do that. I wouldn’t be allowed to do the films I do. So I’m very user friendly as far as the studios are concerned. To a certain extent, I’m a businessman. I’m aware that’s what I have to do. It’s my job. To say, “Screw the audience.” You can’t do that. “Am I communicating?” is the question. Am I communicating? Because if I’m not, I need to address it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rgirvan44

I am such a Blade Runner nerd that I know the scene he wants to open the sequel on.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rgirvan44

I am such a Blade Runner nerd that I know the scene he wants to open the sequel on.

quote:

ORIGINAL: makins

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rgirvan44

I am such a Blade Runner nerd that I know the scene he wants to open the sequel on.

hehe, you and me both, the storyboards are in the book 'film directing shot by shot' by steve katz, the jawbone scene ?

if he does do it it would be a great opening.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rgirvan44

I am such a Blade Runner nerd that I know the scene he wants to open the sequel on.

quote:

quote:

ORIGINAL: chris kilby
What was Weyland's last words again?

And what was it David replied?

WEYLAND
There's nothing.

DAVID
I know. Have a good journey, Mr Weyland.

My, how existentialist! (They'd obviously read the rest of the script and/or just watched the last episode of Lost!) But that pales into insignificance next to this metatextual bombshell just a few minutes later:

The answer is irrelevant.

Sez it all really. Even the film-makers think Prometheus is a lot of sound, fury and production values signifying nothing. They'd have been as well saying this film is irrelevant! (I realise it's only a movie, but that's just taking the piss.)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Big Stevie

All in all, disappointing.
I hope to be proven wrong and it will grow to be the recognised as the great film it aspires to be.
Alternatively, its a bag of crap and Ridley Scott is laughing all the way to the bank

quote:

ORIGINAL: chris kilby

I saw this for a second time on Sunday night and one week on the cinema was almost empty - uh-oh...

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mr E


Stupid black goo spills out of stupid vases. Stupid character gets
infected with stupid black goo because stupid android put it in his
stupid drink. Stupid character makes love with stupid Ripley wannabe.
Stupid character gets torched and dies. Stupid Ripley wannabe becomes
pregnant. Stupid Ripley wannabe cuts out stupid baby squid from her
tummy tum tum. Stupid squid turns into stupid giant squid which
impregnates stupid big bald white space jockey. Stupid alien rips its
way out of stupid space jockey's chest. Stupid film ends. Stupid film
makes no sense.

quote:

ORIGINAL: makins

quote:

ORIGINAL: chris kilby

I saw this for a second time on Sunday night and one week on the cinema was almost empty - uh-oh...

i saw it for the second time at the weekend and the cinema was packed - uh-oh.... just sayin.

by the way my copy of the prometheus 'art of the film" book arrived yesterday and i would highly recommend anybody with even a vague interest in how the visuals for a production like this are put together to treat yourself to a copy, the artworks are completely stunning.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mr E

Alien is my favourite film and I was so disappointed with this utter
turkey of a film I just had to write some thoughts. This is not much of
a review more of a list of all the bad points in this film. Quite
honestly there aren't many good points.

[WARNING - MAJOR SPOILERS]

BASIC FLAWS:

- Not scary at all, a complete lack of tension and suspense. In Alien
the edge of seat suspense was non-stop. every alien film has a different tone to every other one, and I felt a sense of foreboding and wondering what was gonna happen when it kicked off. Horses for courses. Alien is set on a mainly totally enclosed environment, this one has massive clear vistas the narrow and tone becomes more chaotic and fractured the more the film goes on. Big massive hopes, with the walls closing in as the film goes along depicted via the camerawork alone. Style matches content,

- Awful characters, clichéd sci-fi stereotypes. Too many characters
most of which were just plot devices waiting to die. somewhat necessary to the genre staples, with the wider themes being expressed in a simple context./color]

- Muddled and confusing storyline. It tried too hard to be an original
concept with deep, meaningful questions about our creators and where we
come from blah blah blah whilst also trying to be a horror film/prequel
to Alien. It failed and couldn't decide what it wanted to be. your opinion. By choosing to call the film Prometheus, Scott has invited us to look at that myth and compare/contrast how that story relates to aspects of the film and that provides the 'depth' of the film. I mean, for example, Prometheus is subjected to repeated and extreme abdominal agonies, part of him being torn out for seeking to align with/be equal to/discover the knowledge of his Gods, and Shaw, in wanting to stand next to her 'Gods' and find answers is being 'impudent' from a God's point of view in such a context and what happens to her? Extreme, repeated abdominal agony and something torn out of her. My own pretentious (if you like) take on any story designed to have 'levels' is to say shite like 'Look at a puddle. depending on how you look at it, you may see just the water it's made from, you may see a reflection of yourself, or you may see the entire sky.

Either come up with something completely original that is not connected
to the Alien universe in any way or do a full blown unpretentious Alien
prequel with a direct link between the space jockeys and the eggs/face
huggers/aliens/queen alien etc. There was no need for this awful film
to be connected to the alien universe and it may have slightly improved
had it not.given the evolution of the ooze into worms, bigger worms, etc, all the way to proto Alien, it could have existed as a stand alone story giving a 'what happens next ending, with the evolution to the alien we know yet to come or as a direct prequel, to me it does both

OTHER FLAWS:

- Bad dialogue. 'You wanna get laid?' scene - Absolutely no need for
this scene between vickers and janek. Added nothing. Film themes creation/birth/survival/creation driving everything a species does, so referencing sex isn't THAT odd and given the debate over whether Vickers is a robot, this would seem an attempt to confirm that she isn't (but it foreshadows the 'cant believe I nearly fucked a robot from Resurrection so it serves a function in it's film, references another part of the franchise AND doesn't settle the 'is she a robot' debate because in the later film the concept of robots being able to have sex is floated.

Also unfunny banter between two unnecessary co-pilots. lame but not ruinous

David talking to big white engineer in alien speak - probably one of
the most unintentionally hilarious things I've ever seen, space jockey
then rips his head of for no reason. Brilliant! Not. Tons of other
examples I can't be bothered to list. There is a reason. David is attempting to speak to it in its own language, and it considers David beneath him. Not only beneath him, beneath the Engineer's creation too, a HOW DARE YOU ADDRESS ME reaction (lame comparative, geek tries to talk to 'cool kid', geek gets punched in the face for daring to believe he is worthy. Anyway, the created trying to speak to/be equal to the creator and getting punked by the creator is the theme, and this bit is the theme in action: someone wishing to align himself with 'God' and 'God's' reaction all in one brief moment

- Space Jockeys looked awful. Turns out they were just wearing suits
and are actually just big bald pumped up white guys who like to throw
people about. Giger must be laughing his head off. .physically superior 'gods' who wont lower themselves to talk to their creation,also frankenstein theme in reverse (kill your creation or it will kill you) the tension between creation and destruction depicted

- Score. Contributed nothing to the film. Created no tension
whatsoever.that's just an opinion, if the events left you cold, the music would jar, whatever it was

- Turns out Weyland is still alive and onboard the ship. It's supposed
to be a shock twist but no one cares. Guy Pearce is cast as Weyland and
wears the worst make up known to man. former, it's not that much of a surprise that he's on board (the 'recording' of Weyland would be very weird if he wasn't on board to point to exactly where Shaw and her other half were standing. The make up sucks, and hopefully there is some reason for casting Guy Pierce in the role, but can forgive the make up, personally

- hated the way most the crew didn't no what the mission was until they
got there. Unrealistic and downright bad writing. totally realisitic, in a company/organisation/life people very often know the ins and outs of their 'superiors' big picture plans and just do the job/thing they do. Vickers considers Shaw and employee, for example, and therefore not worthy of being treated as an equal. Also, those 'above' us having information/knowledge we don't have and attitudes to the 'unworthy' re knowing this stuff is totally in keeping with the Prmoetheus God/those the gods create themes

And finally to sum up...

Stupid black goo spills out of stupid vases. Stupid character gets
infected with stupid black goo because stupid android put it in his
stupid drink. Stupid character makes love with stupid Ripley wannabe.
Stupid character gets torched and dies. Stupid Ripley wannabe becomes
pregnant. Stupid Ripley wannabe cuts out stupid baby squid from her
tummy tum tum. Stupid squid turns into stupid giant squid which
impregnates stupid big bald white space jockey. Stupid alien rips its
way out of stupid space jockey's chest. Stupid film ends. Stupid film
makes no sense.

clearly it does make sense, since that's what happens, aside from the opinion that it is all stupid and happening for no good reason

quote:

ORIGINAL: chris kilby

I think I'll stick to my dog-eared copy of Giger's Alien, thanks. Just sayin'...

quote:

ORIGINAL: jobloffski

hopefully there is some reason for casting Guy Pierce in the role, but can forgive the make up, personally

quote:

ORIGINAL: chris kilby

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mr E


Stupid black goo spills out of stupid vases. Stupid character gets
infected with stupid black goo because stupid android put it in his
stupid drink. Stupid character makes love with stupid Ripley wannabe.
Stupid character gets torched and dies. Stupid Ripley wannabe becomes
pregnant. Stupid Ripley wannabe cuts out stupid baby squid from her
tummy tum tum. Stupid squid turns into stupid giant squid which
impregnates stupid big bald white space jockey. Stupid alien rips its
way out of stupid space jockey's chest. Stupid film ends. Stupid film
makes no sense.

I think I'm detecting a theme here.