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ORIGINAL: pete_traynor



On a different note...

Look at the size if that bloody Xeno infant when it comes out of the Jockey! It’s HUGE!!!! Would have killed him way before it’s birth... he was like a flesh suit for that thing as it was almost his size when it came out. Worst scene of the film for me, as it was so cheap and unnecessary. Made all their comments trying to distant it from Alien look rather pathetic too. When Scott mentioned the last 8 minutes would make you realise the connection, who on Earth didn’t guess it would be a chest burster scene.

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ORIGINAL: kurtangleuk

I have to say this film was a major disappointment. Heres a great article that makes the case perfectly. I really hope he stays away from Blade Runner!!

http://whatculture.com/film/prometheus-20-blunders-that-ruined-the-film.php

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ORIGINAL: makins

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ORIGINAL: kurtangleuk

I have to say this film was a major disappointment. Heres a great article that makes the case perfectly. I really hope he stays away from Blade Runner!!

http://whatculture.com/film/prometheus-20-blunders-that-ruined-the-film.php

god what an absolutely shite article. these films are full of scientific inaccuracies its sci fi for christs sake not sci fact.

you want scientific implausible in an alien film try holding your breath for the same amount of time as the characters in the underwater chase in resurrection. indeed the idea central to these films that the creatures have acid blood is complete scientific bollocks but nobody moans about that or writes endless fucking lists on why the film ruined their life , dan o banno n needed a way of making the creature invulnerable and it was ron cobb who eventually came up with the idea of acid for blood, even dan admitted it made absolutely no sense whatsoever, it just got them out of a hole in reagards to why they couldn;t just shoot the thing or blow it up . i think if youre going to complain endlessly about a film because you didn't understand it or because characters in horror films do stupid things or because you wanted answers handed you on a plate and didn't get them or because the baby at the end was too fucking big, jeez maybe you should take up something less taxing for your poor brains.

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"An overblown B-movie... technically impressive but awfully portentous and as difficult to sit through as a Black Mass sung in Latin"
L.A. Herald Examiner 

"Occasionally one sees a film that uses the emotional resources of movies with such utter cynicism that one feels sickened by the medium itself. "
David Denby, New York 

"There is very little involvement with the characters themselves ... A generally good cast in cardboard roles." 
Variety. 

"An empty-headed horror movie with nothing to recommend it beyond the art direction and some handsome, if gimmicky, cinematography."
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader. 

"[An] empty bag of tricks whose production values and expensive trickery can not disguise imaginative poverty."
Time Out

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ORIGINAL: chris kilby

I think the reason it was called Prometheus and not Alien: Prometheus (or Alien Begins or Alien Royale or some shit like that) was part of the same clever marketing strategy which had Ridley Scott deliberately hedge as to whether this was an Alien prequel at all.

Fox knew that us fanboys/saddoes would go see it anyway. By deliberately distancing Prometheus from the Alien franchise in ALL the publicity, they clearly hoped to attract a broader audience of, well, normal people. Of course it's an Alien prequel! Just not one not aimed exclusively at audiences necessarily familiar with the originals. A smart move if you ask me.

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ORIGINAL: tiago19201

Hey, Chris.
Your comment about publicity makes sense. However, I have noted Prometheus is not attracting "normal people” but people who want to see an actual prequel of Alien; as it is not, those ones who don't understand the story criticize the film. The film just shows the place where the supposed first Alien or one of the first ones were born, but the STORY is not about them at all. That is why Alien as we know it could be considered a SPIN-OFF of PROMETHEUS, which in turn cannot be considered Alien's prequel due to its proposal. Prometheus has a NEW APPROACH. Therefore, if there will be a Prometheus 2, we will hardly see an ALIEN. In other words, we might say that Alien and Prometheus share the same beginning.

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ORIGINAL: chris kilby

Hey,

Dunno about that. Prometheus is still the number one film in the UK after three weeks. That suggests to me it's not just us geeks 'n' fanboys who are going to see it. Relatively normal people at work have been talking to me about it - women and everything!

Compare with the US where Prometheus did OK on its first week of release only for receipts to drop 50% by its second week which suggests that, worryingly, only the Harry Knowles brigade have turned out for it.

(And it is an Alien prequel.)

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ORIGINAL: Lazarus munkey

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ORIGINAL: chris kilby

Hey,

Dunno about that. Prometheus is still the number one film in the UK after three weeks. That suggests to me it's not just us geeks 'n' fanboys who are going to see it. Relatively normal people at work have been talking to me about it - women and everything!

Compare with the US where Prometheus did OK on its first week of release only for receipts to drop 50% by its second week which suggests that, worryingly, only the Harry Knowles brigade have turned out for it.

(And it is an Alien prequel.)

I don't care who's seeing it, it's still the biggest disappointment since The Phantom Menace.
Style over substance, theme over plot, archetypes over characters.

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ORIGINAL: elab49

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ORIGINAL: Lazarus munkey

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ORIGINAL: chris kilby

Hey,

Dunno about that. Prometheus is still the number one film in the UK after three weeks. That suggests to me it's not just us geeks 'n' fanboys who are going to see it. Relatively normal people at work have been talking to me about it - women and everything!

Compare with the US where Prometheus did OK on its first week of release only for receipts to drop 50% by its second week which suggests that, worryingly, only the Harry Knowles brigade have turned out for it.

(And it is an Alien prequel.)

I don't care who's seeing it, it's still the biggest disappointment since The Phantom Menace.
Style over substance, theme over plot, archetypes over characters.

I think Chris is responding to the post above - which suggests 'normal' people aren't seeing it. So it's a comment on attracting an audience outside an inbuilt fanbase?

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ORIGINAL: elab49

That'd be a way to try the film - might make it more coherent 

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ORIGINAL: Lazarus munkey

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ORIGINAL: elab49

That'd be a way to try the film - might make it more coherent 

I said, 'drunk', not 'magic'.

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ORIGINAL: makins

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ORIGINAL: trainedasninja

Im glad someone picked up on her death scene, honestly the only thing that rele bugged me with this film.
(spoiler) Whilst rapace casually rolls away, Theron continues to run in its path instead of running away from where it would fall.
She did a good job at escaping only to die straight after in such a stupid way.

we didn't actually see her die at all. i believe she is returning in the sequel.

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ORIGINAL: elab49

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lazarus munkey

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ORIGINAL: chris kilby

Hey,

Dunno about that. Prometheus is still the number one film in the UK after three weeks. That suggests to me it's not just us geeks 'n' fanboys who are going to see it. Relatively normal people at work have been talking to me about it - women and everything!

Compare with the US where Prometheus did OK on its first week of release only for receipts to drop 50% by its second week which suggests that, worryingly, only the Harry Knowles brigade have turned out for it.

(And it is an Alien prequel.)

I don't care who's seeing it, it's still the biggest disappointment since The Phantom Menace.
Style over substance, theme over plot, archetypes over characters.

I think Chris is responding to the post above - which suggests 'normal' people aren't seeing it. So it's a comment on attracting an audience outside an inbuilt fanbase?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Elflud

A fanboy mate dragged me to see this on opening night. Having never seen Alien ( or any sequel) I had no real expectations other than from watching the trailer. At the end of the film I must admit I had no clue what the bloody thing was about! I am not a complete numpty (although admitting I haven't seen Alien on this forum might give a few of you reason to question this statement) and I usually figure out most films I watch - to some degree. I guess I am ideally situated to be able to comment on the film as a stand alone work having no expectations re the Alien link.

So here goes - was it thought provoking, enjoyable and well thought out.... To me the answers are yes, mostly and not a jot! It made me think largely because once they arrived and came out of the looong nap it lost me. The premise was good enough, following the map and the set up was great but after that it just got a bit daft if you ask me.. I won't talk specifics but as soemone who has no previous vested interest in Space Jockeys should the movie not give some sort of back story to these creatures OR is the director just assuming we have all seen/devoured and worshipped Alien for the last 20 or 30 years or however long ago it was made (see - told I had no idea) Also why have a great actor in terrible plaster of paris make-up playing a guy 100 years old looking to cheat death UNLESS there will be a big reveal when he finds the fountain of youth he is looking for and is made young again? Why not draft a decent older actor in to play the part? I could go on but it's all beensaid. I guess I am trying to say that as a newcomer to this universe this film just didn't work. If you are making a stand alone film then bloody well do just that. If it is a prequel then at least make a film that sets up the next movie but give it a satisfactory ending to thsi installment to make the experience worthwhile.

Will sit back now and wait to be told why all of the above is wrong and poorly constructed but I will finish by saying one thing. Since watching the movie I have read several forums and also registered with Empire to have my say. As I have NEVER done this before over anything let alone a movie I didn't much enjoy I guess I can confirm that at least it got me thinking and talking about the film with others, even if it is just to tell them not to bother watching it unless they have seen Alien....

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ORIGINAL: chris kilby

That's still illegal in some states, you know!

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ORIGINAL: MuckyMuckMan

Decent read with a plausible hypothesis:

http://whatculture.com/film/prometheus-6-answers-to-the-key-questions.php

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ORIGINAL: Lazarus munkey

I don't think it's bad, it's just a crushing disappointment. Dull characters shaken through a plot colander and left to flounder.

The ambiguity in Blade Runner is the character motivation, we are almost always aware of what happened, it's the why that we ponder. The only fact we debate is the origin of Deckard.

Prometheus attempts to add vagueness by removing fact and the audience is asked to hypothesise as to the events that took place and then derive meaning from our theories on those events. It just forgot to make the quest interesting.

All of this theorising masks the film's biggest flaw, the characters. I cared about the crew of the Nostromo. They were 'real' people. I cared about the replicants in Blade Runner, they were effectively children.
David aside, the characters are one-note and a waste of talent. Theron does well but succumbs to the most predictable character 'twist' in recent memory.

If the script fails, Scott fails. He's proven this time and time again.