This movie is going to polarise opinions a shitload. I thought it was terrific, there was no way it could live up to the ridiculous hype or be as groundbreakingly awesome as the first Alien. You really need to go into the cinema with the mindset of watching this as a standalone movie and enjoy the subtle connections with the Alien universe, rather than being a direct prequel as such. Agree on seeing this at IMAX 3D, it was extremely well done.
Screenplay does have issues, but it did not affect my enjoyment of the movie overall.
I can't bring myself to even click on the Hidden stuff, man. I'm sorry. I think he makes the musical equivalent of the feeling you'd have after coming down from a 72 hour ice binge and finding you've skull fucked your grandmother to death.
"Unconceivable, unbelievable Grammar like a hammer information receivable Sent by the Lord, here and abroad with words well adored now they can't be ignored!
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Nice to read that pstats, from somebody that's actually into these sort of genres. A lot of the negative reviews are probably from people that don't care for sci-fi suspense/thriller type movies.
you cant make your masterpiece if you already are thinking about the sequel.
6/10. i really wanted to like this in a blade runner kind of way but plot holes aside the philosphy felt lame. awesome scenery (3d imax recommend) design was cool (davids helmet thingo looked so cool) bad music good gore.
really.. Bad music?
One of the biggest things that stood out for me in this movie was the old style of movie score - a Spielberg/70's and 80's style epic orchestral, strangely uplifting piece whenever there was something of grand proportion in the story:
Just got back from seeing it, I enjoyed the movie a lot. Took most you guys advice, went it with a clear mind, and that helped make the movie better for me.
That said, I'm just going with - it is an Alien prequel. I think.
Ridley Scott mentioned this was movie several movies away from Alien, and I can accept that. I don't think they would have included that last scene if it weren't.
Spoiler:
I thought they were an earlier form of xenomorph, a bio-weapon not yet perfected by the Engineers/Space Jockeys. They could have returned to LV-223 to retrieve them, or something similar happened to another Space Jockey crew on terraforming mission on LV-426. David mentioned there were more ships (and took off in one with Elizabeth) , and you'd think perhaps the Engineers would be monitoring the planet.
I liked the explanation for the helmets they wore when in the Engineers pilot seat, though in Alien they appeared to be much larger in size
I thought this was really great, it looked fucking beautiful and the script was not as bad as people have suggested imo...BUT
Spoiler:
why did they not appear to be recording / documenting the greatest scientific discovery of all time?
why did no one bother asking David what any of the hieroglyphs said?
A lot of unexplained phenomena and events - if the movie aimed to pose more questions than it answered (which was really only one), then it succeeded.
For me, I really felt that LOST feeling of too many ideas being projected and not enough explanation or resolution of those.
Agree with JulesPlees on the music, theme seemed alright in the opening credits and then completely overdone throughout, it's melody (which I felt was similar to a superhero theme) didn't match the scenes.
I'll give it 6 out of 10 - 1 extra for Charlize.
Oh and 3D was great, good range of depth throughout.
Loved it, in saying that I wasn't expecting a major link to Alien, being told very early on that it had almost nothing to do with it I learned to deal with it. And with that in mind I thought it was great. Charlize is a goddess.
Once upon a time the lack of any clear answers to the questions a film is asking was intended to make the audience think.
I reckon a lot of fanboys wanted their own ideas about Alien (and the space jockies) presented back to them
all tied together in a pretty little bow.
If this is directed at me it's pretty far from the mark. Have you seen it?
I'm not a fan of the franchise, other than the first 2 they were terrible, I had no expectations.
I was only excited about Scott returning to science fiction.
..and after this I have grave fears for the Blade Runner sequel he has planned.
There just has to be something meaningful under the surface. Right?
When the spectacle is this detailed and carefully composed, and the mythology this intriguing, and the caliber of the cast this impressive, how disappointing would it be to find out that Prometheus indulges mindless escapism no more rewarding than that of a Michael Bay film?
If only. I could forgive “disappointing”, so long as the mindless escapism on offer were willing to commit to the part (see: Aliens). But there’s a key difference between a silly sci-fi affair like Prometheus and that of the Transformers variety: Michael Bay knows exactly what he wants his films to be, and doesn’t insult viewers by pretending that they’re anything more. He doesn’t allude to a higher purpose when presenting his particular brand of sensory assault, and then refuse to pull back the curtain when it comes time to reveal what that higher purpose is.
Prometheus may seem like more sophisticated fare, with a promise of greater significance deeply entrenched in the oft-mentioned subject matter (i.e., uncovering the origin of human life), but the movie utterly fails at tying its ideas and its monstrous happenings together. Despite feigning interest in probing life’s most pertinent mysteries, the film has nothing to say. It asks — literally asks, aloud — weighty questions without any interest in exploring the answers. The film expects you to do the heavy lifting, as though it should be rewarded for even daring to ask the questions to begin with. What is the meaning of life? Where do we come from? Why do we believe what we believe? What makes us human? What drives us to find the answers to these questions?
Well?
Yes, I’m asking you.
What, am I supposed to contribute something to the conversation? I’m the one who asked the questions. That’s, like, the hardest part. Because naturally, nobody watching Prometheus has ever considered these questions before. This is literally the first time anyone has thought to breach such existential territory, save for stoners, coffee shop philosophers, and everyone who has ever lived since the beginning of time.
Prometheus is at its most interesting when it strives for simple pathos, suggesting that by not supplying the answers the audience so desperately craves, it’s making a point about human nature and the pursuit of the “why” beyond the “what”. I can only imagine this was co-writer Damon Lindelof‘s wily way of addressing what he spent so many years dealing with on LOST. And yet, once again, his refusal to provide adequate closure demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of why ambiguity is so often frustrating — or at least, why his reliance on it is. Because, unlike life’s great mysteries, we know that there is a creator responsible for the story playing out in front of us, and possess the cognitive ability to discern between one that utilizes ambiguity as a means of truly enhancing the narrative and one that resorts to it because learning the truth would serve only to disappoint you all the more.
This is a disappointment shared by the film’s most compelling character, an android named David, who’s ironically imbued with more humanity than any of the actual humans aboard the film’s titular ship. For David, the intrigue lies in the “what”, not the “why”. When confronted with the disappointment of a crew member over never being able to ask his “Engineers” why they chose to create humans, David questions why humans made him. “We made you because we could,” the crew member flatly responds. “Can you imagine how disappointing it would be for you to hear the same answer from your creators?”
This exchange is easily among the strongest in the film, and yet it’s also its most infuriating, because it seems to willfully forgo any responsibility on the writers part to make sense of the narrative.
Oh, what, you have a problem with the lack of meaningful plot resolution? You’ve completely missed the point! It’s about the desire to find answers, not the answers themselves! Why try to satisfy you with answers when life doesn’t have any satisfying answers to give? Check mate, motherfuckers!
Is this seriously the point of Prometheus? We’ve waited this long to have our questions about the Alien mythology answered, only to be told that expecting satisfying answers to those questions is actually reflective of the folly of mankind? That’s it?
How profound. Nevermind that I only sought the answers to those questions to begin with because Ridley Scott chose to make a movie that asks those questions.
Before early word of Prometheus rolled around, I never took issue with Alien‘s ambiguity. I was content with knowing nothing about the space jockey. I didn’t question the origin of the xenomorphs. They’re an alien species with seriously disturbing reproductive tendencies. They did to that pilot exactly what they end up doing to Ripley’s space pals. What more is there to know?
As it turns out, very little; and way too much.
Alien was an intimate horror tale that alluded to a story behind the story, but left it to your imagination to consider what that other story actually was, cleverly intensifying the horror as that creeping sense of the unknown lingered fiercely in the back of the viewer’s mind. Even though the scale of the story that the film ultimately told was relatively small, the scale of the film felt larger than life because of how confidently it carried its cast through each reveal of its meticulously crafted mythos.
Prometheus is written by people who understand why that aspect of Alien was so appealing, but they lack the ability to contribute anything of worth to the mythology, or to even figure out what they want the film to be. Is it horror? Action? Adventure? Thriller? Drama? It’s all of those things, really, except when it’s not — which is most of the time.
Worse still, each and every glimpse into the recesses of its hitherto unexplored mythology consists largely of monster mayhem bereft of imagination, excitement or soul. These developments don’t build upon one another to uncover a thoughtfully assembled framework, steadily escalating the tension and terror until all hell breaks loose. Instead, each development stands alone as its own little piece of nonsensical horror violence.
On the receiving end of these grotesqueries is one of the most incompetent crew of scientists to ever grace the silver screen, always ready to take off their helmets, touch foreign contaminants, split up from the team when frightened, and assume any alien lifeforms are friendly pets — all while having next to no knowledge about where they are and what they’re doing there. The crew is at its smartest when it lets their high-tech gadgets do the work for them, which pretty much comprises the entirety of the first act. This is when the film is at its best, re-introducing audiences to this world with startling confidence and an overwhelming sense of visual awe. It’s a shame, then, that the film is so much better at characterizing its technology than its humans.
That technology includes David, played with chilly ambivalence by the always reliable Michael Fassbender. As characters go, he’s the film’s one saving grace, but even he can’t escape the sheer aimlessness of a story that has no idea what to do with him. (A realization that only occurs once the film nears its end, and his actions have been cast in a new, thoroughly underwhelming light.)
Noomi Rapace holds her own in a lead role that does her no favors, repeatedly emphasizing the nature of her faith in God without ever letting her believably convey it.
“Why do you believe, Ms. Shaw?”
“Because I choose to.”
Cute, but does that strike anyone as something a true believer would say?
Rapace is more convincing when forced to respond to the devastation at hand, particularly during one terrifically gruesome display of maternal terror that stands on its own as the best sequence in the film. (But, like everything else in Prometheus, the rushed set-up zaps it of its vitality.)
The rest of the cast isn’t as fortunate, the luckiest of them enjoying half-formed relationships that go nowhere before suffering their abrupt, obligatory deaths. Most wasted is Charlize Theron, in a role that amounts to an entirely incidental dramatic revelation that’s neither dramatic nor revelatory.
In the end, it isn’t the thematic ambiguity that kills Prometheus; it’s everything else.
Stripped from its Alien roots, Prometheus barely has a story to call its own. A lot happens in it, but the events play out with so little thought or urgency that almost nothing seems to happen at all. By the time it hits its third act, the film has completely devolved into generic sci-fi drivel, rushing through each incongrous payoff without bothering to properly root them in any sort of intellectually or emotionally substantiated context. Scene after scene, the film subjects its expert team of stock horror dummies to inactivity and death, completely devaluing the inherent thoughtfulness of the themes at hand, and in doing so removing any trace of intelligent design in a story that’s all about tracing back the roots of intelligent design. But then, maybe that irony is not lost on the writers, who treat the film’s actual gods like dummies, too.
The big loser of the film, though, is science. For a movie that’s so eager to express wonder and fear at the possibilities of scientific advancement, it’s startling to find the field abused with such reckless disregard for narrative coherence.
To review: Alien “Engineers” have pioneered a new sort of chemical warfare, concocting a mysterious black goop that decays DNA, completely disintegrating its creators upon contact. Worms, however, transform into alien snake things (uh, what?) that have vaginas for faces, because of biology and stuff. Exposure to humans, meanwhile, transforms them into super-powered, fat-headed rage zombies, in spite of them sharing a 100% DNA match (uh, what?) with their “Engineers”. And you better be careful to not blow your infected load without a condom, or your previously barren girlfriend will have a fully grown alien squid fetus (uh, what?) ready to pop out of her within days. Once birthed, that squid will grow into an enormous face-hugger in a matter of hours, and god forbid it latches onto the faces of any hefty bald dudes with milky complexions, because then you’ll be facing a brand new species of… Xenomorphs.
Everyone together now…
Uh, what?
Yup, that’s the big reveal of Prometheus. The xenomorphs are the incestual offspring of giant albino men and idiot scientists aimlessly fucking about with weaponized, monster-morphing ooze. That’s the shocking truth behind how this iconic species came into being. Of all the things Prometheus could’ve been about, of all the things Prometheus could’ve introduced to the Alien mythology, in the end, it all boils down to… General purpose bio-goo.
To call Prometheus inconsequential would be a severe understatement. This movie is a trifling blip of narrative disarray, so lacking in anything resembling an intelligible throughline or purpose that I can’t help but wonder why there was any incentive to tell this story at all. Prometheus isn’t just bad; it actively detracts from the very mythology it’s trying to enhance, reducing the Alien legacy to little more than an accidental byproduct of a mind-numbingly stupid expedition.
I think that this movie has two types of reviews - those who don't pick at everything and enjoyed it a lot, and those who pick it apart and hated it for those reasons.
I loved it, as mentioned, but I can understand that you could as easily dislike it. I'd be interested to see if there's a typical "Directors cut" that comes out of this when released later in the year, which may have scenes that explain the missing "holes" in the story that people complain about.
I think that this movie has two types of reviews - those who don't pick at everything and enjoyed it a lot, and those who pick it apart and hated it for those reasons.
I loved it, as mentioned, but I can understand that you could as easily dislike it. I'd be interested to see if there's a typical "Directors cut" that comes out of this when released later in the year, which may have scenes that explain the missing "holes" in the story that people complain about.
Yes, Mr. Scott does like his Directors Cuts, hope it's great!
Has Mr Scott indicated whether he intends to do more of these movies if allowed/funded? or was it his intention to leave it where it is?
I thought maybe thats the reason there are so many holes, so he can continue the story some more?
yes, read today that there will be an extended edition released when the blu-ray comes out...
Also Charge, I am fairly certain (ie I read it somewhere and cant remember where) that they are trying for another trilogy with these films... however thats part of the problem... by deliberately not answering questions in this movie and setting up for another, they basically made the 3rd act nonsensical... and what happens if they dont make the next movie? then we are just left with no answers at all...
1. The dope smoking mohawked geologist. Really? That's your pinnacle of all the geologists on Earth you send on a trillion dollar scientific expedition?
2. Taking helmets off when you're about to discover aliens for the first time. Seems like some quality biohazard protocols they're following.
3. Playing with weird wormy aliens you just discovered like they're a fucking puppy.
4. Get stranded so decide to wander about tunnels (even though you're the guy that sent the mapping devices out).
5. Assume that when a security camera goes offline its a 'glitch' and ignore it.
6. Aliens share exact same DNA as humans, yet all look like clones of a giant on steroids. Strong enough to toss people across a room like a ragdoll.
7. Touching anything weird, organic, and alien... with anything less than a giant pair of tongs. Oh look some weird goo let me stick my fingers in it.
8. The emergency caesarian was a great scene mostly, except that you left the room without ensuring the squiddy was dead.
9. Speaking of said squiddy, somehow it converted NOTHING into several tonnes of mass.
ugh I want my scientific crew to have a little fucking smarts.
all the haters can get the fuck out and lrn2sciencefiction
Hopped in the car and torpe'ed to the shack
Of Shaheed, "We gotta go back" when he said
"Why?" I said, "We gotta go
'Cause I left my wallet in El Segundo"
Watchable but ultimately meh and very disappointing to me.
A fair few things bug me about the movie but the thing that bugs me most is:
Spoiler:
Guy Pierce - He looks like a young guy made up to look old so I was waiting for the point when the Engineers return him to being a young guy or Theron's childhood memories of him looking young but it never came. If you have an old guy part with no requirement to look young then cast a real old guy. Farken ****s
It's epic horror sci fi, why get caught up in aspects of casting?
Hopped in the car and torpe'ed to the shack
Of Shaheed, "We gotta go back" when he said
"Why?" I said, "We gotta go
'Cause I left my wallet in El Segundo"
Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" is a magnificent science-fiction film, all the more intriguing because it raises questions about the origin of human life and doesn't have the answers. It's in the classic tradition of golden age sci-fi, echoing Scott's "Alien" (1979), but creating a world of its own. I'm a pushover for material like this; it's a seamless blend of story, special effects and pitch-perfect casting, filmed in sane, effective 3-D that doesn't distract.
horror? check! Sorry it's not the Scream and I know what you did last summer stuff you probably class as horror
Quote:
The film then develops horror scenes comparable to "Alien," although it depends more on action and weaponry than that film's use of shadows and silence
Hopped in the car and torpe'ed to the shack
Of Shaheed, "We gotta go back" when he said
"Why?" I said, "We gotta go
'Cause I left my wallet in El Segundo"
I guess it was too deep for the majority of the populace.
http://nerdtears.com/Prometheus
Classic quote from the 'populace' who visit that site.
'Great review. This is hands down the best film I’ve seen all year and will probably remain among Alien, Avatar, Blade Runner, Metropolis, and 2001: A Space Odyssey as one of the finest science fiction films ever made. It’s been too long since we’ve had hard science fiction on this scale epic.'
You couldn't make that up...
Anyway, whatev's, everyone's entitled to their opinions D-Train.
"Unconceivable, unbelievable Grammar like a hammer information receivable Sent by the Lord, here and abroad with words well adored now they can't be ignored!
I don't choose the release date Derp, that's Fox's fault. The fact is it still missed #1, let's see if word of mouth changes that in the next few weeks.
Watchable but ultimately meh and very disappointing to me.
A fair few things bug me about the movie but the thing that bugs me most is:
Spoiler:
Guy Pierce - He looks like a young guy made up to look old so I was waiting for the point when the Engineers return him to being a young guy or Theron's childhood memories of him looking young but it never came. If you have an old guy part with no requirement to look young then cast a real old guy. Farken ****s
Did you watch any of the viral marketing, specifically the TED video where he's young?
I...honestly don't know what I feel about this movie. It was awesome, but also meh. It confused me because I thought I was going to come out with an erection that wouldn't subside for at least 48 hours. It answered questions - via way of people jumping to non-obvious conclusions - but then asked a load more that kinda pissed me off. The action was good but not great. The characters were good but not great.
The only thing that I know with 100% certainty is that I would drink Charlize Theron's bath water.
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