Prometheus 2: Apparently it's happening

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by RoJoHen, Mar 25, 2014.

  1. ichab

    ichab Commodore Commodore

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    These type of franchises are made from characters doing stupid things that normal people don't. Hence popular villains such as..

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  2. Hela

    Hela Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Watched the original Alien last night.

    I actually pointed out to my fellow watcher that, in a movie that didn't hesitate to have stupidity instantly 'punished' by gory death, Ripley noticably got off lightly for splitting up and wandering off alone to find the cat. It's only a bad decision if it kills you!

    The Alien series has nearly always hinged on scientists and businessmen being stupid enough to repeatedly seek out the Xeno's for reasons such as recklessness/greed/ambition/curiosity etc.

    They even rear their heads at the end of Alien vs Predator 2, which is more of a (bad) slasher movie than the actual showdown between ol' Freddy and Jason there.

    It's just said scientists and businessmen are usually secondary characters. And they're next-to-never smart enough to realise that they've fucked up.
     
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  3. Reverend

    Reverend Admiral Admiral

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    I see that as akin to someone running back into a burning building to save the family pet. Sure, it's not the wisest move from a self preservation POV, but it's absolutely something people do.

    Unless you're referring to the bit earlier, right before Bret is killed. In that case remember that at the time, they thought they were dealing with an alien about a foot and a half long and leaving Jonesy to roam around meant they'd probably pick him up on the tracker again, complicating the search.
     
  4. M'rk son of Mogh

    M'rk son of Mogh Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Yes, but usually said characters are dumb, horny teenagers, not specially selected scientists picked for the first of its kind first contact with aliens mission.
     
  5. Timby

    Timby o yea just like that Administrator

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    It's not, though. I've explained this before (and, really, the film beats you over the head with it): Weyland didn't give two shits about hiring competent people outside of Shaw and Holloway. He wanted to get to the planet and he figured David would take care of the rest. Everything else would just come out in the wash, so to speak. That's how the ship wound up with goobers like Fifield.

    Prometheus is relentlessly thematic, but the danger of hubris is so front and center that you'd have to have blinders on to miss it.
     
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  6. Reverend

    Reverend Admiral Admiral

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    I get that they were canaries and probably barely reputable as academics, but as I explained before they overcooked it. Hubris is one thing, but the entire movie was made to look actively stupid. Not "out of their depth" stupid. "Pants on head, sticking their genitalia into a live power socket" stupid. No sense of subtlety. Again: lazy writing.

    Doesn't matter what the intent was when the result was a garbled mess that sacrifices character and narrative for the sake of pacing and bludgeoning the audience to death with it's "message".

    What's worse is that the allegory isn't even accurate. The mythical Prometheus wasn't a mortal who stole knowledge and was punished by the gods, he was a god himself who gave knowledge to mortals and his peers punished him for it. Apparently they got Homer's writings mixed up the the Book of Genesis. Double trouble considering they considered implying Jesus was an Engineer and the crucifixion as the reason why they decided to wipe us out, which is fairly asinine all by itself. Just more evidence this movie had no clear idea what it wanted to be about.

    If they wanted a hubris allegory they should have named the ship "Icarus."
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2017
  7. JWPlatt

    JWPlatt Commodore Commodore

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    I'll go ahead and disagree with the lazy writing as a primary diagnosis and just call it bad writing. And Timby is full of it, it being false justification for - to compromise - lazily bad writing by filling in imaginary intent.
     
  8. Mage

    Mage Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I still think it's funny that there are people (like me) who still love Prometheus despite some flaws, and people are actually getting near angry at us for liking it and writing what are almost essays as to why we really NEED to hate it.

    Meh. I'm still gonna love Prometheus. If you think I'm an idiot for loving it, good for you. Doesn't make me feel any less happy when I rewatch it. :D
     
  9. Reverend

    Reverend Admiral Admiral

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    Believe it or not, I actually really like it. It's just that I'm very well aware of it's flaws. ;)
     
  10. JWPlatt

    JWPlatt Commodore Commodore

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    That's a good balanced view.
     
  11. Mage

    Mage Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Exactly how I feel. Although, perhaps..... I tend to love it, not just like it. I brought this up somewhere else on the forum, I think a discussion about STB. Where we tend to find flaws in movies these days, and keep hammering on about them. Sure, there was some odd things in Prometheus, even one or two weird or stupid. But, there was (to me personally) so much to love, that I can accept those flaws.

    Now, if you saw the flaws, and the rest of the movie sucked to you, go right ahead. But also, just leave others loving it, if they want to.
    Not talking to you know, btw, @Reverend , I was talking in general. ;)
     
  12. Set Harth

    Set Harth Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Oh, the irony.
     
  13. Hela

    Hela Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Oddly enough, I prefer Prometheus and Alien 3 to Aliens.

    That's not to say I don't think Aliens is technically the better film (even if it's also far from perfect). It also doesn't mean that I don't enjoy the hell out of Aliens.

    It's just those two (and the original) seem to just be better at scratching my personal itches, so to speak. Scenes like David finding the Starmap or Ripley death (followed by her sign-off from the original film finally being picked up) hit me right in the sweet spot.
     
  14. JWPlatt

    JWPlatt Commodore Commodore

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    That is odd. It's like admitting you prefer the Star Wars prequels to everything else, which I'm half expecting. ;)
     
  15. Reverend

    Reverend Admiral Admiral

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    I actually have a real soft spot for 'Alien 3' as well, though I wouldn't go so far as to say I prefer it over 'Aliens' as that will always be my personal favourite.
     
  16. Captain of the USS Averof

    Captain of the USS Averof Commodore Commodore

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    That is odd.

    But I shouldn't speakā€¦ I don't care what anyone says, Alien Resurrection is a guilty pleasure of mine!
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2017
  17. Beagleman

    Beagleman Commodore Commodore

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    Alien3 is great, Aliens is... ok. IMHOP of course.
     
  18. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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  19. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

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    Is that the wooden planet one?
     
  20. Hartzilla2007

    Hartzilla2007 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    No that was the cold war in space one. Which unlike the others except the prison in space one actually bothers to try to make its how an Alien got on board thing make sense.