PROMETHEUS - Grade and Discuss

[The Wormhole]

Personally, I thought this movie was fucking awesome! While at times there are perhaps too many similarities to Alien, it is regardless some classic sci-fi quality here. The movie is so cool, so enjoyable, so great, and so fucking awesome.

For the most part we've got a great group of characters, though I could have done without the hardass who ends up panicing when shit hits the fan. David the Android was a really cool character and I was surprised how much I liked him. And true to Alien tradition, the android gets violently beaten and sprays white goo everywhere.

The Space Jockeys also turned out kind of cool. While certainly not what I imagined, they managed to not be disappointing, which is quite something since the Space Jockey is something I've thought about since childhood.

Some questions regarding the ending, is Ms. Vickers alive? We don't see her get killed, yet if she is alive, she seems to have been abandoned on the planet. Also, in the final scenes we see Dr. Shaw isn't wearing her spacesuit's gloves. Kind of defeats the purpose of wearing a spacesuit.

I give the movie an A+.

 

[cbspock]

Don't even bother seeing this movie. It is a waste of time. It's not good when people laugh at stuff they shouldn't be laughing at during the movie. The movie really jumped the shark when she cut the alien out of herself and walked around the rest of the time like nothing happened. Also, if you are going to borrow for Alien, you don't take from Alien 3 and 4. You borrow from the two good ones.


-Chris

 

[PsychoPere]

[...] Maybe I'll wait for the Director's cut on this one.

I do agree that it's obvious some stuff was cut, and I'm sure Scott will do a director's cut for video.

I'll give it one more go with a Director's Cut [...]

Ridley Scott has already said that he won't be doing a director's cut.

 

[Yminale]

[...] Maybe I'll wait for the Director's cut on this one.

I do agree that it's obvious some stuff was cut, and I'm sure Scott will do a director's cut for video.

I'll give it one more go with a Director's Cut [...]

Ridley Scott has already said that he won't be doing a director's cut.

Yeah Ridley Scott ALWAYS said that and then BOOM! Ultra Deluxe 3D Blu ray with smellavision version comes out. I remember Scott said that the ambiguity of Decker's status was what makes Blade Runner such a great movie and that all he would do was restore the original darker ending. Well that went out the window. Thank you magical unicorn.

 

[DarthPipes]

B I guess. I just got back from it. Strange but good. Kind of hard to describe.

I will say that Michael Fassenbender continues to be the bst thing in any movie he's in. His David is a terrific character. Charlize Theron is fucking beautiful. The guy playing the captain was quite good. Rapace's surgery scene was hard to watch.

 

[Yminale]

Honestly people, I think most of you are just looking for stuff to critize. Prometheus sounds as dumb as the Avengers or the last Star Trek movie and all of you loved those films.

If you want an intelligent Sci-fi film I suggest you watch "Safety not Guaranteed". Outside of that, shut your brain off and enjoy the pure spectacle that is Prometheus.

 

[-Brett-]

I'd say a B is fair. The acting is mostly good. The visuals are great. Action sequences are actiony.

The plot left more unresolved questions than I generally like. The scientific method used by the supposed scientists was laughable. The biologist in particular was an idiot. Hissing snake-like thing with bared fangs = stay the fuck away from it. The average high school drop out should know that, but this supposed biologist doesn't?

Anyway, would probably watch again if it was on TV and I had nothing better to do. Maybe not though. Might watch the sequel once it moves to the cheap theatre.

 

[DestinyCaptain]

And why cast Guy Pearce? He's a good actor, but unless they have some plan for a sequel, why not cast an old guy to play the old guy? He was not convincing as an old man.

Indeed. Lance Henrikson always seemed to be the de facto Weyland in the franchise and could have played the part adequately. Then again, AvP probably placed him way too early in the company history to be believable in Prometheus' future setting.

That and Scott doesn't like AVP. Does the film expressly say that there wasn't a Weyland before Peter, or does it say something along the lines that he made the company what it is today. If its something along the lines of Peter transitioning the company from a huge manufacturing company in oil and telecommunications to a company devoted to space, robotics, and future tech...then it does not rule out CBW.

 

[sidious618]

I just got back and was really impressed. The visuals of the film were magnificent and didn't feel excessive- they matched the theme of the story. Even if the story was a dud the visuals alone would've sold it because they created a real, creepy world and at other times filled you with a sense of awe.

It seems to me that the story is what most people have been torn about. I loved it. I liked that it was ambiguous and I liked that it left you with some questions. Could it have been deeper? Yes, but this is a mainstream film and it did a lot more than most mainstream sci-fi films do so I was satisfied. I'd say it was as intelligent as the original Alien.

There are a few things that irked me, such as Shaw not being as upset about David putting an alien inside her as she should've been, but the general chaotic nature of the ending did excuse the questionable plot points somewhat.

 

[Nightowl1701]

The movie really jumped the shark when she cut the alien out of herself and walked around the rest of the time like nothing happened.

She was NOT walking around like nothing happened, she was staggering and clutching her belly and popping one painkiller after another. She barely made it back into her spacesuit. When the shit hit the fan, she was going on adrenalin, the painkillers and sheer willpower. No idea how long she was lying there after the ship crashed (obviously long enough for her suit air to almost run out, so we'll say a few hours). No doubt once she and David took off in the other Jockey vessel, she would have had to put David back together enough for him to pilot the ship and put her in cryosleep, because she wouldn't survive the trip otherwise.

There are a few things that irked me, such as Shaw not being as upset about David putting an alien inside her as she should've been, but the general chaotic nature of the ending did excuse the questionable plot points somewhat.

"I guess it's because I'm a human being, and you're just a robot." She likely figured it was Weyland prodding David to do his experiments (or David explained it to her in a deleted scene). David, being "just a robot," was just following his master's orders and bore no personal responsibility. Bit of the same condescending attitude Holloway showed him, when you think about it.

 

[Nightowl1701]

My issue with the geologist and biologist was that they took no samples and contributed nothing to the trip. How did they get lost? It was his own drones that mapped the complex. Everybody was on the same comms system and the ship monitored their locations. They should have got the message about the storm too but asked for no assistance? If they'd been delayed taking samples on the way out I might have forgiven them. I can only assume they must have switched comms off so they could have a shag. It could have been a glitch in the system I suppose but if so it was poorly represented in the narrative.

It's obvious Captain Janek (at Vickers' orders?) got those two lost on purpose. He was lying his ass off about not seeing what was on their helmet cams and winked at his crewmate when he said there was no safe way to come get them. And of course, he could clearly see their positions on that hologram the whole time and could have easily guided them out.

 

[DestinyCaptain]

For me, up to that point when he entered that room, Brett believed that he was hunting for a small creature. However, upon further reflection, I agree with you that he acted stupidly when, after finding the shedded skin, instead of reporting his discovery to the crew, Brett decided to proceed further into the room, and placed himself in greater danger. Another moment that can be argued for a case of stupidity is when the captain went alone into the vents without a partner. So, in conclusion, I retract what I said earlier about the first movie.

What is far more stupid, is that Ripley and Parker force Bret to go by himself into the next room, where they can't see him or help him, to get the cat. Nor do they work as a group of three so that no one is alone. This kind of thing is repeated in the air shaft and at the end of the film when Lampert n' Parker seperate from Ripley. But this is your basic horror fare.

 

[Lord Garth]

I give it an A. It's not quite A+ material.

Prometheus is like a spin-off of Alien that just happens to take place earlier and only has one connection point. They have as much do with each other as DS9 has to do with VOY.

Like Ridley Scott said, Prometheus actually is its own mythology and has a very good take on Ancient Astronauts. A sequel wouldn't have to have anything to do with Alien whatsoever.

Blade Runner and Alien are two of my favorite movies ever, so I'm probably more than a little biased.

 

[Jedi Marso]

Would anyone else like to see Idris Elba as a Starfleet captain? He was one of my favorite characters in this movie.

 

[Saul]

If you want an intelligent Sci-fi film I suggest you watch "Safety not Guaranteed". Outside of that, shut your brain off and enjoy the pure spectacle that is Prometheus.

Should we not expect intelligent sci-fi from Ridley Scott? The man who brought us 'Alien' and 'Blade Runner' which set the bar for intelligent sci-fi.

As for the deeper message? Engineer Aliens are assholes. And humans are assholes to robots. That's it. Having characters say there are Big Things out there that need Big Answers is not the same as actually having those characters explore those Big Things or find those Big Answers.

That's pretty much my problem with it. It never really explores what it sets out to explore. The bigger picture of where we might have come from is brushed aside to make way for the nasty stuff that will happen to the crew.

 

[Sci]

Very disappointed. The film is dramatically arbitrary, full of characters who make irrational or even self-destructive choices for no discernible reason other than that it's necessary for the plot to unfold.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

[...] Maybe I'll wait for the Director's cut on this one.

I do agree that it's obvious some stuff was cut, and I'm sure Scott will do a director's cut for video.

I'll give it one more go with a Director's Cut [...]

Ridley Scott has already said that he won't be doing a director's cut.

That's not what he said to Mark Kermode on Radio 5. He said sure there are things he'd like to do with a directors cut and he can see himself doing one at some point.

 

[davejames]

A-

Okay, so maybe it's not a scifi classic, and maybe it's not nearly as deep or complex as it wants to be.... but that was still a pretty damn AMAZING thing to watch, if you ask me.

The direction was so strong, and the visuals so gorgeous and awe-inspiring that the few story problems didn't really bother me, to be honest. Yeah the characters do some stupid things, and the movie gets a bit choppy towards the end (especially with that attack from the mohawk guy that comes out of nowhere and is never mentioned again), but it never felt to me like either of those things really killed the movie, like others seem to feel.

And even if the movie doesn't have that wonderful sense of dread all the way through it like Alien did, once things start to go to shit I thought Scott did a great job making those moments just as creepy and intense as they needed to be.

In the end, even if the story isn't as strong or original as it could have been, I still thought Ridley Scott somehow made the thing work.

 

[Roshi]

Correct me if I'm wrong (I may have *imagined* things) but weren't mohawk guy's legs over his shoulders?

 

[Pauln6]

It's obvious Captain Janek (at Vickers' orders?) got those two lost on purpose. He was lying his ass off about not seeing what was on their helmet cams and winked at his crewmate when he said there was no safe way to come get them. And of course, he could clearly see their positions on that hologram the whole time and could have easily guided them out.

That's not so bad then. I'm sure upon a second viewing my expectations will be lower and I'll spot the in-plot explanations for some of the stuff that annoyed me.