PROMETHEUS - Grade and Discuss

[Tom]

I liked the film, but ya, a mess in some area's and to cliche'd in other area's.. So the ship is starting to slowly roll towards you..thats ok just run directly in front of the roll..don't even think about running to the side to get our of the way! WTF

 

[davejames]

What I find most confusing is people lauding Alien for it's likable characters while condemning Prometheus for having unlikable ones.

I've never really heard it argued that Alien's characters worked because they were "likeable". They worked because they felt incredibly real and authentic. It really felt like you were a fly on the wall watching a bunch of real-life grunts and blue collar guys going about their job.

Sadly, as much as I enjoyed Prometheus, it's characters come across more like your typical, fake movie types.

 

[TremblingBluStar]

I liked the film, but ya, a mess in some area's and to cliche'd in other area's.. So the ship is starting to slowly roll towards you..thats ok just run directly in front of the roll..don't even think about running to the side to get our of the way! WTF

Yeah. I was screaming the same thing during that scene. Yet, characters in movies do this all the time.

 

[Tom]

I liked the film, but ya, a mess in some area's and to cliche'd in other area's.. So the ship is starting to slowly roll towards you..thats ok just run directly in front of the roll..don't even think about running to the side to get our of the way! WTF

Yeah. I was screaming the same thing during that scene. Yet, characters in movies do this all the time.

Well Shaw did finally jump to the side but then the ship fell her way. LOL

 

[Maestro]

For some reason, I want to invest more of myself I this movie than I would almost any other. As I've read the comments here and elsewhere, I think there's much more going on. This universe is much bigger than we're realizing. The events of LV223 and 426 are going to pan out to be separate incidents, and I think we're going to find the Engineers to be a far more advanced and prolific civilization.

 

[Admiral2]

Just watching Aliens. The characters feel so much more rounded and there's some genuinely humerous dialogue including some that the scientists in Prometheus should have known:

"Nobody touch nuthin!"

Wise words indeed.

Glad you like it. Now go back and watch ALIEN which, according to its writer, had characters that were deliberately not super well-rounded because his only concern was how they reacted to the monster that got thrown at them, and that was the movie Scott shot...and it's considered the seminal movie of the sci-fi-horror genre.

And Prometheus was created in that same vein. It's not perfect, but no way in hell is it worse than Aliens.

The problem is that you can justify the former: They're working-class people who may not be well-educated and certainly aren't in a profession that should have trained them to deal with contact with new life-forms.

But the crew of the Prometheus consisted of highly-educated, well-trained scientists. They should have already been well-trained in how to explore and gather data in a manner that's both rational and safe.

But I'm sure that training didn't include horny snake aliens, horny squid aliens, giant humanoid aliens bent on genocide, oily black multipurpose ooze, two seperate corporate agendas and freak weather on an alien moon. The notion that any non-Vulcan scientist can go through all this and still do his job in a methodical manner is asinine. I issue the same challenge to you that I issued to Pauln6: I defy you to collect samples in a methodial manner while you're being pursued by rabid pit bulls.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I issue the same challenge to you that I issued to Pauln6: I defy you to collect samples in a methodial manner while you're being pursued by rabid pit bulls.

If we were being pursued by rapid put bulls, Prometheus teaches us that my friend the biologist would try to play fetch with them, while my other friend the archeologist/physician/crusader would somehow get pregnant with a little rapid pit bull puppy, get an abortion and never mention that to anyone, even though said puppy would still be very much alive right next door.

When people are under a lot of pressure, they get nervous, they make mistakes, but they don't get completely insane.

 

[DarthTom]

This film is very polarizing among scifi fans, and not in the SW prequel way where 95% realize the films are bad. Opinions seem to be either in praise of the film, or condemnation and offense that the film exists.

The polarization of opinions isn't atypical of Trek fans at all in my experience. Some people liked Trek XI and some people absolutely hated that they rebooted the timeline and created an alternate universe. Some people think DS9 was gods gift to Trek on TV and others think TNG and the original series rules.

I wish some Trek fans of other sci-fi could sit back and relax and understand that in order for the genre to be commercially successful and survive it has to stick to some type of formula today because of the cost of making films.

IMO, Prometheus was cerebral enough to make it a great film for hardcore sci-fi fans and Aliens purists but also the film is exciting and interesting enough for any member of the general public.

I hope it does well at the box office so we can have more films like it in the near future.

 

[Starkers]

Really, what the fuck was wrong with that guy?! Were the air levels in his suit just too low and he was high due to low oxygen levels? Why was he all cooing over that damn thing?

Could be. I chalk it up to the guy being inexperienced and rather stupid. Weyland clearly didn't pick the best and the brightest for this mission.

However, the same logic could be applied to Kane in the first film. Why would he approach something that resembles an alien egg with signs of movement inside. Why not get everybody else down before examining them. Then when it pops open and makes an ominous hissing sound, he leans in closer and sticks his face right over the thing!

This film is very polarizing among scifi fans, and not in the SW prequel way where 95% realize the films are bad. Opinions seem to be either in praise of the film, or condemnation and offense that the film exists.

Spoony, who I often agree with when it comes to movies, hated Prometheus and basically characterized it as the dumbest, most offensive cinematic experience in existence. However, from the comments it appears that many of his complaints were due to him not really paying attention to the film.

I really enjoyed Prometheus. It did have it's share of scifi/horror cliches, but people aren't remembering that the first alien had it's share of cliches. The spring loaded cat, anyone?

What I find most confusing is people lauding Alien for it's likable characters while condemning Prometheus for having unlikable ones. In the first film, the characters were extremely unlikable! We were basically watching seven people who have spent so much time together that they can't stand each other go about their boring daily routines. The characters had zero backstory because they all either knew each other so well they didn't have to discuss themselves, or they mistrusted each other too much to share personal information.

I realize Scott created this setup for the express purpose of building tension by contrasting the boring, routine scenes with the horror of their situation. People who act as if the characters from the first film were in any way interesting or compelling are viewing the film through rose colored glasses, as it is clear to me that the characters are purposefully shown as uninteresting and not compelling so we can relate to the horror they go through.

It's not so much a case of likeable as human. I could relate to the characters in Alien, even though most of them were dicks; your work to rule engineers, your whiny Lambert, your officious jobsworth Ripley...but they felt real.

Idris Elba felt real towards the end, as did his two pilots oddly. Vickers had her moments but in the end didn't seem to serve any purpose to the narrative. Shaw was annoying, her boyfriend was annoying, the world's stupidest biologist was annoying, the geologist Guy Pearce brought back from Lockout with him was annoying, Guy Pearce was annoying...

Fassbender was pretty much the only character worth investing in.

And however stupid it is, a blue collar space trucker sticking his face in an egg is still not as stupid as a trained biologist who can't recognise hostile behaviour...a trained biologist who, let's not forgget, ran for it at the first sign of something about half an hour earlier!

 

[137th Gebirg]

This film is very polarizing among scifi fans, and not in the SW prequel way where 95% realize the films are bad. Opinions seem to be either in praise of the film, or condemnation and offense that the film exists.

The polarization of opinions isn't atypical of Trek fans at all in my experience. Some people liked Trek XI and some people absolutely hated that they rebooted the timeline and created an alternate universe. Some people think DS9 was gods gift to Trek on TV and others think TNG and the original series rules.

I wish some Trek fans of other sci-fi could sit back and relax and understand that in order for the genre to be commercially successful and survive it has to stick to some type of formula today because of the cost of making films.

IMO, Prometheus was cerebral enough to make it a great film for hardcore sci-fi fans and Aliens purists but also the film is exciting and interesting enough for any member of the general public.

I hope it does well at the box office so we can have more films like it in the near future.

The other thing I've noticed is that Trek fans (or, sci-fi fans in general), at least from what I've experienced on this BBS, don't really subscribe to the "Ancient Alien" theories and seem to have a hard time being tolerant of others who do. Which is surprising, considering Star Trek is all about broadening horizons and seeking out new life forms. However, the concept of aliens in real life (or any other paranormal phenomena) seems to be quite humorous and borderline absurd to some. Never quite understood the dichotomy. Perhaps it's just the "anti's" who speak the loudest on such matters, with the "pro's" keeping silent for fear of being ridiculed.

 

[Relayer1]

In myth, Prometheus makes man from clay, sides with the gods against the titans, and steals fire from the gods and gives it to man, only to be condemned for it. So, I suppose the "Prometheus" we see at the beginning of the film is part of one faction of engineers that creates and guides human life, against the will or law of their race, while the ones we see at the end of the film are part of another faction seeking to destroy their works. Their enemies. If the "good engineers" gave us fire, that is technology 2000 years ago, perhaps the "evil engineers" are out to destroy the perceived threat of us. Or maybe to them, all or them, Earth was just a petri dish that served its purpose, and now goes to decon.

Just a guess.

Oh, and A-. It was great.

That is a reasonable explanation. And I agree this is the best sci-fi flick IMO since Trek XI.

Regarding box office totals the film brought in $50 million in the US.

And, worldwide its brought in $141 million

It cost Fox and estimated $130 million to make the film and as pointed out 1/2 the cost The Avengers did.

However, Avengers is up to over $1 billion in box office receipts worldwide so at this point Prometheus has just barely paid for itself.

Prometheus will make a bit more at the cinema in other territories and with rental, Bluray and DVD sales a good bit more. I think we'll get 'Attack of the Xenomorphs' and 'Revenge of the Space Jockeys'.

I hope so - I really enjoyed the first part and really have to believe that its stupidity will be explained away.

And before you scoff - 90% of my problems with Trek XI were explained away to my satisfaction by posters on this site, so it could happen...

 

[Warped9]

...I agree this is the best sci-fi flick IMO since Trek XI.

Kill me. I could never even remotely envision ST09 and Prometheus being mentioned in the same breath. The latter is actually good while the former is shit.

 

[zakkrusz]

XI = 11 actually, but mostly agreed. They may both be sci-fi but not the same type of movie which I would find difficult to compare.

 

[CaptJimboJones]

XI = 11 actually, but mostly agreed. They may both be sci-fi but not the same type of movie which I would find difficult to compare.

I think he meant the "09" to refer to the year it was released.

And I agree - I enjoyed both films but they are vastly different. Prometheus is definitely science fiction (I'd even consider it an attempt to do "hard" SF) while ST is more of a typical action-adventure that happens to be set in outer space.

 

[davejames]

The other thing I've noticed is that Trek fans (or, sci-fi fans in general), at least from what I've experienced on this BBS, don't really subscribe to the "Ancient Alien" theories and seem to have a hard time being tolerant of others who do.

Yeah I've noticed that in a few comments as well, and I don't really understand it. The Ancient Alien thing may be ridiculous as hell in the real world, but that doesn't mean it can't still make for a cool "what if" idea in a scifi movie.

And plus this movie thankfully wasn't trying to use the existing Ancient Alien mythology (like a certain awful Indiana Jones sequel), but instead came up with a whole new one-- one that's frankly a whole lot cooler and more interesting.

 

[DarthTom]

And before you scoff - 90% of my problems with Trek XI were explained away to my satisfaction by posters on this site, so it could happen...

In terms of comparisons, Star Trek XI made $257 million in the US alone and $350 million worldwide.I'm not sure if Prometheus has a chance to do that well but no doubt will become a cult hit with sci-fi fans.

Star Trek by film - box office totals

 

[Warped9]

XI = 11 actually, but mostly agreed. They may both be sci-fi but not the same type of movie which I would find difficult to compare.

I think he meant the "09" to refer to the year it was released.

And I agree - I enjoyed both films but they are vastly different. Prometheus is definitely science fiction (I'd even consider it an attempt to do "hard" SF) while ST is more of a typical action-adventure that happens to be set in outer space.

Yes, I did mean Trek XI. As to the rest you're being kind.

 

[Tom Servo]

...I agree this is the best sci-fi flick IMO since Trek XI.

Kill me. I could never even remotely envision ST09 and Prometheus being mentioned in the same breath. The latter is actually good while the former is shit.

Well from the critical and fan reviews that Prometheus is getting, it seems like the opposite is true.

And this is from someone who loved Prometheus.

 

[Warped9]

This film has succeeded in a big way already regardless of box office. It has people talking from both sides of the fence. And they're talking a lot.

 

[137th Gebirg]

I'm actually kind of bummed that they chose "David" for the name of the android. Ash and Bishop both had "SH" in their names, which I always thought stood for "Synthetic Human". Would have been a nice bit of continuity if they followed that pattern, but that's just me...