Prometheus 2: Apparently it's happening

[JD]

Everybody always talks about the guys touching the snake creature, but I wasn't really that bothered by it when I watched the movie. I don't remember it seeming out of character or out of place to me at the time. Everybody talks about them being scientists, but were they biologists or did they have some kind of specialty that would allow them to tell what kinds of animals are or aren't dangerous? Even smart people do dumb things.

 

[dahj]

No that was the cold war in space one.

So, kinda like Star Trek VI?

 

[Reverend]

Everybody always talks about the guys touching the snake creature, but I wasn't really that bothered by it when I watched the movie. I don't remember it seeming out of character or out of place to me at the time. Everybody talks about them being scientists, but were they biologists or did they have some kind of specialty that would allow them to tell what kinds of animals are or aren't dangerous? Even smart people do dumb things.

It's not just that, though it is emblematic of a pattern of behaviour that makes the whole team look like a bunch of suicidal morons. Everything from taking the helmets off "because the air seems breathable" to touching things and bringing samples back without any concern of contamination, either of the sample itself or the crew by the sample and of course the geologist freaking out and wandering off alone.

Each on it's own is forgivable, but add it all up and it starts to smell of people doing things because the plot demands it, not because of their character's motivations. And that as I've said before, is lazy writing.

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

Everybody always talks about the guys touching the snake creature, but I wasn't really that bothered by it when I watched the movie. I don't remember it seeming out of character or out of place to me at the time.

I for one wouldn't touch an earth snake, let alone an alien cobra.

 

[Trekkin]

I for one wouldn't touch an earth snake, let alone an alien cobra.

Did you hear that? The entirety of Australia just laughed at you. Next you'll be saying you wouldn't go fishing in croc infested waters, just because something as simple as stopping to take a piss can result in your gory death!

In all seriousness, I have a first cousin who is a biologist. Amongst other things (like the crocodile thing), he does grab venomous snakes with his bare hands. We need 'em alive to make (badly needed) anti-venom, and sometimes they pop up at unexpected times.

He does that shit because he's a biologist, and he's a biologist because he likes to do that sort of shit. Most people would just smack the things with a brick.

 

[Yanks]

If there is a need (or someone felt the need) to make an explanation video about a movie don't you think there's a problem with the movie itself?

Now some movies are intentionally complicated or require you to pay attention (Nolan movies for example, especially The Prestige and Inception) but i didn't get the that feeling with Prometheus. It was pretty straight forward but still not a good movie (that's of course my opinion ).

I didn't say the movie is perfect. But it's not as bad as many make it out to be.

Yes, the reason it exists is because of all the incomprehensible holes and abysmal writing. Not in a 2001 Space Odyssey art film way. What a profoundly stupid argument.

I suppose the Defenders of Stupidity also have an excuse for running in a straight line under a rolling bazillion ton spaceship?

"Defenders of Stupidity" ..... nice .... I'll just say that Youtube vid cleared up a bunch for me.

Here's the video:

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As for running in a straight line.... I can't speak to the judgement of everyone under extreme pressure. Due to the ability to conduct an abortion on herself, I am however not surprised that Elizabeth figured it out.

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

That's where I am. It's definately not perfect, but I prefer it to anything Alien (minus AvP) after Aliens.

Still, I wonder why we haven't seen Rapace or and Engineer yet.

 

[JD]

It's not just that, though it is emblematic of a pattern of behaviour that makes the whole team look like a bunch of suicidal morons. Everything from taking the helmets off "because the air seems breathable" to touching things and bringing samples back without any concern of contamination, either of the sample itself or the crew by the sample and of course the geologist freaking out and wandering off alone.

Each on it's own is forgivable, but add it all up and it starts to smell of people doing things because the plot demands it, not because of their character's motivations. And that as I've said before, is lazy writing.

I honestly don't remember really being bothered by any of that, but I'll be honest and admit I tend to not put a lot of thought into that kind of stuff when I'm watching a movie or TV show. As long as something makes sense in context at the moment, I tend to not be bothered by it.

I for one wouldn't touch an earth snake, let alone an alien cobra.

I'm not saying it wasn't a dumb thing for them to do, I just didn't see as an unrealistic one in the context of the scene.
I don't really remember how exactly all of the stuff played out in the movie, I just remember that I wasn't bothered by it as it was happening.

 

[Nightowl1701]

Some food for thought...

It seems there's something in Prometheus we (including every character except David) all missed.

 

[JWPlatt]

I chalk it up to meaningless real world production stuff, or a visual priority over story, and Lindelof writing.

 

[ichab]

Everybody always talks about the guys touching the snake creature, but I wasn't really that bothered by it when I watched the movie. I don't remember it seeming out of character or out of place to me at the time. Everybody talks about them being scientists, but were they biologists or did they have some kind of specialty that would allow them to tell what kinds of animals are or aren't dangerous? Even smart people do dumb things.

Yeah, but that was dumb at the highest level. You don't need to be a scientist to know not to get close to a strange animal or species that you have absolutely ZERO idea of whether they are friendly or not.

It didn't ruin my enjoyment of the movie but then again Im a fan of the slasher genre so I've gotten use to the "idiot plot" as Roger Ebert once described it

 

[Yanks]

Some food for thought...

It seems there's something in Prometheus we (including every character except David) all missed.

Interesting

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

Fans were quick to judge screenwriter Damon Lindelof for his "poor writing" and pacing of the story

I don't know about the rest, but at least they got this part right.

It is extremely unlikely that all of the above acknowledgements were simple mistakes

No, the opposite. In fact it is extremely likely.

 

[Reverend]

It's all very interesting, but my problems with 'Prometheus' never had anything to do with the mysterious fate of the Engineers but the behaviour and character motivations of the crew being very slapdash and ill defined. So for me this changes nothing.

 

[Yanks]

It's all very interesting, but my problems with 'Prometheus' never had anything to do with the mysterious fate of the Engineers but the behaviour and character motivations of the crew being very slapdash and ill defined. So for me this changes nothing.

Well, it's not like the world assembled these folks for a "human race" supported mission, it was one corp, one man that chose folks based soley on achieving his goal, not benifitting mankind.

 

[Reverend]

Well, it's not like the world assembled these folks for a "human race" supported mission, it was one corp, one man that chose folks based soley on achieving his goal, not benifitting mankind.

That's not even remotely the point. You're talking about plot, I'm talking about characterisation. Totally different thing.

 

[Yanks]

That's not even remotely the point. You're talking about plot, I'm talking about characterisation. Totally different thing.

OK, so what was wrong with the characters?

 

[cylkoth]

Well, it's not like the world assembled these folks for a "human race" supported mission, it was one corp, one man that chose folks based soley on achieving his goal, not benifitting mankind.

Imagine for a moment, Stargate's Dr Daniel Jackson, spending 10-15 years of his professional life, searching for the Ancient's Lost Napkin Holder. But discovers the lost city of Atlantis instead. A ginormous ancient Ancient city-that's also a spaceship that flies! And he immediately goes to his quarters, sulks, and gets drunk over not finding that darn Napkin Holder. Cries over not finding a living Ancient. Ignoring the flying cityship with still functioning computers and alien writing scribbled all over the walls. Tealc waltzs in and pours alien goo into his drink (wait, where'd he get it and why is he pouring it into Danny's booze?) Sullen boy gets his groove on with our lead female, just so she can wind up with an alien inside her that she has to extract... I mean...c'mon.

The motivations here are entirely at the mercy of a script that declared it would be a cool scene to show Lead Female extracting an alien from her body, and shoehorned a series of insane character actions to service that agenda. So the audience is frustrated. Given a choice, we would prefer to enjoy the movie, we don't WANT to nitpick the plotlines. All we wanted was a plot that made sense with characters-even if they aren't the cream of the crop, best of the best, noble brainiac science experts that money could buy.

The pedigree behind the camera, and blessed with a budget that gave them the resources to mount such a handsome production, should not be hobbled with the story problems pointed out here, among others over the last 5 years.

 

[Yanks]

The pedigree behind the camera, and blessed with a budget that gave them the resources to mount such a handsome production, should not be hobbled with the story problems pointed out here, among others over the last 5 years.

I can understand that POV. When watching it I never really had a huge issue with any of them.

It's kind of like being upset at what decision Jim made in 'Passangers' and calling the movie shit because of it.

The decision isn't the point, the moral situation is.

 

[JWPlatt]

The motivations here are entirely at the mercy of a script that declared it would be a cool scene to show [whatever], and shoehorned a series of insane character actions to service that agenda.

Yep.

 

[JD]

Some food for thought...

It seems there's something in Prometheus we (including every character except David) all missed.

I stopped reading about half way through. They seem to be jumping to a lot of conclusions based on things that could be explained a lot of different ways. A lot of the things he talked about could have just been things cause by production people not paying close enough attention or were jumbled up in some of the different drafts the script went through over time.