PROMETHEUS - Grade and Discuss

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Roshi, May 30, 2012.

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Prometheus - Poll

Poll closed May 30, 2013.
  1. A +

    6.9%
  2. A

    11.6%
  3. A -

    13.8%
  4. B +

    18.5%
  5. B

    14.2%
  6. B -

    9.1%
  7. C +

    8.2%
  8. C

    3.4%
  9. C -

    6.5%
  10. D

    5.2%
  11. F

    2.6%
  1. Warped9

    Warped9 Admiral Admiral

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    Well, if your TV is big enough...
     
  2. Admiral2

    Admiral2 Admiral Admiral

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    :rolleyes: That was an emergency procedure brought on by the storm blowing half the dirt on the planet into the loading bay. The actual procedure was circumvented.

    Again, the normal procedure was circumvented.

    I would add more footage with Charlize Theron in it. We all have our priorities.
     
  3. Tiberius

    Tiberius Commodore Commodore

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    I wasn't impressed.

    So many of the characters serve no purpose except to die horribly.

    And what was up with that stupidly convoluted plot to get her pregnant with the alien squid?

    He gets some of the goo, then puts it into the guy's cup so he drinks it and gets infected, then he has to shag his girlfriend to get her infected so it can grow? I mean, bloody hell! That's hardly a reliable plan of action!

    And as others have said, the fact that she can perform major surgery on herself and then go running around is completely unbelievable. Even if she was doped up on painkillers (in which case, why did she keep a clear head?) all that physical activity should have popped her wound open and spilled her guts out onto the deck.

    And what was the point in Theron's character making it off the ship only to die under the collapsing SJ ship?

    Also, the lack of subtlety regarding Chekhov's gun is appalling. The instant they said that Theron's quarters were a life pod, I knew that it would be used as such. Just make it a bloody shuttlecraft and it would work better. Show a bay full of the things, and then have one fall out of the ship as it takes off to crash into the SJ horseshoe.

    And get rid of that bloody squid in her belly too. Just have the infant squid be the thing inside the canister, and then you can do away with the flawed chain of events that was in the movie.

    A terrible disappointment.
     
  4. Admiral2

    Admiral2 Admiral Admiral

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  5. SalvorHardin

    SalvorHardin Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    His reviews mean nothing to anyone.
    They're to be read just for laughs at all the absurd things he says in a serious manner :)

    The pregnancy was never David's plan, it was just something that happened. A "fortunate" coincidence for David.
    His plan was to see what the goo would do to a human but then Charlie got himself roasted.
     
  6. Admiral2

    Admiral2 Admiral Admiral

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    Gotcha!
     
  7. T'Baio

    T'Baio Admiral Admiral

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    That movie...sucked.

    Wonderful visuals, some of the best 3D I've seen, a great performance by Michael Fassbender, of course.

    But man...what a shitty script. Did anything anyone did make any sense?

    "Aliens freak me out, man...I'm scared, let's run away!" One scene later. "Oh, look...a pretty alien snake. It's so cute, I want to touch it." I repeat...ONE SCENE LATER. :rolleyes:
     
  8. Admiral2

    Admiral2 Admiral Admiral

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    Ten foot humanoid aliens, scary. Snake-like alien...says a lot about the wise-ass in his praise of it.
     
  9. Horta Burger

    Horta Burger Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    I would agree with all of the above. The multiple agendas aren't juggled well, giving the whole thing a vague, convoluted feel. That's such a disappointment, because the hallmark of both Alien and Aliens is a relentless linearity that retains structural depth.

    Overall, your specific complaints, though quite valid, are just symptoms of the main problem. The script simply hadn't been ironed out into a final coherent form. It felt like they started shooting with draft material.

    Some lovely visuals, as always with Scott, but the whole is less than the parts.
     
  10. Gibraltar

    Gibraltar Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    This sums up my feelings on the movie quite nicely.
     
  11. DarthPipes

    DarthPipes Vice Admiral Admiral

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    What was the movie David was watching in the beginning? I thought it was Bridge over the River Kwai.
     
  12. The Mighty Monkey of Mim

    The Mighty Monkey of Mim Commodore Commodore

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    It was Lawrence Of Arabia.
     
  13. Daneel

    Daneel Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    That was an odd movie. Definitely not a wholly satisfying one. It was intriguing for the first hour or so -- it felt like it was leading up to something really grand, but in the end, the film just doesn't add up to very much. It went completely off the rails in the final act, despite some nifty visuals.

    I think I found it more frustrating than anything else; I don't mind a bit of mystery or ambiguity in a movie, but with a near-total absence of answers or hints (other than "you might find out in the sequel"), it's a bit of a cheat.

    The main things I was wondering about: just what is that black goo? Does it have a specific purpose/function? And what are the motivations of the Engineers (in particular, why is the one that's still alive such a violent, aggressive asshole)?

    Characters were also a mixed bag. As has been mentioned, David was a stand-out, and I thought Janek was pretty cool too. Shaw was all right, although she's certainly no Ripley (yeah, it may be a bit unfair to start making comparisons to Alien, which is a completely different film, but it is kind of inevitable).

    Vickers had her moments, but I think she needed a bit more fleshing out, particularly with regard to the family dynamic between her, Weyland, and David (which was hinted at, but not explored to its full potential, IMO). It feels like a lot of stuff was left on the cutting room floor, and that this is one of the numerous Ridley Scott films that improves with a director's cut. However, someone earlier in the thread said he's not going to do one; if that's true, it's a shame.

    Despite all my issues with the film, I'm giving it a B- (which is, I'll admit, perhaps an act of generosity motivated somewhat by my admiration for Scott's previous works). For all the flaws with the script, the movie certainly looks great, has a solid first half, and features a few compelling performances. If there's a sequel, I just hope it can rectify some of the issues that are present in this picture.
     
  14. sidious618

    sidious618 Admiral Admiral

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    The more I think about this film, the more I like it. It's definitely odd and it doesn't follow the normal movie structure for a big sci-fi film. I look forward to picking this up on DVD and may even go back to see it in 3-D.
     
  15. DarKush

    DarKush Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    As soon as the movie was over a guy behind me said, "It wasn't what I expected." I think that sums up my feelings quite a bit. Though I think the movie was a negative experience for him, for me I just don't think it lived up to the hype or my expectations. Though to be honest I'm not sure what I expected.

    At least I had hoped that some of the questions about the space jockeys and the xenomorphs origins would be answered. And to some extent they were, but in a way that just raised more questions. It left Prometheus as part of a story, and not necessarily the other Alien(s) films. I mean, the questions aren't addressed in those films either, so there needs to be another film at least between Prometheus and Alien to answer those questions, if Ridley Scott, or the powers that be intend to answer them.

    I did like that the film asked big questions, I liked that it aimed high, but I don't think it reached the heights it aspired to. It got muddled in the end and not answering the questions left me unsatisfied.

    What I did like:
    -The cast was pretty good. Noomi Rapace as Shaw made a worthy forerunner to Sigourney Weaver, almost a bit too worthy (will comment more on that later).
    -Really liked Fassbender as David. He's really giving Bishop a run for his money.
    -The look and feel was epic. The production design was very good, especially for the planet and the ship Prometheus.
    -Asking big questions. It was a pleasure to see a big sci-fi movie, a likely blockbuster at that, asking those kind of questions.
    -When the action kicked in it was well handled for the most part.

    What (more) I didn't like:
    -I thought the whole scene with Shaw using the computer to cut the alien out of her stomach was pushing the boundaries a bit too much. Especially after she hopped up and ran away. I know it could've been adrenaline, and also whatever she was shooting into her leg, but I thought that was a bit too unbelievable. Sure they showed her doubling over in pain a couple times after the operation but I thought she should've been in more pain from the start.
    -Waste of Idris Elba. Plus I didn't like the "Southern American" (?) accent. I did like his bit with Charlize Theron though.
    -A waste, somewhat, of Charlize Theron. I was expecting her role to be bigger, but she stayed on the ship for the most part. Her role was important I grant you, but I think more could've been done with her.
    -New alien creatures, including the space jockeys. I was underwhelmed. Sure they looked nice, but they really didn't stand out for me.

    Lingering questions:

    -What was the point of the first scene? Was the alien killing himself as some form of sacrifice to appease the aliens in the flying saucer?
    -David's infecting Holloway. I didn't get why he did that? Was it merely scientific curiosity? Or was another attempt to bring an alien back to Earth like we have seen in the other films? Or did he not just like the dude?
    -Also, why would Vickers not want the Prometheus crew to make contact with the aliens after the corporation had spent all that money to get them there? Was it out of concern for her father? Or did she just want to deny him his life's dream for whatever reason?
    -Why did Firfield attack the crew?
    -Did the space jockeys really need all of those alien weapons to destroy Earth?
    -Why was the space jockey in stasis all that time? And why hadn't whatever had killed the rest of the crew killed him?
    -Why did that squid thing produce a xenomorph? We've never seen that before. It was almost like they realized they should throw a xenomorph in there and it just felt tacked on. Even though I had wanted to see a xenomorph, or more.

    I think that Alien 3 tried to return to the tone of Alien, while Alien Resurrection emulated Aliens. With Prometheus I think it tried to mix both of the first two films together. And the results were mixed. I'm charitably giving it an A-.
     
  16. DarKush

    DarKush Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    He would make a good Starfleet captain. But hopefully he leaves Janek's accent behind.
     
  17. Warped9

    Warped9 Admiral Admiral

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    I don't care about 3D, but I agree with your sentiment. I give this an A and it will be in my video library.

    The film can stand alone if necessary, but it's also setup for a sequel if desired.

    I didn't have any problem following the narrative. And as cute as she may be I had no sympathy whatsoever for Vickers. Nice way for her to go too. Bitch.

    I don't totally buy the idea that these beings spawned us. I think there is something else going on there. I do think the idea these xenomorphs are a biological weapon that got away from them is a viable one.

    Elizabeth Shaw isn't a Ripley, but she has her own kind of courage and fortitude. I liked her much better than Vickers, too.

    I really don't know what I expected other that it wouldn't be a retelling of Alien and Aliens and it wouldn't have the exact same sensibilities. And good on the film for that.

    This film heavily suggests if not outright cements the idea that the Nostromo's computers had a directive to be on the watch for any kind of related evidence to what was discovered by the Prometheus expedition. The Space Jockey found in Alien obviously isn't the same one as seen here, but it's obviously a near identical one. That and the creature we see at the end is the real connective prequel tissue to Alien.

    I know some have issues with unanswered questions, but I rather like some of that ambiguity. It lends it more mystery and sense of wonder. I don't need to have everything explained and spelled out, particularly if there's a possible sequel in the works.

    I find myself wanting to see this again. Of course, I don't really need to add that this film is visually stunning on top of everything else. I've been waiting years for a space adventure to look like this.
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2012
  18. Winged Victory

    Winged Victory Captain Captain

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    For me, this was the most enjoyable scene of the movie--watching David emulate Peter O'Toole. :techman:

    I went to the theater with high expectations; I thought it would be more of a suspenseful, horror type movie (yes, some scenes were mildly gross, but nothing to warrant an R rating...).

    Fassbender was excellent. And the visuals were great, too. But the plot was a shambles. Glad I saw it on the big screen, but I should have waited for the rental. Meh.
     
  19. Snatcher42

    Snatcher42 Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    I'm with Guillermo del Toro - this film really owed H.P. Lovecraft a story credit for At the Mountains of Madness. The black goo is analogous to the Shoggoths. It's a tool created by the Engineers to genetically modify whatever it touches, like the worms. It can create life (as in the first scene, which I took to be the origins of life on Earth), or be used as a a bio-weapon to destroy it. But also like At the Mountains of Madness, it became too powerful to control and eventually killed its creators... The details of which are ripe to be explained in a sequel.
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2012
  20. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    Prometheus

    My Grade: B

    --------------------

    Saw "Prometheus" tonight and quite enjoyed it. Serving as something as a soft "prequel" to the "Alien" franchise it sort of sets up events/tells stories of stuff always alluded to have happened before the movie series started without being fleshed out. (Similar to how The Thing prequel worked in relation to the Wes Craven The Thing.) Prometheus does this a bit better by not going out of its way to make those nods and such happen and flows in a mostly natural pattern.

    A group of archaeologists come across a hidden cave adorned with wall-paintings similar to others spread around the globe and gather than this is a "map" of sorts to a distant planet, years later an exploration team is sent out on a privately funded interstellar sleeper ship. The planet turns out to be mostly earth-like (other than having a slightly higher, but deadly, level of CO2 in the atmosphere.) Our intrepid group of explorers find constructed features on the planet surface, lands, and begins exploring. Then shit starts sort of getting real.

    The movie does a great job of building up an atmosphere an air of tension and even a nice sense of science ad mystery, one of the things I enjoyed the most about this movie. Just how interesting it was to see these people do sciencey-stuff without things needing to devolve into a horror or action-movie series fo tropes. (Though there are two obvious pieces of cannon fodder in the movie.)

    Also interesting is Michael Fassbender playing Android tasked with caring for the crew during their travel-sleep and aids them during the explorations. Fassbender does a great job at this and even there's times I watched him thinking, "you, know. if they ever did a Star Trek '09 take on "The Next Generation" he'd make a great Data.

    The movie has great special effects in it and I saw this in 3D. It's the first movie I've really loved in 3D and thought the 3D did an excellent job of immersing you into the movie world providing you with that "window into the movie" look that "Avatar" did so well a few years ago.

    That's about all I have good, solid, interesting movie.