Well said.Kit Rae said:
Some interesting snippets from reviews.
(snip)
Those are all for the original Alien, by the way
Hilarious.Kit Rae said:
Some interesting snippets from reviews.
“It is depressing to watch an expensive, crafty movie that never soars beyond its cold desire to score the big bucks.”
"empty bag of tricks whose production values and expensive trickery cannot disguise imaginative poverty"
"There is very little involvement with the characters themselves ... A generally good cast in cardboard roles."
"Still, a lot of people are going to resent being put through the mill for a silly movie. And in a way, I agree with them. If only it were as sophisticated as it looks. I'm getting a little tired of movies that honor genre conventions with such humility that they're unwilling to expand upon them. Couldn't the film have stretched a little? Couldn't it have explored the psychology of its characters or maybe nosed into their relationships? The worst of it is that the film keeps falling back on the hoariest monster-movie cliches, for no apparent reason other than to do them homage."
"Has the usual number of inconsistencies, improbabilities and outright absurdities characteristic of the sci-fi and horror genres. What is interesting, though, is its hostile critical reception, despite the excellent visual values, direction that is no more hokey than usual in such films, dialogue that (when it is decipherable) is par for the course."
"The price paid for the excitement, and it's a small one, is that there is very little involvement with the characters themselves"
"Forget Plot and characters, nuance and social signifiicance; these sci-fi movies overwhelm you with production values alone -- sets, props, lighting and photography: the spectacle of the fanciful turned convincing"
“There’s nothing terribly complex or original about the movie, but it is distinguished by its clever and innovative use of B-movie staples in a hi-tech setting.”
"Though it is not the seminal science-fiction film one wants from him, it's executed with a good deal of no-nonsense verve. The members of the cast... the roles might have been written by a computer.
"It does not sound like anything new...voracious alien who is defeated at last moment...Script has more loose ends than the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"In outline, this tale....sounds just plain silly, and the story line here is no more sophisticated than dozens of Star Trek and Outer Limits TV shows."
"Skulking about in space suits that a 19th-century futurist might have dreamed up --chivalric armor topped by a Jules Verne bubble"
"sets and special effects are well done, but these things no longer surprise or tantalize us as they once did"
"What is missing is wit, imagination and the vaguest hint of human feeling. Luckily for the creators, such ingredients are not really essential at the nation's box offices, especially during the sunstroke season."
"An overblown B-movie... technically impressive but awfully portentous and as difficult to sit through as a Black Mass sung in Latin"
"(the film) is an extremely small, rather decent movie of its modest kind, set inside a large, extremely fancy physical production. Don't race to it expecting wit or metaphysical pretentions"
"Since the movie's generally good actors all play equally bland technicians, it is hard to make an emotional investment...Indeed, the film's characters are so lifeless that one begins to wonder whether they might not be parodies of space-age bureaucrats. If so, the satire is far too flat to be its own reward."
"you wonder if the director's lost his mind"
Those are all for the original Alien, by the way
For me thats where the portly lass enters from stage right and approaches the spotlight.
from boxofficemojo.com...
Prometheus held on to second place, though it plummeted 73 percent to $5.83 million. That's a much steeper Friday-to-Friday decline than Super 8 (51 percent) or Inception (40 percent), and it was also remarkably a tad below last June's front-loaded intergalactic adventure Green Lantern (72 percent). Prometheus has now earned $74.5 million overall, and it should grab close to $20 million for the weekend.
yeouch, i was hoping it did well enough for a sequel, but with a 75% drop in the 2nd week...
All I know is I felt bad when Brett, Parker and others were lost, you we're rooting for them to beat that mother. They felt real to me, time was spent showing a realistic human side. Around the table while eating, griping about day to day job issues, expressing a sense of humor. Your freaked out while Dallas is crawling around in darkness. Dallas had a real presence as the ships Captain. Real horror when you see that damn thing for two seconds with arms outstreched, Lambert near total breakdown really sold several scenes on a very human base level. And it all still works today.
Prometheus didn't connect at all like that with me.
Average figures, I told him to put a Vampire or Wizard in it.neosporing said:
I think/hope the Blu Ray/DVD sales might just get that sequel over the line. Hear theres a special edition with no cover for those who want to sneak one home.
Thanks for a great post, and that was exactly what I ment earlier.Kit Rae said:
Some interesting snippets from reviews.
“It is depressing to watch an expensive, crafty movie that never soars beyond its cold desire to score the big bucks.”
"empty bag of tricks whose production values and expensive trickery cannot disguise imaginative poverty"
"There is very little involvement with the characters themselves ... A generally good cast in cardboard roles."
"Still, a lot of people are going to resent being put through the mill for a silly movie. And in a way, I agree with them. If only it were as sophisticated as it looks. I'm getting a little tired of movies that honor genre conventions with such humility that they're unwilling to expand upon them. Couldn't the film have stretched a little? Couldn't it have explored the psychology of its characters or maybe nosed into their relationships? The worst of it is that the film keeps falling back on the hoariest monster-movie cliches, for no apparent reason other than to do them homage."
"Has the usual number of inconsistencies, improbabilities and outright absurdities characteristic of the sci-fi and horror genres. What is interesting, though, is its hostile critical reception, despite the excellent visual values, direction that is no more hokey than usual in such films, dialogue that (when it is decipherable) is par for the course."
"The price paid for the excitement, and it's a small one, is that there is very little involvement with the characters themselves"
"Forget Plot and characters, nuance and social signifiicance; these sci-fi movies overwhelm you with production values alone -- sets, props, lighting and photography: the spectacle of the fanciful turned convincing"
“There’s nothing terribly complex or original about the movie, but it is distinguished by its clever and innovative use of B-movie staples in a hi-tech setting.”
"Though it is not the seminal science-fiction film one wants from him, it's executed with a good deal of no-nonsense verve. The members of the cast... the roles might have been written by a computer.
"It does not sound like anything new...voracious alien who is defeated at last moment...Script has more loose ends than the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"In outline, this tale....sounds just plain silly, and the story line here is no more sophisticated than dozens of Star Trek and Outer Limits TV shows."
"Skulking about in space suits that a 19th-century futurist might have dreamed up --chivalric armor topped by a Jules Verne bubble"
"sets and special effects are well done, but these things no longer surprise or tantalize us as they once did"
"What is missing is wit, imagination and the vaguest hint of human feeling. Luckily for the creators, such ingredients are not really essential at the nation's box offices, especially during the sunstroke season."
"An overblown B-movie... technically impressive but awfully portentous and as difficult to sit through as a Black Mass sung in Latin"
"(the film) is an extremely small, rather decent movie of its modest kind, set inside a large, extremely fancy physical production. Don't race to it expecting wit or metaphysical pretentions"
"Since the movie's generally good actors all play equally bland technicians, it is hard to make an emotional investment...Indeed, the film's characters are so lifeless that one begins to wonder whether they might not be parodies of space-age bureaucrats. If so, the satire is far too flat to be its own reward."
"you wonder if the director's lost his mind"
Those are all for the original Alien, by the way
I bet Prometheus will be discussed years from now. Maybe not regarded a huge classic like Alien, but it will be discussed and analysed.
Yeah go on, analyse it as much as you want... I won't, I have better things to do.NAZGŰL said:
Fred
Last edited by SKIN JOB 66; Jun 17, 2012 at 2:41 PM.
I'm not quite sure what your argument is. It seems you're more addressing the point about them wandering around for hours after missing the exit - is that the issue most commenters have a beef with? It's not mine by any means; if I was stuck there I'd want to see as much as possible, whether or not that jarred with my character's establishing scenes.Kit Rae said:
For me the issue is that they get lost in the first place. They announce they're headed back to the ship and they head off - the ampule room is indeed only a few hundred feet into the structure and they should have been out quite rapidly, but they do get lost. Yes, they're written as idiots, but we don't know it at this point in the film and this plays as the film itself being dumb more than it does the characters.
Heck, just their choice to flee in the first place is quite jarring. The first time I saw the film I just gaped when Milburn expressed agreement with Fifield; I expected him to ridicule the idea. But of all the available characters, they put that sentiment in the mouth of the expedition's *biologist*!?! The single guy who should have been the most excited of all of them, even counting Holloway and Shaw? That's simply a mistake. Okay - he's a regular Joe not an Inner Circle member but then again if he's a biologist on a starship, he's ipso facto an exobiologist. Milburn should have been thinking "Oh. My. God. I have the Nobel Prize completely sewn up, don't I?!". Instead we get him and Fifield being portrayed as so dumb it's hard to see how they could have attained their qualifications. Are they rocking fake diplomas?
And then to have them get lost on a five-minute walk - well, okay, I guess at that point the fact they're written as expendable dumbarses starts to become unavoidable. I just wish that 'expendable' didn't have to equal 'complete and utter idiot' in Scott and Lindelof's thinking. The secondary characters could still have served the plot without being this distractingly, aggravatingly, suspension-of-disbelief-destroyingly stupid.
There's a lot in the film that is worth debating and defending, but this one I'm letting through to the keeper!
Don't forget the foreign take which is $97,736,717 more than the U.S. for a total $167,219,717.neosporing said:
Yeah. It must be approaching break-even, I guess? Do we know? I never really bought that low figure which was claimed for the budget.
If it was actually quite cheap then great, otherwise the take isn't looking too healthy.
Milburn was simply following the 'expert' Fifield who was suffering from both anxiety and the effects of 2093 future weed. I think the lack of communication with the ship and consultation with his compass was due to that feeling of 'just around the corner' effect. This kind of disorientation happens to pilots e.g. jfk jr.'s slow downward death spiral and expert scuba divers exploring wrecks and caves all of the time.
Milburn was freaked out by the giant headless aliens. He was dealing with his own fears by approaching something that looked relatively tame in comparison to the larger 'engineers.' He is a biologist and didn't suffer from extreme animal phobia. The penis snake didn't have any visible teeth or large mouth. As a divemaster i see Scuba divers reach out and try to touch everything they see all the time.
I think while both scientists were freaked out by the discoveries in the caves, some part of them had to have been fascinated albiet reluctantly and gotten distracted. Anyway, i didn't see Milburn and Fifield getting lost as a plot hole.
I did have a problem with Fifield showing up with his legs over his shoulders. I thought it was a John Carpenter's the Thing crossover for a minute there.
Ha! Yeah. I had more of a problem with that scene being shot in unspooky broad daylight (okay, points for taking a chance), and the cast completely under-reacting to all of the many elements of the situation which would have completely justified a "reach for the nearest flamethrower" immediate over-reaction.
If I see a guy I thought was dead and a mile away suddenly right on my doorstep, weirdly folded up, I'm not going over for a chat with him...
I just saw this movie and thought it was good BUT I just can't get over the inneptitude of these characters. Everything from removing their helmets because the air is "breathable" to that jackass who was trying to pet the white snakelike thingy.
I mean these people traveled 2 years to get to a planet that supposedly holds the origins of human life and they go about everything so willy-nilly? That was a HUGE dissappointment.
I did like the ALIEN tie-ins strewn throughout.
Couldn't disagree more.
I will be the first to admit, I don't think Alien (or Blade Runner) are quite as great as many here seem to think.
I didn't feel sympathetic towards the crew. Most of them were annoying and I was just waiting for them to go.
Dallas was the ONLY truly likable character in my opinion. The rest just felt like Jerry Springer style white-trash (yes, Parker is black, but you know what I mean).
With that being said, I am willing to admit, more attention and time was given in Alien to the development of the crew, but it didn't make any of them more likable to me or make me want to root for them.
That's it...
Today shall be Alien/Blade Runner/Prometheus day. I will watch the first two and then head to the theater (as I have been looking for a reason to go watch it again). Will report back when done.
CessnaDriver said:
Prometheus is a great movie. Personally I don't see any issue with it. Certainly there isn't a reason to nitpicket to death with trivial matters it is after all just a movie. With actors, props, writers, etc... Some of you act like it was a based on actual events history channel motion picture or something? Just go with it the movie is great. I thoroughly enjoyed it heck my wife even liked it and she hates the whole alien franchise.
I watched Alien last night...I actually thought Parker was a pretty well rounded character.
Until the scene when he is HOLDING a flamethrower, with a CLEAR chance to kill the Alien, and what does he do? Let me tackle this thing, OOPS...bad idea Alien ***** slapped him and he's dead.
Compared to that, trying to pet a small penis alien is peanuts.
Dallas, Kane, Parker, Lambert, Brett, Ripley.
If anyone 30 years from now refers to the characters of Prometheus by name instead of "the biologist", "the stoner geologist", "the captain", "pilot #1", "pilot #2", "nurse ratchet", "charlize", etc...
I promise to print out this entire thread and eat it with my soylent green.
If people like us did it a week after Alien was released, Ill do the same.
I was just a kid watching Alien the first time. I had seen Aliens first, so I was unimpressed. However Alien grew on me, and it didnt take too long before I started to love it. Its the kind of film where you catch new things every time you see it. Blade Runner I watched the first time when I was mid teens. Ive been in love with it ever since.Art Andrews said:
Have fun on your Scott day.
Transplant that scene into Prometheus and it would also be described by detractors as poor writing and unrealistic character reaction. Lambert, manic and frozen in place by fear preventing the indecisive Parker from finishing the job, how unprofessional.Birdie said:
To me, there is a difference between likable and realistic. Parker and Brett are my favourite characters in ALIEN, possibly in most of sci-fi, not because I necessarily like them, but I can relate to them. They act like real shipboard engineering guys. Lambert is an emotional crying wreck, but she is a believable emotional crying wreck. Ripley portrays the cool, thinking, strong woman, but Sigorney does a great job of showing the underlying tension and fear that Ripley has. Dallas is a laid back, nice guy just trying to get home. I will agree he is the most likeable guy on the ship.Art Andrews said:
I just didn't get that from the Prometheus. I didn't care if any of them died. I think a lot of that stemmed from the taking off of the helmet (I don't care if the atmosphere is breathable or not, that was just SILLY) and the two guys getting lost. I mean, they had a holographic map and constant radio communications. Yeah, one of the might be a little high, but I think the crew on the ship would at least start yelling at them over the radio "Go left. No, left. YOUR OTHER LEFT." I never got the impression that the crew was acting from a true inner motivation (except for David, and to a minor extent Weyland). It seemed they were doing things to contrive to the plot; it felt forced, so I couldn't relate to what they were doing. The best scenes to me that show any kind of emotional response are David's remark to Shaw that everyone is wishing for the death of the parents, and Weyland's comment of "if she says anything else, shoot her." David seems to be wrestling with the concept he is a superior being crafted by an inferior, and Weyland is a rich egomaniac looking for immortality. But those are at least true to form responses and brought me a little closer to their characters. Hell, I had more of an understanding and sympathy for the Engineers than I did for the crew of the Prometheus.
Charlie
Right. Whether you saw Alien yesterday or in 1979, that makes sense for both characters. Lambert panicked, froze, and got them both killed. Parker didn't torch Lambert to save himself/Ripley/Jones/the ship. They acted in ways that were set up for their characters the entire movie.Birdie said:
The sound of them dying was more emotional (to me) than anything I saw in Prometheus.
Ultimately, I have to believe Lindelof and Scott are happy with all this. Recently, Lindelof gave his first interview about the Lost finale and it came out in the interview that the interviewer loved The X-Files. So Lindelof asked him, "What happened in the finale of the X-Files?" and the interviewer couldn't answer. Game, set, match: Lindelof. Because no matter what anyone thinks about the Lost finale, people are still talking about it. To him, that = win. I'm certain he feels the same way about Prometheus.
The Prometheus crew that get any screen time arent that bad. The Captains an ok guy, half serious, half loose but fully straight up, Vickers is nothing if not fascinating, i want to know more about her, the bitter daughter of the worlds most powerful man always had her own agenda leaving behind stewardship of the what must surely be the most important corporation on the planet. Weylands appearence seems to annoy people more than the character, both are fine by me.
David is David but pulls off one of the best zingers ive heard in a film for a while and its target, Shaw is as hard as a cats head, never thought of Ripley once when things got interesting for her. Didnt care for Hollaway, he was just there to get Shaw pregnant. The story didnt allow much leftovers for the rest of the crew and i wasnt dissapointed by that.
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