Prometheus (Post-release)

[Too Much Garlic]

Of course it's my opinion, but you questioned it earlier by infusing I was expecting an alien movie.

Good you felt different and can back it up. Doesn't much change my opinion on the movie, nor do I try to change yours or discredit it. You don't think it is the things I think it is. Good for you.

And... I've experienced people in real life do the same or worse as Ripley did in Alien - going back for the cat. Have rarely experienced retarded idiots as shown in Prometheus and most other b-grade horror movies. Thankfully, the people I have had any experience with has just not been that dumb. But then again... America has people like Paris Hilton... so...

 

[Kit Rae]

For the less attentive in the crowd, or if you missed a few things on the first watch, this is a decent summary. Even this guy got a few things wrong though. If you are a hater, don't bother.
Prometheus EXPLAINED - Movie Review (SPOILERS) - YouTube

 

[pnag]

Of course it's my opinion, but you questioned it earlier by infusing I was expecting an alien movie.

Good you felt different and can back it up. Doesn't much change my opinion...

And... I've experienced people in real life do the same or worse as Ripley did in Alien - going back for the cat. Have rarely experienced retarded idiots as shown in Prometheus and most other b-grade horror movies. Thankfully, the people I have had any experience with has just not been that dumb. But then again... America has people like Paris Hilton... so...

Woooah, there - calm down! I wasn't trying to insult you - it wasn't even a reply to your post, but to Colin Droidmilk? We have differing opinions - that's fine, but you said "the movie just doesn't hold up, story-wise" as if it were a fact. My bad, but that's how it seemed to me.

I find any movie with a horror element requires the 'idiot cast factor' - you know, the guy whose car breaks down, goes into the obviously haunted castle? No one I know would, but this guy does! That said, if he didn't, there wouldn't be much of a movie otherwise...

Again, I love Alien - but Ripley and the cat, Dallas in the tunnels - they're just as bad, from what I can see? But we 'grew up' with those and so accepted them. I think if we saw those events in Alien for the first time today, we'd say the same thing as some are saying about Prometheus?

Oh, and I have no idea what you mean by 'infusing'.

 

[Noeland]

Why wasn't that left it? That thing is awesome!

It looks OK in stills, but those elongated arms and legs look strange to me. I'd bet when they cut that scene that was the problem overall. They don't look good in that 2 second clip, I would have to imagine in longer shots, or running and walking would look odd.

 

[Bryancd]

In the Art book they decided they liked the actor in the makeup more for the performance.

 

[Kit Rae]

It looks OK in stills, but those elongated arms and legs look strange to me. I'd bet when they cut that scene that was the problem overall. They don't look good in that 2 second clip, I would have to imagine in longer shots, or running and walking would look odd.

That was my thought as well. Looks creepy and cool in the stills, but if it does not looked believable in action...

The Art of Prometheus book says Fifield was supposed to be something in between the peni-snake and the Deacon. No idea what that means, but apparently the original idea is that he was transforming into something resembling the elongated headed alien shape.

Something I noticed when watching it the first time, when you see Fifield on the ground in that odd contortionist pose, then he stands up. That's exactly like a scene that Ridley described the alien in the original film was supposed to do. It was either never filmed, or did not work, but as I recall, it made it into the comic book version.

 

[Art Andrews]

I think way too many people have placed way too much emphasis on what David said and missed the conclusion that you reached (which was my conclusion as well). The Engineer caresses David like a father would a child... until he realized what David was. It wasn't David's words that upset him but the realization that David was a bastardization of what the Engineers had to artfully created.

Definitely a whoa. I still personally think the Engineer didn't get enraged until he realized David was an android. I have absolutely no evidence to back it up, but since the Engineers (apparently) base so much of their tech of on biological manipulation, I can see them being horribly offended (murderously so) at a purely mechanical form of life.

Of course, I could also believe that the idea of not wanting to die could be enough to enrage an Engineer as well. If sacrifice is a part of their culture, NOT wanting to die could certainly be considered a sin.

Charlie

 

[Nwerke]

A blasphemy, even. But the longer conversation may alter this view, if we get to see it.

 

[DrewSmith007]

So, since I'm probably the only person on this forum who has seen Prometheus but none of the alien movies, I thought my opinion might matter. I'll be brief...

I liked the movie, but was definitely scratching my head at times. I had alot of "why did they do that, it makes no sense" moments. And this might be answered by the other movies, but:

Spoiler

Why did they show Shaw killing the C-sectioned creature with "Decontaminate" or what ever it said, when the creature wasn't actually killed? Totally took me out of the movie because I was told it was dead without any reason to believe it wasn't.
And the whole running away instead of stepping aside thing was annoyingly comical. Was this on purpose as well?

Guy Pierce was a weird choice as well. He didn't seem to bring anything to the role. As was the whole "Daddy" issue, it didn't seem to have a purpose. In fact, why was Charlize Theron even in this movie? I thought maybe she was coming along to make sure her dad did die so she could inherit the company/fortune, but they didn't show that.

I did like the visuals alot, and the tech was cool. The music didn't bother me, I actually liked what I noticed. I think the writing was the biggest problem, and I hope Lindelof doesn't ruin the Star Trek sequel...

 

[Art Andrews]

Love it or hate it, this movie WAS a success because it has us talking and thinking and debating. It wasn't just mindless entertainment or fluff, but had more meat to it and the debate here has far surpassed anything in recent memory. Probably the last debate of this level came from the Star Wars prequels and that is really saying something!

I still can't help but feel that those who didn't like this movie are missing the point. So many prequels or sequels intend to make a world larger, but instead make it smaller (I would point to the Star Wars prequels as a perfect example of that) and tend to focus on rehashing the same old themes about the characters we already know. What I love about Prometheus is that it takes the universe of the Alien and tells us "that character really isn't even that important in the overall scheme of things" which I think ties in beautifully to the original film of this just being a bit of a freak accident. Prometheus could have focused on the alien again, but that has already been done to death and it would have ultimately been more of the same path we have now traveled for 6 movies. Instead, the focus was placed on the Engineers who are INFINITELY more interesting characters than the alien itself and broadens the scope of the Alien universe in very interesting ways.

Clearly not everyone feels this way, but I LOVE what Ridley has done here and the expansion of this franchise. I love that he has made this universe bigger and has given us so many things to talk about and ponder. I love the direction he went with the Engineers as it was very different and unexpected (at least for me). Going back to the days of reading Predator and Aliens stories in Dark Horse comics, I can see this new movie adding hundreds of new stories and ideas to the Aliens universe. How many new areas can we now visit and stories can we now tell. There just seems to be so much... yet some people are ignoring all of this because they didn't like one of the character's performance or didn't care for a particular scene. You may not agree, but I feel you are really missing out.

 

[blipper]

It looks OK in stills, but those elongated arms and legs look strange to me. I'd bet when they cut that scene that was the problem overall. They don't look good in that 2 second clip, I would have to imagine in longer shots, or running and walking would look odd.

I'd disagree that such a conclusive verdict is possible for why they never used that particular design - based purely on your personal feeling of how 'strange' the arms or legs look in one still and a half-second shot.
There's absolutely no reason to believe with current practical/VFX that a satisfying illusion of movement couldn't be found.
(Although then again... they did fudge 'old man' Weylands make-up :facepalm)

I'm also wary of the official reason that they really 'liked' the actors more visible performance. I think it's possible, just possible mind, that either Scott's decision to re-edit the whole Fifield attack scene necessitated a hastily 'mutated' Fifield in pick-up shots, or I'm more inclined to go with Scott shooting both scenes with a view to having a softer version at hand if the movie looked like it needed more toning down for certification.

Because let's face it - the Fifield we got looks goofy as hell, like something from The Hills Have Eyes. Alternate Fifield however is pretty damn creepy, beautifully realised, and so much more in line with some kind of hideous 'alien' corruption - I'd certainly love to see a collectable made of it.

 

[blipper]

I can see this new movie adding hundreds of new stories and ideas to the Aliens universe. How many new areas can we now visit and stories can we now tell. There just seems to be so much... yet some people are ignoring all of this because they didn't like one of the character's performance or didn't care for a particular scene. You may not agree, but I feel you are really missing out.

I can't help feeling that it's this mining of great ideas and concepts and reducing them literally to cartoons in the comics that inevitably spin off, that just ends up destroying what was interesting about these things in the first place. People get so hung up on wanting more and more of their favourite characters and the industry is often only to happy to oblige in their cynical way - until we can't really stand the sight of what we once loved.
I mean Alien vs Predator? A joke. This new Aliens colonial marine game? The same. Uninspired bottom-of-the-draw guff, cranked out to an undemanding crowd who need their fix.

Prometheus would have been a much more interesting movie if it had left out any reference to Alien and been it's own boss. Anything's possible in the movies and yet this fascination for digging up the past is throttling more original movies, imo.

 

[Kit Rae]

I think everything was in the film that was needed, and nothing more, but it did seem truncated here and there on the first viewing.

Just talking with a friend on another forum who works for one of the effects companies that did work on Avatar and Prometheus. He did not get to work on this one, but his colleagues did. They say it was written to be much longer, but then it got shorter and shorter as shooting went on, and a lot of what was written in script and exposition was lost in the final film.

 

[Bryancd]

Something I noticed when watching it the first time, when you see Fifield on the ground in that odd contortionist pose, then he stands up. That's exactly like a scene that Ridley described the alien in the original film was supposed to do. It was either never filmed, or did not work, but as I recall, it made it into the comic book version.

They did film that for Lambert's death scene.

Alien deleted scene: Alien attacks Lambert - good quality - YouTube

 

[Bryancd]

They say it was written to be much longer, but then it got shorter and shorter as shooting went on, and a lot of what was written in script and exposition was lost in the final film.

Lord, the one thing the movie didn't need was more exposition! There was a lot of talking to explain as opposed to showing.

 

[Art Andrews]

You certainly make some good points, but I think the problem comes when it is just a rehashing of the same thing again and again. In regard to aliens... how many times can we sit and see the same story? It was surprising the first time and even Aliens added something new, but everything after that was just a rehash... and that is where I feel Prometheus IS different. It isn't telling the same story. It is expanding that universe and telling something new.

With that being said, I would agree that Prometheus could have easily been a stand alone movie with NO reference to the Alien franchise and could have still been just as interesting if not moreso. I liked the Alien mix in it, but also found it somewhat distracting from the story Prometheus was trying to tell. I think that comes down to the business side of the movie and how well Prometheus would have done without the Alien tie in. I would suspect it wouldn't have done well. The inclusion of Aliens was almost solely a marketing ploy, but for me, it doesn't render the movie worthless.

I can't help feeling that it's this mining of great ideas and concepts and reducing them literally to cartoons in the comics that inevitably spin off, that just ends up destroying what was interesting about these things in the first place. People get so hung up on wanting more and more of their favourite characters and the industry is often only to happy to oblige in their cynical way - until we can't really stand the sight of what we once loved.
I mean Alien vs Predator? A joke. This new Aliens colonial marine game? The same. Uninspired bottom-of-the-draw guff, cranked out to an undemanding crowd who need their fix.

Prometheus would have been a much more interesting movie if it had left out any reference to Alien and been it's own boss. Anything's possible in the movies and yet this fascination for digging up the past is throttling more original movies, imo.

 

[blipper]

They say it was written to be much longer, but then it got shorter and shorter as shooting went on, and a lot of what was written in script and exposition was lost in the final film.

Kit - That's interesting. I think another hour would have done Prometheus the power of good, even 40 minutes or so - a little expansion here and some breathing room there. I've seen it three times so far and each time felt the time flies by.

 

[Jeyl]

You may not agree, but I feel you are really missing out.

I'm happy to miss out on this the same way I'm happy to miss out on Alien3. I don't need it, it takes the ALIEN out of the Alien franchise, and having this be the creation of mankind is uninteresting and cheap.

They turned the Space Jockey into a freaking suit, man. Throughout the entire duration of the original Alien, they tried not to have the creature look like just some guy in a suit, yet with Prometheus, they're more than happy to showcase that the most alien looking thing from the original franchise is in fact nothing but a guy in a suit. Yeah. I'm not going to give pats on that back for that effort.

There's clearly logic in the black goo. If it gets on your face it turns you into a CG creature OR a zombie version of yourself - whichever is cheaper.

They did both, so really they ended up wasting the money because even if the mutated crew member did look mind bogglingly awesome, the scene still didn't work within the context of the movie itself.

 

[Art Andrews]

They did film that for Lambert's death scene.

Alien deleted scene: Alien attacks Lambert - good quality - YouTube

Wow! Why wasn't that included in the film! That was very cool and creepy and it made much more sense than the final edit. Yeesh... that tail uncurling and sticking straight out... that is a visual that leaves me feeling nasty!

 

[Nwerke]

Kit - That's interesting. I think another hour would have done Prometheus the power of good, even 40 minutes or so - a little expansion here and some breathing room there. I've seen it three times so far and each time felt the time flies by.

Oh lord yes. Some more introspective moments. David was almost the only character to get any and they weren't enough to slow down the breakneck pace.