Ridley Scott Prometheus: NOT the Alien Prequel Details

[nickytea]

The thing is, these "big ideas" Scott and Lindelof keep banging on about just aren't that interesting imo compared to the more mature and nuanced questions both Alien and Bladerunner left us with. 'Who made us?' and 'where do we come from' are just so well-worn...

To be fair, I think the movie only uses those questions as a springboard; a dramatic basis for the larger more profound thematic explorations in Prometheus.


And saying Avatar has a more effective structure, well, we will just have to dissagree about that. I found Prometheus's structure superbly effective, whereas the character journeys and dramatic payoffs in Avatar play as rather inept.

Also thought this was perhaps one of the best uses of stereoscopic cinema I've yet seen. Scott's got an intuitive sense for it.

 

[blipper]

FWIW- That guy totally misquotes and paraphrases me to make a ridiculous argument in that article. Ridley is quite proud of what was achieved in Alien and never wanted to "fix" it. I was pretty pissed off when I read it. There will be far better interviews with the design team coming out soon.

My apologies.
-SM

Well it's good of you to clarify that and I look forward to further, hopefully less editorialised interviews. It is perhaps understandable though how one could see from Prometheus that Scott appears to be reconceptualising much of what made Alien interesting.
As a possible alternative or previous iteration of the SJ chamber it's great: a well conceptualised and intelligent bit of reverse engineering, imo. But as a replacement to supersede the existing Alien SJ chamber then it's nowhere near as intriguing, again imo.
It doesn't help when Scott/Lindelof argue that Prometheus can either have a sequel to bridge to events in Alien or failing a sequel that Prometheus itself can fill the gap - it just muddies the waters as to what's an 'update' and what might be evolution.

Yeah, there was never any indication in any of the documentaries or commentaries that Ridley Scott wasn't overly pleased with what was made for ALIEN. Never one complaint. Only praise.

Yes - much of the background material indicates Scott steered Giger very specifically over all designs, and didn't he send him back to the drawing board a couple of times with the facehugger? Yet in Prometheus there's a suggestion of harkening back to a previously rejected design.

 

[blipper]

To be fair, I think the movie only uses those questions as a springboard; a dramatic basis for the larger more profound thematic explorations in Prometheus.


And saying Avatar has a more effective structure, well, we will just have to dissagree about that. I found Prometheus's structure superbly effective, whereas the character journeys and dramatic payoffs in Avatar play as rather inept.

Also thought this was perhaps one of the best uses of stereoscopic cinema I've yet seen. Scott's got an intuitive sense for it.

Nickytea - I only mean in as much as Avatar flows a lot more smoothly. Prometheus has these abrupt narrative moments which left me feeling things had been either brutally excised or forgotten about, eg:

Spoiler

zero interest in either Shaw's condition or the whereabouts/condition/results of her pregnancy post caesarian from David/the others.

I think the structure changed dramatically in the final act and the questions as a springboard approach played much more like the Pilot of a TV show than a movie that should aim for a reasonable sense of self-containment and consistancy, even if they intend a sequel.

 

[Jeyl]

I wrote this big rant, but than something happened to my browser and it got erased.

Also, screw spoilers. I'm not doing this film any favors. Still...

SPOILERS

Basically, I'm disappointed with this film. They turned the Space Jockeys into these ridiculous baby-faced macho white men and turned what we saw in ALIEN into some bio suit. That still doesn't make any sense because the room he is piloting in still has air in it.

As a stand alone film, it doesn't do anything for me. As part of the alien franchise, I don't want it.

....I saw way too many AVP moments in this film.

Ancient Earth civilizations having contact with our alien foes? √
Someone makes a big deal about bringing weapons on the expedition? √
Wayland wanting to come along for his own goals and gets killed by alien baddie? √
Alien popping out of the big alien baddie in the end that's entirely pointless with it's mouth extending before it cuts to credits? √

.....Sigh.

 

[Noeland]

The only big question Bladerunner ever raised for me was "Was he a replicant or not." Is Lindelof trying to shift the blame for the Prometheus script now because the original writer for BR has got the job and not him? I am forced to wonder what the film could have been like had he not been brought on board. Does anyone have access to the original script before it was turned into "Lost in Space" hah hah!

Blade Runner raised many questions about humanity, fathership, ownership, and if we can imbue a soul into more than a naturally conceived being. Those themes were also touched upon in Prometheus. David was clearly beginning to develop "his own emotional responses" by liking Lawrence of Arabia, saying he was afraid she had died, dying his hair, etc. I think Charlie was the only one to notice it until Shaw engaged him in the end. Charlie prodding him and almost constantly reminding him he is not human was meant to find his humanity. His personality, so to speak. I think Charlie wanting to have a drink with David was a gesture. Of course David was on a mission of his own at this point and under orders from Weyland.

The notion that David is capable and willing to be free and make his own choices was also something that made the film for me. By the end of the film, David has an individual motivation that is free of his creator. He's planning and thinking and choosing on his own for his own reasons.

 

[ghostryder]

More concept art:

More Prometheus: The Art of the Film Scans - AvPGalaxy

 

[justinbauler]

seeing it next week, saw aliens and alien a long time ago. is prometheus related to this film at all?

 

[Jedi2016]

seeing it next week, saw aliens and alien a long time ago. is prometheus related to this film at all?

The answer to that is more complicated than a simple "yes" or "no", because the answer is "yes", and "no".

For the sake of watching the film, don't worry about it. If you go into it thinking it's going to be just like the other films (which is apparently what everyone wanted out of it), you might end up being disappointed because it's nothing like any of them.

 

[CutThumb]

I've actually realised just where the whole principle of the Black Grue comes from and why it effects everyone and thing so differently. I thought it was simply a rip from the X files (if anyone can remember it ) but no, theres actually a more modern link than that.
Its the bloody "SMOKE MONSTER" from LOST again!!!
Just think about it. They could never decide WHAT it was in the series. It effected people in completely different ways and its form constantly altered. And nothing it did ever seemed to make the slightest bit of sense in relation to the story or the characters (apart from it killed a fair few of them in very different ways). And it was never, ever explained.
SO, thanks to a certain writer it seems all that he did was simply transfer the idea into Prometheus ,except thats instead of being a readily identifable creature with a life cycle, its become an opaque "liquid smoke monster " about which nobody can properly decide a thing, other than its unlikely to make a good sugar substitute in coffee.
I can see his think now. "Wow, lets turn this in to the talking point of the movie. I mean nobody really wants that "tired old monster " from all the Alien films that,incidentally, is probably one of the only reasons they go and see it and all the sequels and have also spent the last thirty odd years wondering and arguing about what it actual is.
No,lets give them MY "tired old monster" that was really just the CONCEPT of what a monster was. I mean that really worked well didn't it.
Mr Lindelof has been drafted in to rewrite the third act of WORLD WAR Z because it is in terrible trouble.
God help them.

 

[Noeland]

The smoke monster on Lost was explained. It was the man in black.

 

[CutThumb]

That was precisely my point.

 

[JediG60racer]

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced Meredith Vickers in this film was a replicant/android/skinjob/cylon.

And I'm looking forward to seeing the real Meredith show up in the next installment.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Lindelof clarified, "If the ending to [Prometheus] is just going to be the room that John Hurt walks into that's full of [alien] eggs [in Alien], there's nothing interesting in that, because we know where it's going to end. Good stories, you don't know where they're going to end."[76] "A true prequel should essentially proceed [sic] the events of the original film, but be about something entirely different, feature different characters, have an entirely different theme, although it takes place in that same world."[68]

Seems to be the same stupid logic that governs those who hold the Terminator license.

Good stories aren't just piling on ideas and twists and leaving a huge mess of unresolved nonsense in the end, which Lindelof is clearly the grand master of.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced Meredith Vickers in this film was a replicant/android/skinjob/cylon.

It would be more tragic if she was human trying to be more like an android, because that's what her father loved in David. She just wanted love.

 

[Jeyl]

It would be more tragic if she was human trying to be more like an android, because that's what her father loved in David. She just wanted love.

It would have worked if her character wasn't so insanely dumb. On a potential first contact mission with alien life, her instructions are to not make contact with alien life. Yay. And when the Prometheus ship is about to crash into the Derelict Ship, she doesn't use her fully self-sustaining life boat to get away opting instead to use a tiny escape pod.

Father.... freaking daddy issues.

 

[Nwerke]

It would have worked if her character wasn't so insanely dumb. On a potential first contact mission with alien life, her instructions are to not make contact with alien life. Yay. And when the Prometheus ship is about to crash into the Derelict Ship, she doesn't use her fully self-sustaining life boat to get away opting instead to use a tiny escape pod.

Father.... freaking daddy issues.

Ah, answered right there in the movie. Not dumb, calculating. She didn't believe in the first place, didn't want them finding any alien life if it did exist, and if they absolutely had to go find it, she didn't want them bringing anything back that might conceivably keep her dad alive any longer.

She's not meant to be likeable but I ended up liking her anyway. Her front was clearly covering up for a real mess inside. She was somewhat interesting. The character deserved better, I thought.

 

[Nwerke]

I've actually realised just where the whole principle of the Black Grue comes from and why it effects everyone and thing so differently. I thought it was simply a rip from the X files (if anyone can remember it ) but no, theres actually a more modern link than that.
Its the bloody "SMOKE MONSTER" from LOST again!!!

Oooh. Yeah, that's not bad.

 

[Jedi2016]

And when the Prometheus ship is about to crash into the Derelict Ship, she doesn't use her fully self-sustaining life boat to get away opting instead to use a tiny escape pod.

You mean the fully self-sustaining life boat that wasn't on the ship anymore? Janek ejected that when Vickers was still on the bridge, I think. So she didn't really have much choice but to use the escape pod. It was either that, or just jump out a window.. the life boat was already on the ground by that time (that was where the Engineer bought it, remember).

 

[Nwerke]

Yeah, Janek took an executive decision there. Maybe her getting to the lifeboat and activating it just wasn't going to be possible in the time available, versus getting to an ejection capsule just down the hall. The ship is 560 feet long and quite a few decks. Anyway, whatever, not an issue IMO.

 

[Clutch]

Seriously, who would have stayed with the captain and not gone on to spend two years in a lifeboat with a beautiful blonde?!

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Seriously, who would have stayed with the captain and not gone on to spend two years in a lifeboat with a beautiful blonde?!

That's the "stranded on a desert island" question. She'd probably killed them and worn their skin as a coat before sleeping with them.