Prometheus

[stevew]

Let's see...
Ridley Scott
Original Dragon Tattoo Girl
Stringer Bell
Charlize Theron


I've been tempering my enthusiasm, but this looks freaking amazing.

[spleen1015]

I am looking forward to it, A LOT!

[Kodos]

Really looking forward to this one.

[sterlingice]

Same as stevew- I want to get really excited but have to temper my enthusiasm.

High pedigree (Ridley Scott) directing, Damon Lindelof writing, and a lot of character actors but no real big names. This sounds like a similar formula that had me excited for Avatar and it delivered for me. This probably won't be the special effects pushing movie that was but it will probably have a stronger core narrative.

SI

[stevew]

I'm really excited about this movie being rated R. It seems like a movie of this budget and/or scope would normally keep it safe and get the PG13 rating, but the fact that it didn't leads me to believe that there's probably a real directors vision here.

[Matthean]

Add Michael Fassbender to the list as well. His viral trailer for the movie was good stuff.

[Grover]

Plus it takes place in the same universe as Alien. What's not to love?

[PadresFan104]

Regarding it being in the Alien Universe.... A couple shots in the trailer reminded me of the alien craft/pilot they discover in the first Alien film... This looks awesome!!!!

[Grover]

It was originally going to be a prequel, but Scott decided to turn it into an original movie. It will definitely have references to Alien.

[JediKooter]

It takes place on one if the LV planets from the Alien movies. I think LV223 instead of LV426 in the Zeta Reticuli 2 system.

They've got a great viral campaign going on right now for the movie.

This is the movie that has been tops on my list since the day I heard about it.

[chadritt]

It was originally going to be a prequel, but Scott decided to turn it into an original movie. It will definitely have references to Alien.

At this point I dont get how its not a prequel. It has the Weyland corporation, it has the space jockey, and it appears to at the very least have the facehuggers eggs.

[Grover]

It's not a direct prequel. It's a side-story that takes place before the first Alien.

Those are Ridley Scott's words, not mine.

[Julio Riddols]

Less than a month away. First movie I HAVE to see in the theater in a looong time.

[Grammaticus]

Agree, this one looks to be great.

[DataKing]

Definitely an opening nighter for me and the GF. And I'm almost ashamed to admit, but it has been years since I've seen the original Alien. That strikes me as a good prep exercise a day or two before it opens...

[Scoobz0202]

So, this comes out this week.

I think I am going to pop my 3D cherry this week and see what it is about. I noticed a local theater has Prometheus 3D and Prometheus 3D+IMAX. Is there a "better" one?

[MacroGuru]

So, this comes out this week.

I think I am going to pop my 3D cherry this week and see what it is about. I noticed a local theater has Prometheus 3D and Prometheus 3D+IMAX. Is there a "better" one?

I think 3D IMAX is amazing, it was the "right" way to watch Avatar to me..and I think it would be for Prometheus too..

[Matthean]

3D is only good if the film was made for it from the start. If it was added on later...

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/juFZh92MUOY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[ISiddiqui]

Getting very excited about it myself. Just got the Alien Anthology on Blu-ray (Amazon had an amazing deal a week ago)! Watched Alien and am definitely wanting to see this!

[JediKooter]

Just a word of warning (not really spoilerish)...

Scott and Lindelof have stated that this is not an 'Alien' prequel. It is set in the Alien universe before the events of Alien, but, it is not a direct prequel. So don't expect the xenomorph or the classic chestbursters or facehuggers.

My only concern is the Lindelof factor. Since Lost was his baby and I couldn't stand Lost, I am worried.

[Scoobz0202]

Yea, early reviews have me tempering my expectations dramatically. If the eye candy is worth it and the plot is at least halfway decent than I'll be satisfied.

[JediKooter]

I heard the eye candy was awesome, with mixed opinions on the 3D versus 2D.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Been looking forward to this for a while.

Ridley Scott. Set in the Alien universe. Stellar cast. Looks fantastic.

No way would I see this in 3D. I have zero interest in 3D. I saw Avatar in 3D and the glasses hurt my eyes and I felt like it really made the colors look quite dull and washed out.

I will either save the extra money or spend it on getting a larger, more comfortable reserved seat.

[Kodos]

I prefer 2D as well.

[JediKooter]

Been looking forward to this for a while.

Ridley Scott. Set in the Alien universe. Stellar cast. Looks fantastic.

No way would I see this in 3D. I have zero interest in 3D. I saw Avatar in 3D and the glasses hurt my eyes and I felt like it really made the colors look quite dull and washed out.

I will either save the extra money or spend it on getting a larger, more comfortable reserved seat.


I'm with you on Ridley and the cast. Scott has always had an awesome eye for visuals/cinematography, with my favorite being Gladiator for some reason, though Blade Runner and Alien are maybe .01% behind on my list.

I'm with you on not going to waste my money on seeing it in 3D. Not because of the glasses or any other physical thing. I just don't like 3D, period, for 'live action' movies. Paying an extra 5 dollars so you can see things jump at you, isn't really all that much of an incentive to pay for 1950s technology.

[Chief Rum]

Yea, early reviews have me tempering my expectations dramatically. If the eye candy is worth it and the plot is at least halfway decent than I'll be satisfied.

Early reviews were actually pretty strong, and even now, two days before release, it sits at 77% approval rate on rottentomatoes with 65 reviews already.

That's a pretty positive result. Just how high were your expectations? :D

[Chief Rum]

I'm with the non-3D crowd. I have never gotten the thrill of it. And now they want to charge so much extra to see it in 3D? Wow, sounds like a big time money grab to me. I don't plan to ever see anything in 3D if I can help it.

[Scoobz0202]

That's a pretty positive result. Just how high were your expectations? :D

do you really want to know :(

[JediKooter]

do you really want to know :(

A lesbian scene with Ripley and Call?

[chadritt]

Im excited to see this. Amazon was smart giving a discount on the Alien box set recently, I was always undecided about buying it but mine arrives today.

Im a little dissapointed to know its not as connected to the other films as id hoped but Ill just try to rewatch the original before the weekend.

[Chief Rum]

do you really want to know :(

Sir, if 77% approval rating after 65 reviews on rottentomatoes is too low for you, I assure you, the movie is not what's at fault. ;)

[jeff061]

Just saw it, liked it. Last time I watched Alien I was all nostalgic for the days without massive amounts of CGI. Prometheus certainly had that, but it was much more subtle and relied on old school hand crafted props and scenery. Wish we saw more of that.

So I'm assuming the story basically is about the created replacing their creators as matter of biological imperative. Human's creators wanted to wipe out humans because they realized that humans would inevitably try to kill them. Just as David spent the movie trying to attack his creators by first trying to smuggle an alien organism back to Earth and then I believe flying that spaceship loaded with biological weapons back to Earth(drawing a conclusion on that).

This all pretty widely accepted? Only question is whether the robot has the ability to think on his own at that level.

That's the only explanation I could find that explained David's actions.

[jeff061]

Upon further reflection, I don't think that's the case, but I wish it was.

[BillJasper]

I liked the movie. But the relationship between the Engineers/Xenomorphs was really muddled. I guess it was intentional, so as to have material for the inevitable sequels...

[Karim]

Here's an exceptional analysis of the move (full of spoilers):

cavalorn: Prometheus Unbound: What The Movie Was Actually About (http://cavalorn.livejournal.com/584135.html#cutid1)

[JediKooter]

Upon further reflection, I don't think that's the case, but I wish it was.

David's actions were, lets say...more like orders.


I liked the movie. But the relationship between the Engineers/Xenomorphs was really muddled. I guess it was intentional, so as to have material for the inevitable sequels...

Looking at the engineers (especially their ribs), it's quite obvious why the xenomorphs look the way they do in the previous Alien movies.

They did leave some open ends for a potential sequel. I hope it does well enough so we do get a sequel that is on par as Aliens was to Alien.

My biggest fear going into this movie was Lendelof of Lost writing fame. On a scale of 1 to 10 on how many open ended questions and useless plot twists I expected from his Lost days: 8/10, but, after seeing the movie, it's more like 3/10. So not as many as I expected.

[jeff061]

Yeah, I was reaching to close the open ends so that there was some semblance of meaning to be gleaned from it. It was a fun movie, but to be honest there was almost no story to speak of. It was a 2 hour question.

[JediKooter]

The story was a question, yes..."who created us?".

[Subby]

The scene where Noomi Rapace was having the automated c-section in the medical tube was OFF THE FUCKING HOOK. Seriously - I was just blown away by how good that was.

[jeff061]

The scene where Noomi Rapace was having the automated c-section in the medical tube was OFF THE FUCKING HOOK. Seriously - I was just blown away by how good that was.

Yes, there were some incredibly intense scenes in the movie.

[jeff061]

The story was a question, yes..."who created us?".

Which was answered in about 5 minutes. Then no advancement until they meet an engineer, who awakens and tries to kill them for no explained reason. And that's about the storyline of the movie.

As dull as I am making it sound, I really did enjoy it. It was not a dull movie.

[JediKooter]

Which was answered in about 5 minutes. Then no advancement until they meet an engineer, who awakens and tries to kill them for no explained reason. And that's about the storyline of the movie.

As dull as I am making it sound, I really did enjoy it. It was not a dull movie.

It was answered kind of quickly, but, we knew the answer much much sooner than the characters did, because we benefited from seeing the opening scene and quickly put two and two together.

It's like a slasher movie, we know the killer is in the basement, why is the babysitter going down there? Well, she doesn't know that the killer is in there like we do. :)

[spleen1015]

Lots of my fb friends are saying it sucked. You guys have convinced me otherwise. I need to go see this like I planned.

[ISiddiqui]

Lots of my fb friends are saying it sucked. You guys have convinced me otherwise. I need to go see this like I planned.

Same. Though for me its people on another forum I frequent - universally bad reviews from people of very different movie watching preferences.

[JediKooter]

Lots of my fb friends are saying it sucked. You guys have convinced me otherwise. I need to go see this like I planned.

Same. Though for me its people on another forum I frequent - universally bad reviews from people of very different movie watching preferences.

I wonder if those people who didn't like it, thought it was supposed to be a direct prequel to Alien? I've seen that group of people and then there seems to be another group of people that from reading their critiques, they must have been in the bathroom because they are missing some very obvious things that happened in the movie. :)

[Pyser]

well JK is being very vocal, but its just one voice. i wasn't expecting an alien prequel, but i thought the movie was lacking. some good scenes, but not a good movie. not a good story. way too many questions, no idea who the characters were, etc.

[spleen1015]

"My movie review of Prometheus: STUPID! (so disappointing)"

I've seen a few posts like that. No more elaboration. Then, lots of folks saying "Thanks for the review! I'll save my money."

[ISiddiqui]

It seems to me that expectations harm this. Some people just call it stupid, others say what the people do make no sense (or they are too cliched movie wise), and others were expecting much more. From what I get from this thread is that you should just go into it with little expectations and just enjoy the ride.

[jeff061]

It has the feeling and atmosphere of Alien, which is something I thought was extinct. To me that alone makes it worthwhile checking out.

But yeah, if you don't care about that in the least, you'll likely walk away disappointed.

[JediKooter]

well JK is being very vocal, but its just one voice. i wasn't expecting an alien prequel, but i thought the movie was lacking. some good scenes, but not a good movie. not a good story. way too many questions, no idea who the characters were, etc.


I'm really hoping that a sequel will answer the questions that Prometheus left open. I'm just glad this movie wasn't an abomination like Alien3 thru AvP Requiem were.

[revrew]

I don't weigh in often on these threads, because I could get really sucked in, but part of my job is professional movie reviewer (I'm a journalist who does many stories, not just movie reviews).

On this one, however, I'm very perturbed by morons reviewing the film, so I'll say my piece.

Look, it has some serious flaws that prevent good emotional attachment to the story - some bad special effects, some wasted characters, lacking soundtrack, a time in the middle when the movie kind of gets lost ... So a lot of people are saying it "sucked."

No. No, it didn't.

It's not a sci-fi thrill ride. It's not a horror edge of the seater (though it has elements of both those things). It's cerebral. It's artistic. This is more "Blade Runner" than it is "Gladiator" (to refer to a pair of Ridley Scott films). And "Blade Runner" is considered a classic (despite being boring as snot at times). This is a film that tries to be a classic, not a blockbuster. It doesn't perfectly succeed, but it's a solid effort.

Go in ready to think, ready to converse, ready to ask questions and not get the answers. Don't go looking for "amusement" (from the Greek, for "to not think."). You'll actually enjoy it if you consider it art instead of entertainment.

Despite its flaws, it still one of the best films this summer. I'll still be talking out it/thinking about it 5 years from now, and that's saying alot considering all the forgettable junk I see week to week.

On other questions: It's more of a prequel to Aliens than I had expected.

I definitely recommend 3-D. Perhaps best 3-D effects I've ever seen, right up there with "Owls of Ga'hoole" and better than "Avatar." Of course, if you're one of those 2D snobs .... :P

[Aylmar]

I'd recommend 3D as well. It is stunning visually. The 3D effects are just right and give the screen depth without poking things out at you or any of the other stupid parlor tricks normally used to remind you you're watching a 3D movie.

It's a good film, but I have the same critique of it that I do most of the things Lindelof writes. He's amazing at setting up stories, not so good at ending them (which he himself admits). I absolutely loved it..and then the turning point to Act 3 happened and, IMO, the whole thing kind of fell apart.

[ISiddiqui]

Thanks for that weigh in, revrew. Will be sure to go in with my "Tree of Life" cap on ;). As for 2D snob... the only snob for 2D I am is the it's $5 cheaper snob ;).

[JonInMiddleGA]

As for 2D snob... the only snob for 2D I am is the it's $5 cheaper snob ;).

Testify.

[JonInMiddleGA]

It's not a sci-fi thrill ride. It's not a horror edge of the seater (though it has elements of both those things). It's cerebral. It's artistic. ... Don't go looking for "amusement" (from the Greek, for "to not think.").

That's actually an influential review, because it describes just about the last thing I'm looking for in a theater these days, especially for a "summer movie". Sounds like something best viewed, for me, on Netflix or Starz some night when I'm bored.

[NorvTurnerOverdrive]

been a weird recent trend of injecting some pretty heavy stuff thematically into summer movies. i remember watching the second matrix film and thinking it was a (really bad) rosicrucian recruiting film.

[NorvTurnerOverdrive]

dola

i love esotericism and metaphor but no like sci-fi :(

[jeff061]

That's actually an influential review, because it describes just about the last thing I'm looking for in a theater these days, especially for a "summer movie". Sounds like something best viewed, for me, on Netflix or Starz some night when I'm bored.

I can't think of anything that makes less sense to me. When I'm bored and killing time, I watch Michael Bay. When I am in the mood for a good movie I watch the opposite.

[revrew]

That's actually an influential review, because it describes just about the last thing I'm looking for in a theater these days, especially for a "summer movie". Sounds like something best viewed, for me, on Netflix or Starz some night when I'm bored.

Glad to be of service. At my theater there were a bunch of people who left the showing disappointed, and I suspect it was because they were looking for a dose of big, summer escapism.

Unfortunately, the film was missing some key elements (some better character development, music choice, more focused storyline and clear climax) that prevented it from being that. Not that it couldn't have been those things. I think if it would have been both-and, it could have been an all-time classic. It did fall down a bit on the pure fun and enjoyment part, which is why I think you're seeing so many negative reviews (if you're looking around). Other critics have said it had too many holes, left too many questions ... I kind of think that was the point and part of the brilliance of it. Nothing spoon fed to you, plenty to talk about afterward.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I can't think of anything that makes less sense to me. When I'm bored and killing time, I watch Michael Bay. When I am in the mood for a good movie I watch the opposite.

Simple actually. I might be more inclined to put something like this on when I'm desperate for something to do. I'm not a big movie guy, so it's not like they're a first option or even a tenth.

If I'm watching a movie the most likely I'm either indulging someone else's interests, there's nothing else appealing for background noise, or there's some aspect of it I'm idly curious about (i.e. how bad a performance was or how good the effects were, etc). I think the last movie I actively watched (without doing something else at the same time) might have been Inglorious Basterds.

I look to entertainment to do just that, entertain me. I don't turn to movies to provoke deep thought or motivate me to ponder life's deeper questions.

[ISiddiqui]

As I pointed out in the movie rating thread, I loved this movie. Thought it was a wonderful sci-fi mystery, concerned with exploration and asking questions of what this means for us as humanity, and then ending with some answers and some more questions. The exploration was great and then the rising menace was handled well, IMO. It wasn't all of sudden Aliens attack, but a gradual rising of the enemy while more and more was also gradually revealed.

I haven't seen many movies like this one. Ridley, you'd done wonders here!

[Rizon]

Wife and I saw this last night.

It was downright awful. The stunning visual effects couldn't save it from absolutely sloppy writing, lack of development of ... anything, useless cardboard characters and ridiculous supercheese. They did such a poor job telling a story.

I was expecting something of more substance, both of the story, and something a little more intellectual.

[jeff061]

Wife and I saw this last night.

It was downright awful. The stunning visual effects couldn't save it from absolutely sloppy writing, lack of development of ... anything, useless cardboard characters and ridiculous supercheese. They did such a poor job telling a story.

I was expecting something of more substance, both of the story, and something a little more intellectual.

I don't disagree with this, but I still liked it :). Though I think they did a fine job trying to tell a story that wasn't really there. Latter was the problem.

[JediKooter]

Wife and I saw this last night.

It was downright awful. The stunning visual effects couldn't save it from absolutely sloppy writing, lack of development of ... anything, useless cardboard characters and ridiculous supercheese. They did such a poor job telling a story.

I was expecting something of more substance, both of the story, and something a little more intellectual.

?

[Rizon]

?

Yeah, the more I think about the movie the more pissed off I am I spent $23 for it.

Still totally baffled (or "Norved") that Dane Cook was cast in a sort-of lead role in the movie.

But I did enjoy Theron in the spandex suit.

[Grover]

Yeah, the more I think about the movie the more pissed off I am I spent $23 for it.

Still totally baffled (or "Norved") that Dane Cook was cast in a sort-of lead role in the movie.

But I did enjoy Theron in the spandex suit.

Pretty sure that Dane Cook was not in Prometheus. Maybe you saw a different movie ;)

[ISiddiqui]

That may be the reason for his review :)

[Rizon]

This isn't Dane Cook???

[ISiddiqui]

... Seriously? Now you expect me to take your review seriously considering you have no clue what Dane Cook looks like but want to put him in the movie?

[Grover]

That is Logan Marshall-Green.

He's in bed with Marisa Tomei. Rawr.

[JediKooter]

Yeah, the more I think about the movie the more pissed off I am I spent $23 for it.

Still totally baffled (or "Norved") that Dane Cook was cast in a sort-of lead role in the movie.

But I did enjoy Theron in the spandex suit.

What pissed you off about the movie? I guess I just don't see how people don't think there's a story to it. I saw it for the second time this weekend and it actually explains a lot. There's a couple of things I caught the second time around that I missed before.

I could look at Theron all day.

[Rizon]

... Seriously? Now you expect me to take your review seriously considering you have no clue what Dane Cook looks like but want to put him in the movie?

I kiiiiiiiiid I kid.

[Rizon]

What pissed you off about the movie? I guess I just don't see how people don't think there's a story to it. I saw it for the second time this weekend and it actually explains a lot. There's a couple of things I caught the second time around that I missed before.

I could look at Theron all day.

There were just tons of things that bothered me. If I saw the movie again I'd make a list. But off the top of my head:

No character development. I didn't feel "tied" to any single character.

The abrasive robot. If you're spending 1t on a voyage halfway across the galaxy, why bring it with the risks it creates? Same with the other "attitude" guys. I get each movie is supposed to have one, but jeeze. And why was the robot made to look old?

A spaceship like that only requires 17 crew? Really?

The Irish girl did not work as the lead heroine at all. She was like a female version of the young Anikin Skywalker. And the machine

Much of the walls, panels, screens touched on the ship were really flimsy. It looked like a Toshiba copier, like it would break if any weight was put on it. Like much of the sets were created from old cardboard.

Guy Pearce as a 90 year old man? Huh? Dude is like 40 and looks 25. You could tell it was a younger man made up to look older, but very badly. I thought FOR SURE he was going to be made young again. But old people move slowly, their mannerisms are slow. They don't just walk slow and talk slow and look slow. He moved like a young man and looked like a young man. The makeup was sad.

Too much of it was way, way predictable (other than old man not getting young). Like Theron being the guy's daughter.

You're a scientist and you think it's a good idea to get cuddly with a giant snake that popped out of the ground, yet before you were scared because life forms were detected? None of them would take their helmets off, either.

The captain would never leave the ship like the Prometheus captain did. Plus the guy did not fit the role. He works better as a 60s style taxi cab driver.

Logan Marshall-Green is a terrible actor outside of angry roles and should not have been cast as a semi-lead. I joke cause he's the poor man's Dane Cook, and that isn't saying much. This character was written and acted poorly.

The big Earth killing machine is started by a flute?

The working-the-plot-along part of assembling a group of people in a hangar to explain why they've risked their lives without having any idea. I hate that in movies. Take some time and skill to work it in, don't just lazily throw it in an odd, created scene.

I didn't expect much from the movie. I thought it might have some action with great special effects. The effects were awesome. The action was lacking, but I can live with that.

** got pulled into a meeting, this is all off the top of my head without coffee.

[Rizon]

Oh, and how at the end she ran away from the crashing ship like in a Wile-E-Coyote straight line. I laughed. Really.

I probably would have enjoyed the movie watching at home for free on the Siffy channel. A ho-hum Saturday afternoon movie. Instead of trying to find a babysitter and paying $23.

Good points: special effects were awesome and I did like the 3D (vs 3D of the 80s with those crappy red/blue "glasses". Still mad about Back to the Future II). There were only 6 other people in the movie theatre that prob fits 250 or so and nobody was loud.

[Pyser]

i dont understand why some people won't accept that you can actually watch this movie and not like it. and don't say we don't "get" it or weren't paying attention. it was just a bad movie. sorry to piss in your cheerios.

[Chief Rum]

i dont understand why some people won't accept that you can actually watch this movie and not like it. and don't say we don't "get" it or weren't paying attention. it was just a bad movie. sorry to piss in your cheerios.

I think you're reading way too much into reactions. This seems to be a love it or hate it thing (except for me, I seem to be solidly in the middle). I think both sides need to just step back and acknowledge they don't have the same opinion as the other side and let it go.

[jeff061]

i dont understand why some people won't accept that you can actually watch this movie and not like it. and don't say we don't "get" it or weren't paying attention. it was just a bad movie. sorry to piss in your cheerios.

I find this funny, since in this post you seem to embody the attitude of the people you don't understand.

[ISiddiqui]

There were just tons of things that bothered me. If I saw the movie again I'd make a list. But off the top of my head:

No character development. I didn't feel "tied" to any single character.

The abrasive robot. If you're spending 1t on a voyage halfway across the galaxy, why bring it with the risks it creates? Same with the other "attitude" guys. I get each movie is supposed to have one, but jeeze. And why was the robot made to look old?

A spaceship like that only requires 17 crew? Really?

The Irish girl did not work as the lead heroine at all. She was like a female version of the young Anikin Skywalker. And the machine

Much of the walls, panels, screens touched on the ship were really flimsy. It looked like a Toshiba copier, like it would break if any weight was put on it. Like much of the sets were created from old cardboard.

Guy Pearce as a 90 year old man? Huh? Dude is like 40 and looks 25. You could tell it was a younger man made up to look older, but very badly. I thought FOR SURE he was going to be made young again. But old people move slowly, their mannerisms are slow. They don't just walk slow and talk slow and look slow. He moved like a young man and looked like a young man. The makeup was sad.

Too much of it was way, way predictable (other than old man not getting young). Like Theron being the guy's daughter.

You're a scientist and you think it's a good idea to get cuddly with a giant snake that popped out of the ground, yet before you were scared because life forms were detected? None of them would take their helmets off, either.

The captain would never leave the ship like the Prometheus captain did. Plus the guy did not fit the role. He works better as a 60s style taxi cab driver.

Logan Marshall-Green is a terrible actor outside of angry roles and should not have been cast as a semi-lead. I joke cause he's the poor man's Dane Cook, and that isn't saying much. This character was written and acted poorly.

The big Earth killing machine is started by a flute?

The working-the-plot-along part of assembling a group of people in a hangar to explain why they've risked their lives without having any idea. I hate that in movies. Take some time and skill to work it in, don't just lazily throw it in an odd, created scene.

I didn't expect much from the movie. I thought it might have some action with great special effects. The effects were awesome. The action was lacking, but I can live with that.

** got pulled into a meeting, this is all off the top of my head without coffee.

A few things:

Alien had only like, what 7 crew members for the Nostromo, which was far bigger.

The "abrasive robot" - it was there to do Weyland's bidding. So being abrasive to the rest of the crew doesn't particularly matter.

Not sure where you get the sets looked like cardboard - they seemed to be quite good, IMO.

"The Earth killing machine"? You mean, the ships engine? Just because it makes noise when you touch the computer doesn't mean it starts with a flute - that's like saying your cell phone is powered by clicks because that's the sound it makes when you type on it.

Not saying the characters made intelligent moves or acted rationally the entire time, but a lot of what they did or did not do completely brings down the movie or doesn't detract from it depending on your POV. Some people think it makes the entire thing stink and others don't necessarily care compared to the bigger picture. It happens. However, if you were going in expecting an action movie - well it was never intended to be such. It was far more in the guise of Alien than Aliens (hence Ridley Scott) and was about exploration and asking decent sized questions.

[ISiddiqui]

I find this funny, since in this post you seem to embody the attitude of the people you don't understand.

Indeed - the dislike it side seem sometimes to get viserally angry that people could have liked or even, heaven forbid, loved the movie.

[Pyser]

calmer than you are

[JediKooter]

There were just tons of things that bothered me. If I saw the movie again I'd make a list. But off the top of my head:

No character development. I didn't feel "tied" to any single character.
JK: That's never been a requirement of mine for fictional movies. So, I can't really comment much on this.

The abrasive robot. If you're spending 1t on a voyage halfway across the galaxy, why bring it with the risks it creates? Same with the other "attitude" guys. I get each movie is supposed to have one, but jeeze. And why was the robot made to look old?
JK: David (the robot) was ordered to do what was necessary to help Weyland. Things that humans would find immoral. I thought Fassbender did an outstanding job as David.

A spaceship like that only requires 17 crew? Really?
JK: Well, it is 80 years from now. Jumbo jets of today only require two people in the cockpit.

The Irish girl did not work as the lead heroine at all. She was like a female version of the young Anikin Skywalker. And the machine
JK: She wasn't too bad. I just didn't like her accent. She's a Swedish actor trying to do a fake Scottish accent.

Much of the walls, panels, screens touched on the ship were really flimsy. It looked like a Toshiba copier, like it would break if any weight was put on it. Like much of the sets were created from old cardboard.
JK: Didn't notice any of that at all.

Guy Pearce as a 90 year old man? Huh? Dude is like 40 and looks 25. You could tell it was a younger man made up to look older, but very badly. I thought FOR SURE he was going to be made young again. But old people move slowly, their mannerisms are slow. They don't just walk slow and talk slow and look slow. He moved like a young man and looked like a young man. The makeup was sad.
JK: This was one of my, "you fucked up Ridley", moments. The old man make up was way over the top. Almost like the Emperor from Revenge of the Sith.

Too much of it was way, way predictable (other than old man not getting young). Like Theron being the guy's daughter.
JK: Yes some of it was predictable. Would it make you feel any better if I told you there's a large group of people who think Theron's character is a robot?

You're a scientist and you think it's a good idea to get cuddly with a giant snake that popped out of the ground, yet before you were scared because life forms were detected? None of them would take their helmets off, either.
JK: This was explained by Theron's character before they went out the first time. She said that other than the people she hired, the rest of the scientific crew was basically the bottom of the talent barrel.

The captain would never leave the ship like the Prometheus captain did. Plus the guy did not fit the role. He works better as a 60s style taxi cab driver.
JK: Dallas left the ship in Alien...he also volunteered to go into the air shafts first.

Logan Marshall-Green is a terrible actor outside of angry roles and should not have been cast as a semi-lead. I joke cause he's the poor man's Dane Cook, and that isn't saying much. This character was written and acted poorly.
JK: I've never seen the guy before, but, he did seem a bit miscast to me.

The big Earth killing machine is started by a flute?
JK: And hardboiled eggs. Don't forget the eggs. But, it's alien technology far above and beyond ours. It could also be a security system as well so no one steals their ship.

The working-the-plot-along part of assembling a group of people in a hangar to explain why they've risked their lives without having any idea. I hate that in movies. Take some time and skill to work it in, don't just lazily throw it in an odd, created scene.
JK: The marines in Aliens didn't know why they were there either until the briefing. So, I think, continuity wise, it fits.

I didn't expect much from the movie. I thought it might have some action with great special effects. The effects were awesome. The action was lacking, but I can live with that.
JK: The effects were awesome, but, this wasn't supposed to be an action movie like Aliens. It is supposed to be more like Alien where it was more suspenseful than action oriented.

** got pulled into a meeting, this is all off the top of my head without coffee.

My answers are in your spoilers tag.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I finally saw this last night.

Over all, it was super pretty, had some very interesting ideas that weren't properly explored and had some potentially interesting characters that never managed to develop. Quite a frustrating film, but I am glad I saw it.

More thoughts (mainly complaints) below:

The more I thought about the movie, the less well it holds together. It was beautiful and there is a really compelling movie with some interesting characters in there, but neither ever manages to fully emerge. Despite a pretty promising set up and potentially engaging characters everything just sort of fell apart into one giant mess. I think perhaps there will be some Ridley Scott director's cut released with an extra 30-40 minutes of footage that will greatly improve on the film. He is known to do things like this.

Over all, there were some interesting themes and ideas. The whole notion of the creation killing their creators (gods vs. titans, humans vs. the engineers) was interesting. I looked at those paintings as a way for the Engineers to point to a place for the humans to go to - once they evolved to a certain extent - so that the Engineers would meet them, learn they have evolved to the point where they were a potential threat, and then destroy that threat. The are certain other intepretations of all that, but it would explain why the Engineer who woke up was so hell bent on killing everyone.

I also didn't mind the notion of a super rich guy funding a massive expedition to seek out his maker, get these great questions answered and perhaps even gain immortality. Perfectly fine set up.

I also didn't mind the whole idea of: this is how the aliens from Alien, Aliens, etc. eventually came about. I am fine with an alien origin story, even if it did feel a bit tacked on.

The problem was, however, that so much of it was nonsensical.
There was no consistency to the "black goo". It disolves the Engineer at the beginning, which I took to be the genesis of life on earth. It creates some weird lizard-tentacle thing out of little worms on the planet, it makes one guy super sick and gives him tentacle beast impregnating sperm, and turns another guy into a crazy-ass rage zombie. The "black goo" seemed to be all things to all people.

Then you have the characters... They were all so incomplete. Shaw's whole religion/heaven thing with the cross and her father and all of that felt very tacked on. Whenever it came up it seemed very much out of place and ham fisted. It wasn't a necessary part of her character, but they kept trying to make it so.

Charlize Theron was awesome as Vickers. She looked great and seemed to have a feel for the character. The problem was, however, that she really never did anything and was never fully realized. She never really exhibited any kind of control and other than burning that infected guy - who should have been burned - never really made a "hard call." She was super cautious and a total survivor, but disappeared for a long swath in the movie and then her "survivor" instincts involved her ejecting instead of going on a suicide run. It seemed like a total waste of a potentially awesome character. Also, I get her super cautious ways. With her own life-boat and her super rare amazing surgical machine in case something ever happened to her. Of course, it made no sense that her her super rare amazing surgical machine was ONLY CALIBRATED FOR A MAN. As Eowyn would says, "Charlize Theron is no man." Maybe they could explain that the whole setup was really for Weyland, but then that undercuts what appeared to be Vickers over-riding personality trait.

That c-section scene was excellent, by the way.

Michael Fassbender was great as David, but his motivations and actions just don't add up over the course of the film. The whole robot-as-betrayer thing has been done before (ALIEN) and done better. At least in Alien it made sense, here he was just all over the map. Why was he so obssesed with the black goo. There was no indication that anyone knew anything about it, but he was all over it like white on rice when they first got into that chamber. I guess I could see him poisoning that one guy just to see what would happen to him - in order to protect Weyland - but why was he so adminant about trying to cryo-sleep Shaw when she had the tentacle thing inside her? That whole bring an alien back to be studied thing was never once mentioned as anyone's goal.

The rest of the characters were pretty much non-existant. Stringer Bell was cool as the captain, but, again, he was very much under-developed. I loved his decision to make the suicide run, but it would have been much more powerful if I cared at all about him or his two inexplicably loyal sidekicks. Also, how did he figure the whole, weapons of mass destrcution meant for us thing? That was quite a leap and some helpful and lazy exposition.

The geologist punk/serial killer-looking guy and the biologist with the glasses were ridiculous. They are scientists, yet the moment they see some alien and probably the most interesting discovery ever, they decide to turn tail and run? Ok, fine. They just wander off in no direction. Then they get left behind. There is that whole "there is something alive down here!" moment that freaks them out and then is forgotten. And, finally, they decide to wander back into the very same chamber that freaked them out so bad they had to run away from?? I wont even go into how stupid that so-called biologist was when encountering that alien tentacle thing.

Also, why was everyone always taking their helmets off? Especially after one of the crew got so sick that he had to be burned alive?

After that, there were no characters as far as I can remember. There was Shaw's boyfriend, but there wasn't much to him at all, really.

It doesn't take all that much to establish characters. They did it in Alien very quickly. They also managed to do it in Aliens. Sure, there are a handful of marines you never really get to know - but throughout the film you get a very good sense of at aleast: Apone, Hicks, Gorman, Vasquez, Hudson, Ripley, Newt, Bishop and Burke. You know them well enough and care about (or hate) them enough that their deaths/fate has some impact. I didn't really care about anyone in this film.

[Grover]

RE: HB

Charlize Theron was awesome as Vickers. She looked great and seemed to have a feel for the character. The problem was, however, that she really never did anything and was never fully realized. She never really exhibited any kind of control and other than burning that infected guy - who should have been burned - never really made a "hard call." She was super cautious and a total survivor, but disappeared for a long swath in the movie and then her "survivor" instincts involved her ejecting instead of going on a suicide run. It seemed like a total waste of a potentially awesome character. Also, I get her super cautious ways. With her own life-boat and her super rare amazing surgical machine in case something ever happened to her. Of course, it made no sense that her her super rare amazing surgical machine was ONLY CALIBRATED FOR A MAN. As Eowyn would says, "Charlize Theron is no man." Maybe they could explain that the whole setup was really for Weyland, but then that undercuts what appeared to be Vickers over-riding personality trait.

This is where a lot of folks on the internet are suggesting that Vickers may have also been an android. Why would the surgery machine only be for a man with X amount of females on board.? I'm unsure of whether or not she was an android, but I tend to lean more toward the human side. Mostly because she nailed the ship's captain.

[ISiddiqui]

RE: HB & Grover

The surgical machine was calibrated for WEYLAND, not Vickers. Shaw makes the point that those are super rare and only 12 of them exist. We find out in the scene after the ceasarian that Weyland is actually alive and on the ship - makes sense that the old guy would want his super fancy medical machine on board since he's about to croak anyways. And consider Vicker's living quarters - that's incredibly spacious and luxurious - because it was all made for Weyland.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Vickers

Even if Vickers was an android, what's the point of all of that? If so, her androidness never came into play once. It makes the whole character even less well developed. Also, while I have never seen any of the AvP movies, I am pretty sure that in all of the Alien films, any android in the film always knew he/she was an android. Vickers never exhibited any inkling of that sort of thing. While her being an android may explain why her surgery pod was calibrated only for men (kinda), it opens a whole host of other questions and, again, just leaves a huge hole as to, why was she an android? What is the significance of any of that?

[Honolulu_Blue]

RE: HB & Grover

The surgical machine was calibrated for WEYLAND, not Vickers. Shaw makes the point that those are super rare and only 12 of them exist. We find out in the scene after the ceasarian that Weyland is actually alive and on the ship - makes sense that the old guy would want his super fancy medical machine on board since he's about to croak anyways. And consider Vicker's living quarters - that's incredibly spacious and luxurious - because it was all made for Weyland.

Squidi

I totally mentioned that possibility in what I said above.

I just find that makes Vickers character all the weaker and doesn't do much for Weyland. Unless I am missing something, Vickers over-riding characterstic was self-preservation. She came on this mission to see what would happen to her father so that he would pass his legacy down to her. She was super cautious. Super careful. And allegedly super controlling (though not so much, since everyone was running around willy nilly all the time and acting stupid). So, once you make the whole life-boat and surgical tube ALL FOR WEYLAND, that just really undermines Vickers all the more.

[Grover]

Vickers

Even if Vickers was an android, what's the point of all of that? If so, her androidness never came into play once. It makes the whole character even less well developed. Also, while I have never seen any of the AvP movies, I am pretty sure that in all of the Alien films, any android in the film always knew he/she was an android. Vickers never exhibited any inkling of that sort of thing. While her being an android may explain why her surgery pod was calibrated only for men (kinda), it opens a whole host of other questions and, again, just leaves a huge hole as to, why was she an android? What is the significance of any of that?

Agree completely. Not to mention it would ruin the tradition of the call sign. Alien: Ash, Aliens: Bishop, Resurrection: Call, Prometheus: David. I assume our next android will be Ernie or Eugene.

[ISiddiqui]

Squidi

I totally mentioned that possibility in what I said above.

I just find that makes Vickers character all the weaker and doesn't do much for Weyland. Unless I am missing something, Vickers over-riding characterstic was self-preservation. She came on this mission to see what would happen to her father so that he would pass his legacy down to her. She was super cautious. Super careful. And allegedly super controlling (though not so much, since everyone was running around willy nilly all the time and acting stupid). So, once you make the whole life-boat and surgical tube ALL FOR WEYLAND, that just really undermines Vickers all the more.

I just don't see why that necessarily matters. Weyland was determined to come on this ship and Vickers wants to tag along to see what happens with her dad. The reveal shows that Vickers isn't the one in charge, true, but I don't think that really matters all that much. It is really foreshadowing for Weyland being on the ship after all

[RedKingGold]

I like spoiler tags

[Honolulu_Blue]

I just don't see why that necessarily matters. Weyland was determined to come on this ship and Vickers wants to tag along to see what happens with her dad. The reveal shows that Vickers isn't the one in charge, true, but I don't think that really matters all that much. It is really foreshadowing for Weyland being on the ship after all

Exactly. All of that reduces Vickers character to just Weyland's daughter who just "wants to tag along to see what happens with her dad." So, what's the point of the character then, exactly? To look good? To provide the illusion that someone other than Weyland is in charge? To convenviently bang the Captain so know one can see what happens to the geologist and biologst down in the cave? (Also, I assume they have some sort of DVR type technology. Once the Captain came back and those two were offline, why not rewind their helmet recordings to see what happened right before it went black?) What a boring waste of a potentially excellent character.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I like spoiler tags

Your mom likes spoiler tags

[JediKooter]

Squidi

I totally mentioned that possibility in what I said above.

I just find that makes Vickers character all the weaker and doesn't do much for Weyland. Unless I am missing something, Vickers over-riding characterstic was self-preservation. She came on this mission to see what would happen to her father so that he would pass his legacy down to her. She was super cautious. Super careful. And allegedly super controlling (though not so much, since everyone was running around willy nilly all the time and acting stupid). So, once you make the whole life-boat and surgical tube ALL FOR WEYLAND, that just really undermines Vickers all the more.

JK: Yes the med pod was configured for Weyland/males. However, Shaw did not have any time to reconfigure it. She had to get the thing out of her now and did not have time to wait for a reboot/reconfigure. I got the sense, that had there been more time, she could have reconfigured it.



I'm trying to save my spoiler tags for the weekend...my answer is in your spoiler tag.

[Honolulu_Blue]

A few more thoughts:

A trillion-dollar mission to find the forefathers of humanity, and instead of an elite team of the best and brightest, they send a ragtag crew of colorful characters? A geologist who says he likes rocks but didn't want to explore any of the ones on THE BRAND NEW PLANET. A biologist who thinks that big hissing snake things which are flaring their hoods are clearly trying to make friends.

Also, for Christ's sake, if you're going to base a movie on ideas,
especially ideas as big as the engineered origin of our species, you're
going to need to give us some answers, even oblique ones. Not just an
Engineer whose first conscious act in 50,000 years is to rip everyone apart, despite belonging to a race sufficiently advanced to have mastered
interstellar flight before spawning us in the first place.

[Daimyo]

I liked it a lot. Based on the previews I expected a cross between Alien and 2001 although of lessor quality than either. I think it delivered that.

Prequels are really hard to do, and I think they did it about as well as possible by not trying to link them up too directly. I re-watched Alien last night and it pretty much answered all questions from that movie. By ending it the way they did they can now go off in a different direction for Prometheus 2 without worrying so much about setting up anything more for Alien.

[ISiddiqui]

Exactly. All of that reduces Vickers character to just Weyland's daughter who just "wants to tag along to see what happens with her dad." So, what's the point of the character then, exactly? To look good? To provide the illusion that someone other than Weyland is in charge? To convenviently bang the Captain so know one can see what happens to the geologist and biologst down in the cave? (Also, I assume they have some sort of DVR type technology. Once the Captain came back and those two were offline, why not rewind their helmet recordings to see what happened right before it went black?) What a boring waste of a potentially excellent character.

The point of her character is to be the apparent boss, who has to give way to the real boss. She makes the appearance of Weyland a surprise and possible. Also gives further weight to the children want to kill their parents theme that runs throughout the movie.

I think one of the points of the way the characterizations were is that we aren't supposed to necessarily care that much for each of these people, but that they are pawns in a grander game.

[Pyser]

putting aside all the logic problems and other issues i had with the movie, id just like to look at character development for a minute.

why, as writers, have the crew wake up when they are hours from the new planet? why not, say, a day? or a week? it's a simple way to let the audience meet the crew, while the crew meets each other for more than an hour before exploring a planet.

and i still think theron was an android. maybe she didn't know she was, and i don't know what it serves that she might be, but we never see her wake up from the pod, never see her sleep with the captain, manhandles the very strong david, calls weyland "father" in a very formal way...

and stop spoiler tagging this. if someone is in this thread and hasn't seen it weeks after it came out, thats your fault!

[Honolulu_Blue]

The point of her character is to be the apparent boss, who has to give way to the real boss. She makes the appearance of Weyland a surprise and possible. Also gives further weight to the children want to kill their parents theme that runs throughout the movie.

I think one of the points of the way the characterizations were is that we aren't supposed to necessarily care that much for each of these people, but that they are pawns in a grander game.

Again, if that's her point, it seems like such a waste. I really don't understand how she gives any weight at all to "the children want to kill their parents theme that runs throughout the movie". What did she ever do to further that theme other than be Weyland's daughter? If anything, she was overly cautious, which would seem to lean the other way.

Well, if that was the point of the way the characterizations were, they succeeded with flying colors in the first, but kind of fail to see how anyone beyond, say, Weyland for funding it, David for his various rolls, and Shaw were pawns in the grander scheme. Maybe because I couldn't figure out exactly what the grander scheme was because the script was such a mess.

I am disappointed. I really wanted to like the film. I like liking things. I tend to give a lot of things I want to like a lot of leeway, but it's just frustrating to know what kind of talent and budget they had at their disposal and to see all these little nuggets of potential excellence just completely botched.

[ISiddiqui]

Again, if that's her point, it seems like such a waste. I really don't understand how she gives any weight at all to "the children want to kill their parents theme that runs throughout the movie". What did she ever do to further that theme other than be Weyland's daughter? If anything, she was overly cautious, which would seem to lean the other way.

Well, if that was the point of the way the characterizations were, they succeeded with flying colors in the first, but kind of fail to see how anyone beyond, say, Weyland for funding it, David for his various rolls, and Shaw were pawns in the grander scheme. Maybe because I couldn't figure out exactly what the grander scheme was because the script was such a mess.

I am disappointed. I really wanted to like the film. I like liking things. I tend to give a lot of things I want to like a lot of leeway, but it's just frustrating to know what kind of talent and budget they had at their disposal and to see all these little nuggets of potential excellence just completely botched.

I don't know why you call it a waste... what did you expect out of Vickers? She obviously loathes her father. She says father is hatred and basically comes along because she doesn't want to be sitting in a board room with the Board of Directors arguing who gets to run the father's company. She just wanted him to die and let her run the damned thing. That much is obvious.

Oh, and the grander scheme is quite obvious - it involves the questions of who made us, for what purpose, and why did they change their minds and want to kill us - the movie is about a slow reveal about the who made us part

[JediKooter]

putting aside all the logic problems and other issues i had with the movie, id just like to look at character development for a minute.

why, as writers, have the crew wake up when they are hours from the new planet? why not, say, a day? or a week? it's a simple way to let the audience meet the crew, while the crew meets each other for more than an hour before exploring a planet.

That would have been cool. But, it also follows the continuity of the other movies (Alien and Aliens). I'm not sure Lindelof has it in him to write that though.

and i still think theron was an android. maybe she didn't know she was, and i don't know what it serves that she might be, but we never see her wake up from the pod, never see her sleep with the captain, manhandles the very strong david, calls weyland "father" in a very formal way...

She has way too many emotions to be an android. Yes, David may be strong, but, he wasn't fighting back when she pushed him up against the wall. Plus, he's an android, not a terminator, so he probably weighs roughly the same as human male of his size.

and stop spoiler tagging this. if someone is in this thread and hasn't seen it weeks after it came out, thats your fault!

That's not what David was progra...wait. Never mind. :)

[Honolulu_Blue]

I don't know why you call it a waste... what did you expect out of Vickers? She obviously loathes her father. She says father is hatred and basically comes along because she doesn't want to be sitting in a board room with the Board of Directors arguing who gets to run the father's company. She just wanted him to die and let her run the damned thing. That much is obvious.

Oh, and the grander scheme is quite obvious - it involves the questions of who made us, for what purpose, and why did they change their minds and want to kill us - the movie is about a slow reveal about the who made us part

What did I expect from Vickers? A lot more than simply some chickadee who travel a kazillion miles away with a father - who she obviously loathes - and be in hyper sleep for 2 years just because she didn't want to be bored by sitting board room with the Board of Directors arguing who gets to run the father's company. That's essentially what you've boiled her down to. That's a really dull motivation for her character. I saw a lot more potential in that character than that. Sadly, it was unexplored. She ended up not doing much of anything.

The movie isn't about a slow reveal about the who made us part. The who made us part is revealed in the very first scene!!!

The slow reveal was why they were directing us to the planet and the reason for that was conveniently explained by the Captain in about 30 seconds worth of exposition. The rest was largely just a bunch of muddled nonsense. Very pretty muddled nonsense, but muddled nonsense nonetheless.

[ISiddiqui]

You are assuming the original planet is Earth... it may not be (and I didn't necessarily see it to be such).

[Honolulu_Blue]

You are assuming the original planet is Earth... it may not be (and I didn't necessarily see it to be such).

Doesn't change the fact that the first scene established them as those who made us, especially with the focus on the DNA strand in the water. That scene + all the cave paintings and what not.

Even if it wasn't earth, I saw it, at the very least, as sort of an example of: "Here are our makers. This is how they did it. They drank the black goo, disolved into our eco-system, and then we sprung from them."

[JediKooter]

If it helps any...a lot of people didn't understand that first scene or what it was supposed to represent. Not sure if Scott intentionally did that or it was just a serendipitous occurrence though.

Some people took it pretty straight forward as it being the seeding of life on Earth. (me being one of them)

Some people took it as poisoning the Earth/some unknown planet.

It's left up to interpretation until you read what Scott had to say about that scene...paraphrasing him, "It isn't necessarily Earth that the scene happens on. It could be anywhere, but, yes, this is how the Engineers go around creating life on other worlds."

I don't have a problem with that answering the question for us in the first scene. We have the privilege of knowing that, while the characters in the movie have no clue about the event in the first scene.

[ISiddiqui]

Regardless, it is a vague beginning and the movie attempts to fill in the gaps of who made us - by revealing the ship and its component parts and the Engineers and asking us to consider the black goo bio-weapon and why the Engineers wanted to kill us after they apparently made us.

[Arles]

I just saw this and think it's a pretty weak movie. There was no real drama or storyline. Everything seemed a little trumped up without any regard for consistency or logic. It was a bit like Armageddon meets a 70s sci fi movie.

The group was a set of rejects (on a trillion dollar mission). Nearly everyone does something completely out of what you think their character should be.
- An outgoing biologist who wants to make friends with a skinhead?
- A main scientists who decides (on a whim) to pull off his helmet in a strange atmosphere potentially feet from meeting a new race that he traveled years to reach?
-The female lead who neglects to tell anyone about an alien coming out of her? And why did the "completely logical android" not go "Huh? I wonder what happened to that Alien growing inside her?" If he's indeed experimenting as in the next point, you'd think he'd want to check that out.
-David the droid acting like the old Guy Pearce told him to spike the guy's drink with Alien jizz. Not sure why Guy would do that. Did he think the black stuff could be some kind of "fountain of youth" and want David to use a guinea pig? Seems pretty far fetched.
-Two scientists who can repeatedly give exact coordinates to the captain at night but who got lost in the cavern despite a huge time lead over the 3-4 others who somehow made it from their same location to the ship in under 15 min. Did someone blind fold them and spin them before they left the room? :D
- The lead's oxygen had 30 seconds left when she goes in the temp ship. Then, after taking her mask off inside and battling an Alien for a couple mins, she leaves the broken down ship with a full set of oxygen?
- The beginning didn't make much sense either. The alien guy either killed himself to poison some planet or we were created from a buff albino who ate a bunch of black crap. Huh? Maybe a little bit of tying this in later in the movie or giving us some lifeline on what the point of that was.
- And what's with the girl just flying off after the original planet at the end? The alien tried to kill everyone on site - what's she going to do? Land there, say "take me to your leader" and then surprise everyone with Alien goo? It's like a kid who got beat up by the school bully deciding to go into a biker bar and pick fights with two Hell's Angels because he found a rusty pocket knife on the street. It doesn't make any sense.

Again, this felt like a movie where the first hour was spent on setting up all these characters to have a certain role. Then, in the last 45 minutes, most people acted out of character and the director rushed to get some kind of hurried ending to be under 2 hours and 10 min. It was just a sloppy movie that didn't flow well or even give us an interesting dilemma at the end to figure out. It was like a campy horror movie where everyone's actions where purposefully stupid to get a higher body count.

[ISiddiqui]

Andrew Sullivan had a very good (IMO) blog post on Prometheus, where I agree with a lot of what he has to say:

<i>Prometheus</i> And Faith - The Dish | By Andrew Sullivan - The Daily Beast (http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/06/prometheus-and-faith.html)


John O'Sullivan blurts out (http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/303117/iprometheusi-and-religion-john-osullivan#more) the obvious about Ridley Scott's new film:
What really caught my attention was its quietly insistent religious theme. This is never stated boldly. It would hardly be a major topic of conversation among a group on scientists on an inter-galactic mission towards the end of this century. And this is not a talkative Shaw play. But it emerges in key scenes in odd and unexplained ways, disappears behind the action again, and then recurs later, notably in the final scene.

One main character uses the phrase “In the year of Our Lord,” quite without irony, in a sentence that tantalizingly promises us a sequel. A Christian cross is taken from one character and then, at a moment of grave crisis, seized back. The apparently malicious actions of an android raise a question with ultimate implications: Is it a case of bad programming? Or does it/he possess a soul? If so, what is his relationship to the Fall? Maybe I am drawing implications too heavy for the script to bear; but I don’t think so.
Me neither. I was enthralled by the film's spectacle (and we went to a 2D screening), entertained by its action sequences and, unlike my companions, unfazed by several loose plot ends. This was an epic story, using myth and symbols to dramatize some truly great questions: the relationship between man and God, the amoralism of nature and the salvation that only comes from grace. It's also a grand re-telling of the Tower of Babel - the deep mythical truth that we and our knowledge can be our undoing, that the fruit in the Garden of Eden was most definitely from the Tree of Knowledge. It was like The Tree of Life (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478304/) combined with 2001: A Space Odyssey (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/). I quickly forgot the plot issues and marveled at its grand sweep.

The film admits of several interpretations. Mine - surprise! - sees it as a Christian film about the necessity for human humility in the face of creation, the easy temptation of evil that appears good, and the irrational faith in grace that springs paradoxically from our reason as well as revelation. It is about becoming Gods. And why that is, in fact, a nightmare.

More online discussion of this here (http://kylesmithonline.com/?p=9490), here (http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/dr-james-emery-white/the-prometheus-question.html) and here (http://www.prometheus-movie.com/community/forums/topic/8399). To see what has happened to the Christian imagination in America, read this review (http://www.movieguide.org/reviews/movie/prometheus.html). And weep.

[JediKooter]

I just saw this and think it's a pretty weak movie. There was no real drama or storyline. Everything seemed a little trumped up without any regard for consistency or logic. It was a bit like Armageddon meets a 70s sci fi movie.

The group was a set of rejects (on a trillion dollar mission). Nearly everyone does something completely out of what you think their character should be.

JK: If they are rejects, then they are acting completely in character, no?

- An outgoing biologist who wants to make friends with a skinhead?

JK: Didn't get the impression that Fifield was a skinhead. He had mohawk and told Milburn (the guy he got lost with) that he wasn't there to make friends, just money.

- A main scientists who decides (on a whim) to pull off his helmet in a strange atmosphere potentially feet from meeting a new race that he traveled years to reach?

JK: No one expected to find anything, let alone life. The dude was a bit euphoric in that scene and David said the air was perfectly clean to breath.

-The female lead who neglects to tell anyone about an alien coming out of her? And why did the "completely logical android" not go "Huh? I wonder what happened to that Alien growing inside her?" If he's indeed experimenting as in the next point, you'd think he'd want to check that out.

JK: By this time, Old Man Weyland was up. David's priority was Weyland, not Shaw or the soon to be giant face hugger. You did catch the line he threw at her..."I didn't know you had it in you. Oh, sorry, poor choice of words". So, it's not that he forgot or wasn't curious, his priorities had changed.

-David the droid acting like the old Guy Pearce told him to spike the guy's drink with Alien jizz. Not sure why Guy would do that. Did he think the black stuff could be some kind of "fountain of youth" and want David to use a guinea pig? Seems pretty far fetched.

JK: Weyland told David to 'try harder'. David more than likely didn't know what would happen, so yes, Holloway was a guinea pig.

-Two scientists who can repeatedly give exact coordinates to the captain at night but who got lost in the cavern despite a huge time lead over the 3-4 others who somehow made it from their same location to the ship in under 15 min. Did someone blind fold them and spin them before they left the room? :D

JK: This does seem a bit silly. The only thing I can think of is the captain said the storm is creating a lot of static. This may have affected their maps when they were trying to get out.

- The lead's oxygen had 30 seconds left when she goes in the temp ship. Then, after taking her mask off inside and battling an Alien for a couple mins, she leaves the broken down ship with a full set of oxygen?

JK: As soon as she got into the lifeboat, she started filling a bag up with oxygen canisters. It's possible that she changed her old one out as she was getting out of there.

- The beginning didn't make much sense either. The alien guy either killed himself to poison some planet or we were created from a buff albino who ate a bunch of black crap. Huh? Maybe a little bit of tying this in later in the movie or giving us some lifeline on what the point of that was.

JK: Some people thought this was too obvious and others don't get this scene. I think the scene sets up the tone of the movie nicely. In a nut shell, this is how they seed life. Later on in the movie, it is determined that the black stuff can also destroy life. Yes, in the Prometheus universe, we were created by the Engineers. Shaw even tells & shows this to Holloway before they have sex.

- And what's with the girl just flying off after the original planet at the end? The alien tried to kill everyone on site - what's she going to do? Land there, say "take me to your leader" and then surprise everyone with Alien goo? It's like a kid who got beat up by the school bully deciding to go into a biker bar and pick fights with two Hell's Angels because he found a rusty pocket knife on the street. It doesn't make any sense.

JK: She says exactly why she wants to go to their planet. She wants to ask them why they want to kill life on Earth. My question is, how the hell is she going to change their mind?

Again, this felt like a movie where the first hour was spent on setting up all these characters to have a certain role. Then, in the last 45 minutes, most people acted out of character and the director rushed to get some kind of hurried ending to be under 2 hours and 10 min. It was just a sloppy movie that didn't flow well or even give us an interesting dilemma at the end to figure out. It was like a campy horror movie where everyone's actions where purposefully stupid to get a higher body count.

JK: I think the movie could have been a lot better, no doubt about it, but, it was still a good movie overall. I think the few problems it had was because it suffered from the Lindelof touch in all honesty. There was about 20-30 minutes cut from the film. Who knows whether or not it expanded on anything though. There were a lot of things that if you didn't see or hear, things probably didn't make sense. There were things I didn't catch the first time around and there were things that I was glad I watched the viral videos that came out before the movie. I've seen some pretty bad movies and this isn't near any of those. Do some of the characters do silly/stupid things? Yes they do, but, it's a fictional movie set in a fictional future. I mean, if we want to hold the movie to real life standards and logic, then the Prometheus having faster than light engines is a huge plot hole. :)

Not trying to change your mind or anything like that and totally understand that if you don't like it, you don't like it, that's cool. :D





Some answers in your spoiler tag.

[Arles]

I think the people that like it enjoy the historical mythology tie ins and "above brow" references. I can appreciate that as I studied a ton of ancient civilizations in college. Still, it doesn't make up for the fact that it's a pretty weak movie.

This would be a nice "Classic Mythology" in-class movie, but it doesn't stand up as a pure movie in a vacuum. Clever references to older civilizations and a somewhat overplayed "rising from the abdomen" theme doesn't make up for weak characters, odd casting, a poorly setup plot and an overall splintered story without much buy-in or suspense.

[Arles]

Some answers in your spoiler tag.
I understand someone could rationalize a lot of the things that bothered me, but it still comes down to the fact that I never really felt invested in the characters or pulled into an intriguing story. The original Aliens did that and added some very compelling suspense scenes. Prometheus just felt a little lazy to me. The directors seem to be saying - we're going to give you 3-4 disjointed scenes and let you make up your own backstory and reasoning for our characters actions.

In this movie, I didn't really care if anyone made it out alive. The "engineers" were never given any kind of personality or intrigue. They were basically tall stiffs who hopped from planet to planet without any discernible motive. Sometimes they would kill, others they would build life. We are left to create a background for them that could easily be way off the mark. I just left the theater feeling that I witnessed a visually impressive movie that had no real story or compelling moment. Not exactly what I'm hoping for when I go to the movies. :)

[stevew]

Finally got a chance to go last night.
I'm honestly not even sure what to think. I felt like they zoned in on the structure so quickly. Really might have liked even a touch more exploration of the world. Maybe you do a pan of the planet as we get to know the characters?

-Would have loved to see Stringer Bell have more of a story
-tons of religious symbolism at work.
-the surgery chamber set piece was fucking brilliant

[PilotMan]

I understand someone could rationalize a lot of the things that bothered me, but it still comes down to the fact that I never really felt invested in the characters or pulled into an intriguing story. The original Aliens did that and added some very compelling suspense scenes. Prometheus just felt a little lazy to me. The directors seem to be saying - we're going to give you 3-4 disjointed scenes and let you make up your own backstory and reasoning for our characters actions.

In this movie, I didn't really care if anyone made it out alive. The "engineers" were never given any kind of personality or intrigue. They were basically tall stiffs who hopped from planet to planet without any discernible motive. Sometimes they would kill, others they would build life. We are left to create a background for them that could easily be way off the mark. I just left the theater feeling that I witnessed a visually impressive movie that had no real story or compelling moment. Not exactly what I'm hoping for when I go to the movies. :)

Wow this was so close to how I felt about it it's crazy. And it was more than that too.

Why use a flamethrower on a guy, when you could have just told him to take his helmet off?

Why run parallel to a falling ship? Ninety degrees change you got a better shot at least.

At one point near the end of the movie I was actually glad when the ending seemed more Shakespearean. I would have been satisfied with that.

You're right, it was a movie with the conception of a few scenes and a rough story, that's all. My English teacher would have marked it a D+ and sent it back for revisions.

Too many damn holes in the story.

[Julio Riddols]

Lindelof really needs to learn how to close holes or he will rapidly run out of chances to write. He does great coming up with disjointed concepts, but if he could figure out how to tie it all together he could be one of the better writers out there.

[Kodos]

I think the movie suffered a bit from Alien-related expectations.

[Pyser]

Lindelof really needs to learn how to close holes or he will rapidly run out of chances to write. He does great coming up with disjointed concepts, but if he could figure out how to tie it all together he could be one of the better writers out there.

considering he's adapting The Leftovers for hbo, plus who knows what else, i don't see him running out of jobs for a looong time.

his stuff is intriguing enough to keep seeing. i mean, look at how much discussion he generates, good endings or not.

maybe with a better ending his stuff would actually be less interesting?

[JediKooter]

I have a feeling if Lindelof doesn't change his ways soon, he'll be roommates with M Night Shamalamadingdong.