zackzack Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 (edited) The teaser released inDecember 2011 is a mini masterpiece of action, tension, and drama. The best since the INCEPTION teaser which coincidentally (?) shares a similar but now-overused Bwaaarrrm-Bwaaaarrm musical cue. Edited January 3, 2013 by zackzack 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 :oThe prologue, the art direction...Oh yeah the prologue. Where they sneak up on a CIA plane with a plane twice the size, jump down, shoot the fuck out the plane leaving hundreds of bullet holes in the interior and bodies, use demolition to blow the lid off the plane (which will clearly leave explosion marks), then put the doctors blood into some other guy that looks nothing like him and half his age followed by a guy saying half way through the movie that the plane went down accidentally I think that's the years 'dumbest movie moment' 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Oh wait, this is the Prometheus thread haha, whoops. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozymandias Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 (edited) I am a very big and a very biased fan of the movie. I love the franchise, and I love that Ridley Scott touch in the movie. No doubt the plot needs more than a little rewrite but the story is ambitious, too ambitious to be in a single movie. If you notice, there are 3 stories running in the movie, all have similar themes & ideas: Story #1: The main story which I feel is the strongest is a personal one. This is about innocence lost, personified by Shaw character. Believe in the benevolence of the "alien creators" but feel betrayed at the end. Story #2: David story which I feel is no less intriguing but seldom explored by fans of the movie. David, a replicant introduced as "not human, never grow old etc" is a strange concept for the general audience. Those who are not a big fan of BLADE RUNNER and ALIEN franchise (with all the malfunctioning androids/replicants) would scratch their heads: who/what is this guy? David wants to be free of Weyland's control, feels kinship to the Engineers somehow, fascinated and admire them, the way Shaw does, only less spiritually. There is no accident in a movie filled with religious symbolism (pyramid, LV223 Bible reference, Christmas, procreation, genetic inheritance, star map, ancient drawings), the character who is the inheritor of sacred knowledge of alien creators is named after the Biblical King David. It is David who first decipher the writings on the wall (nice pun), it is David who activates the Orrery, it is David who awakens the Engineer (though this is a wrong move, seemingly), it is David who operates the vessel to reach "Paradise." But in the end another "believer betrayed" story. Story#3: Weyland's quest for immortality. Feels like some cheap b-movie plot, and by far the weakest, come too late, and further muddy the whole narrative. The quiet scene with Vickers pleading for him not to seek the Engineer's blessing is dramatically loaded but it takes the movie into another territory (I bet this is Lindelof's LOST Daddy Issues plotting). It is better to show Weyland as arrogant egomaniac like he is in that TED talk clip (brilliantly acted by Guy Pearce) rather than a kindly grandfather so that the audience can get a "twist" at the end. Too much plotting. Not a believer, but his comeuppance feels strained. Even though he is monster who exploits his crew so that he can live on, we don't quite know who Weyland is as a character. [i feel that those PROMETHEUS Virals should be released in theater spread over 2 weeks before the film opens. That would create a cool anticipation (what is this movie??), something fresh and different from a regular quick cut, boom-blam type of soundtrack that have audience groaning in unison: another one of these? Those Fox virals are brilliant marketing and they serve as an exposition for the movie. Why waste them on YouTube ? Warner Bros has a chance with PACIFIC RIM which can use the same Fox marketing strategy.] Although all these narrative strands kinda tie into the whole Engineer/Xenomorph/Weyland Corporation mythology, some sharing similar theme about spirituality and stupidity & arrogance of Mankind, they are all better spread over into 3 movies instead of being crammed into what is supposed to be a minimalist space thriller ala the first ALIEN. I feel that there are lot of execs, producers, writers, and Ridley himself who tear each other apart for their own modern take on the legendary scfi movie. That's why the movie feels muddied and unsatisfying even though both the visuals and the ambitious concept (story) are just perfect for scfi fans like me. All 3 of those are thematically aligned and benefit eachother and the whole narrative/plot of the movie. They basically work like a commentary on eachother that make eachother more coherent. Even though he is monster who exploits his crew so that he can live on, we don't quite know who Weyland is as a character. Yeah we do. He is a supersticious old man with a God complex that see's himself as a God that is advancing mankind by terraforming other planets throughout the galaxy. But he sees David as his biggest achievement and creation because he is intellectually superior to humans in pretty much everyway way. Thats also why Vickers is jealous of David and doesn't like her father because she feels he is a delusional idiot that has disowned her for an Android. I can see why some people were completely baffled by this movie and had no clue what was going on in it or thought it was stupid pretentious bullshit and wanted something else enitrely, but I'm pushover for this kind of of stuff. If Prometheus 2 happens, I'll be there on day 1. It'll be fun to see how Shaw and David interact with eachother since they're polar opposites. Edited January 3, 2013 by Shpongle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Futurist Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 (edited) The horror, the horror ... Edited January 3, 2013 by The Futurist 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zackzack Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 (edited) All 3 of those are thematically aligned and benefit eachother and the whole narrative/plot of the movie. They basically work like a commentary on eachother that make eachother more coherent.Yeah we do. He is a supersticious old man with a God complex that see's himself as a God that is advancing mankind by terraforming other planets throughout the galaxy. But he sees David as his biggest achievement and creation because he is intellectually superior to humans in pretty much everyway way. Thats also why Vickers is jealous of David and doesn't like her father because she feels he is a delusional idiot that has disowned her for an Android.I agree that this is what the movie implies but I wish it is further fleshed out, defined. I know this is difficult: Including the young arrogant Weyland in that TED talk would flesh out his arc a bit but how do you do that? The lone Engineer prologue is fantastic I wouldn't change that one bit (however I would gradually reveal the Engineer's face rather than the way he is introduced to the audience with a close-up shock cut "Bam!", watch that scene again, it is edited down from a longer scene).Then the movie cuts to a present day archaelogical dig sequence which is a waste of time because this is already implied in the Star Map briefing later in the ship. I prefer the movie starts off like the first ALIEN did, in a single timeline spanning a couple hours or so. I dislike the insertion of the dig sequence. If they are going to insert a short sequence I rather they put the arrogant young Weyland clip, or incorporate it as a company mission statement during the briefing as a kind of time capsule. Vickers could arrogantly introduce this to the crew as their Mission to Search For Divinity & Immortality. IMHO, the introduction of Weyland as a kindly grandfather searching for general spirituality (don't we all ask this question on daily basis?) lacks specificity and it doesn't pay off nicely in the end when he is "punished" for his transgression. Edited January 4, 2013 by zackzack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 I was so amped when the Guy Pearce viral video released.Then his role in the film was basically shuffling around in iffy makeup for a few scenes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Futurist Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 (edited) Guy Pearce make up was pure genious.It was as bad as make-up in the 1920's when silicone didn't even exist.A great accomplishement from the make-up team who went retro all the way. Edited January 4, 2013 by The Futurist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Marston Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 the first movie was not as bad as people make it out to be IMO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatebox Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 I was never bored during Prometheus. I'd watch a sequel if Scott returned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neo Posted January 4, 2013 Author Share Posted January 4, 2013 (edited) Lindelof won't write it, so it will be on Ridley now. If P2 is Prometheus caliber than we know it was Scott, but if it great we will know its Lindelof's fault. Edited January 4, 2013 by Neo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vc2002 Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 Prometheus was such a mess for me, but I'd definitely love to see a sequel because there's just so much potential to go on from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sims Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 I've perhaps never been more perplexed at the scorn a movie has received than I was with Prometheus. That video at the top of this page seems extremely nitpicky and bitchy; there are maybe three legitimate points made in the entire video.The film is sometimes too ambitious for its own good, and there are certainly narrative inconsistencies, but the product is just too massive in its scope and precise in its execution not to admire at the very least. It's not Alien, but it was never going to be. I have no idea what people expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dashrendar44 Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 The movie was such a letdown, it seems Scott and Lindelof were as high as Fifield and Milburn when they slaughtered Spaihts' Alien prequel to deliver that mess of a script. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozymandias Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 (edited) The movie was such a letdown, it seems Scott and Lindelof were as high as Fifield and Milburn when they slaughtered Spaihts' Alien prequel to deliver that mess of a script.Spaihts script was awful. That thing would've ended up in the 30s on RT. Prometheus has enough in it for 2 more movies easily. Edited January 4, 2013 by Shpongle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dashrendar44 Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 An Alien prequel in itself is a pretty awful idea to begin with... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozymandias Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 An Alien prequel in itself is a pretty awful idea to begin with...Thank god they realized that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dashrendar44 Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 (edited) Prometheus is an Alien prequel no matter what they said... Edited January 4, 2013 by dashrendar44 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Gary Scott Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 Lindelof can write good stuff just look at lost. He gets undeserved hate in my opinion. He was following ridley orders. So you people that hate on the movie should blame him not lindelof. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neo Posted January 4, 2013 Author Share Posted January 4, 2013 Lindelof can write good stuff just look at lost. He gets undeserved hate in my opinion. He was following ridley orders. So you people that hate on the movie should blame him not lindelof.It was a combination, but Scott is better than that, look at Alien, American Gangster and Black Hawk Down. With a good writer his movies can be excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...