Prometheus

[cheesypoofs]

Still a silly film. The lack of logic in this from some of the script to the decisions that people make keep this at a 6/10.

This is pretty much how I feel except that you were much kinder on the grade than I. I'd give it a 4/10 and easily the most disappointing film I've watched in 2012.

[Gopher]

So why would she go out of her way to hire a top of the line crew? Details are your friends.

It's not just that though. If they were always stupid than great. But the collective IQs for the crew started plummeting the moment they met an alien life. They present Shaw and Holloway as genuinely smarter people at the beginning of the movie.

[Ozymandias]

It's not just that though. If they were always stupid than great. But the collective IQs for the crew started plummeting the moment they met an alien life. They present Shaw and Holloway as genuinely smarter people at the beginning of the movie.

Shaw and Holloway are presented as average joe archeologists on earth that want to go out into space(each have their own personal reasons). All we know is that they got lucky when Vickers was hiring the crew. None of the people on the mission were really professionals because Vickers was reckless(for reasons explained in my last post that you edited). This was all right in the film slapping the audience across the face and I'm kinda surprised at how many people missed it. There was absolutely nothing in the film that suggested that these people were supposed to be the top of line smartest of anything. This isn't Aliens. Edited October 10, 2012 by Shpongle

[DAR]

Just finished watching and this is best analogy I can find so bear with me. You know how in baseball you see a player in the minors and he moves up the ranks and you think when he gets to the majors he's going to hit .350 with 45 hrs and 150 rbi? And he gets to the majors and shows some flashes of brilliance when he first gets there but then halfway through the season you realize this guy is only going to hit .250 with 10 hrs and 35 rbi. That's kind of how I felt about the movie. It had potential to be something great, but everytime it took a step forward(just about anytime Fassbender was on screen, it looked great) it took two steps back. (The logic of most of the characters).And the squid alien at the end, that was completely laughable, it was just so poorly done. Right now I can't give it anything higher than a C-

[IndustriousAngel]

I'm with you there DAR - the sad thing about Prometheus is that it showed so much potential but always took the trodden path. I love serious SF so I hope the sequel shows some more daring. Visually there was nothing wrong with Prometheus (it's a Ridley Scott film after all).

[BK007]

Good to see there's actually sense prevailing on the interwebs. Too many sites are still dripping in their own uncontrollable appendage accidents in regards to this hackjob of a movie. It's a PG-13 slasher horror movie with a $120m budget, is what it is. I don't know how Ridley, after all he's done, can be proud of what he turned out here. The scriptwriter should never get another job again for making such a pretentious piece of shit that is as deep and intelligent as a high school slut on her knees.

[YoursTruly]

Good to see there's actually sense prevailing on the interwebs. Too many sites are still dripping in their own uncontrollable appendage accidents in regards to this hackjob of a movie.It's a PG-13 slasher horror movie with a $120m budget, is what it is. I don't know how Ridley, after all he's done, can be proud of what he turned out here. The scriptwriter should never get another job again for making such a pretentious piece of shit that is as deep and intelligent as a high school slut on her knees.

I bet you're fun at a party.

[rahvinn87]

Ok so I just watched this on blu-ray and here are my thoughts:

Firstly I have to say I was a bit concerned that Prometheus might suffer in the translation from big to small screen. I was also worried that it might not hold up on a second viewing (for those of you who don't know I loved this when it came out).

Suffice it to say that those concerns were completely dissipated. It looks just as stunning on our TV as I remember it looking in the theaters, and I actually found that since I already knew what was going on plot wise I could pay more attention to the 'scenery', acting, and all the little things.

I spent a lot of time debating this film over in the box office thread after I first saw it. There was so much vitriol for it that I started second guessing my own opinion and logic (for instance; that I didn't have anywhere near the issues some people had with the script or 'plot holes') and wondering whether I had dreamt up a good film in some sort of post-cinema haze. Thankfully this viewing reinforced rather than reversed my original reaction. The film looked and felt amazing, I found the story and action to be fluid and engrossing, and the acting terrific.

So I'm sticking with my original rating of: 8.5/10

Edited October 13, 2012 by rahvinn87

[ecstasy]

Okay. I finally watched this movie over the weekend. I'm glad I didn't watch it in theaters when first released or I would have been severely disappointed. The good thing is I knew it was a mixed bag going in and so my expectations were lowered.The good:1. This film looked magnificent. Breathtaking actually. I can watch it over and over again just for the visuals.2. The premise. The exploration of human origins. Where did it all begin? Excellent question. It was great. They looked as if they were close to the answer. But then everything went south.3. David the Android- Fassbender was excellent in his role.4. Noomi Rapace- I thought she was great. Her character was interesting and I thought she brought a vulnerability to the role.The bad:The plot- Good Lord. What a wasted opportunity. Who wrote this shit? Where was the logic in this story? The excellent premise was shot to hell as the story (or lack thereof) unfolded. Everything was fine up to the point when they returned to the ship after they find the head when the storm comes. Once back on the ship and they realize dumb and dumber are still out there the plot just gets more and more ridiculous. David drops some of that goo he picked up on the expedition in Holloway's drink and he goes in and has sex with Shaw then overnight she becomes pregnant with an alien and then hops into the C-Section machine to give herself a C-Section to get the alien baby which is developing at a rapid pace. And that's not the worst of it. I don't know how this thing spirals out of control like this. What happened to the great premise of the origin of mankind? Well it just so happened that this mission, funded by old man Weyland (who's supposed to be dead by the way) is actually a ruse to find the fountain of youth for old man Weyland who just happens to be hiding in the back room. This fragile mofo comes out and makes the journey to the place where the lifeform is chilling just to be struck down in an instant never to be heard from again. Not to mention the only one who escapes unscathed is Shaw. Yes the Shaw that just had a c-section and was doubling over and pain found the strength to gtfo. Oh and yeah, the alien life form thingy is not done yet. He's got a big ole ship that's going to destroy the earth. He gets up and gets in it. The only thing that can save earth is to stop alien from reaching earth. How do you do that? You crash your ship into alien ship. Oh yeah and Vickers says ah hell to the naw. Let me off this bitch. She jumps in her pod and gets ghost. I can nitpick this thing all day. At least they saved earth from destruction while doing that cool football thing at the end. Shaw survives by jumping over craters like an olympian even though she had been doubled over in pain minutes ago, lol. Then she finds a vehicle and rides out like Sarah Connor into the sunset. The End.Grade: C This really did have some stunning visuals. One scene that stands out is when David is alone where he finds the alien alive in his sleep chamber and there is a shot of all of the planets and the universe revolving around David. It's hard to explain but it starts gradually and planet by planet is added as it goes around. Very beautiful.cheers

Edited October 22, 2012 by ECSTASY

[Gazz]

Let me start by saying that Prometheus is a bit mess of themes and plot points not helped by some poor editing choices, but it's an admirable mess that attempts to open the Alien series up to a much bigger sci-fi canvas. Since Alien Resurrection "graced" our cinema screens in '97 the series has been stuck on repeat in attempting to ape the action, pacing and formula of James Cameron's Aliens with little of the same intellect, and any potential expansion of the universe has been merely hinted at rather than properly explored.

When making Alien, Ridley Scott and writer Dan O' Bannon originally intended for the universe to be far wider in cinematic scope. Unfortunately a constrictive budget held them back from exploration beyond the bare essential. This forced Scott and crew to cut back, even bringing the then unfinished fossilised Space Jockey set in to question with worried studio heads (a battle Scott fortunatly won). Paul WS Anderson's later Alien vs Predator may have shamelessly ripped off a few of these lost story elements (resulting in a begrudging story credit for Dan O'Bannon) but they were wasted on poor direction and a narrative more interested in WWF style alien on alien wrestling. With Prometheus Scott has finally managed to take the series back to the places he originally intended to explore, resulting in a film that, much like 2001, tackles the relationship between men and their makers amongst many other things (like who the Space Jockey was, why was he transporting those eggs and what they were originally intended for). And now the door has been left swinging in the wind, wide open for any kind of imaginative or ghastly sci-fi tale or landscape.

Where Prometheus fails is in the single mindedness of it's main characters (not to mention the stupidity that some display in serving the plot). The narrative is also somewhat bogged down with attempts to provide moments between the obvious cannon fodder background characters when it should be affording its leads with depth. Despite this Prometheus succeeds in providing the series with its most interesting character since Ripley bowed out in Alien 3. Micheal Fassbender's David is a revelation. One part Bishop, two parts Ash and a mystery throughout. Both an enigma and a pleasure to watch. Unfortunately like many characters in the film, the editing betrays him and we're left with a couple of half developed but nonetheless interesting sub-plots (like the love triangle between himself, Shaw and Holloway). The film reeks of the feeling that much like Kingdom of Heaven, there's a great film bubbling under the surface of a merely good one.

Because of these half developed sub-plots, Prometheus feels as if half a film. Not only does it ask more questions than it answers (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) it ends as if part one of an ongoing tale rather than as a self contained narrative. All setup, primed and ready to pay off in later instalments to the franchise. The parting shot also translates as a poorly judged fan service, squandering potential for a significant beastie in the execution. The primary problem being that Scott and the writing staff had built the creature up to be the film's big bad, hinting at the kind of devastation it rained down on the race of Engineers 2000 years before. Unfortunately they only provide the creature with a scant few seconds to shine. It's another halfway developed sub-plot waiting to be expanded in an inevitable sequel. And yet despite these misgivings Prometheus manages to entertain and engage throughout.

Refreshingly the film doesn't pander to audiences by over explaining each and every plot point. And though the film does provide a few answers to key questions fans have about the Space Jockey characters and their race it does well not to destroy the mysticism surrounding them and their culture. Not to mention that the production design is top notch, rivalling the aesthetic excitement and intrigue of sci-fi films twice Prometheus' budget. Scott is truly a wizard of aesthetic pleasure. The entire look, feel and atmosphere is exactly what you would want from an Alien film. Prometheus is flawed but pure sci-fi and demands a second viewing. It harkens to a time when sci-fi films explored big themes and dared to delve beyond popcorn visuals. Overall, Prometheus is a solid sci-fi tale that offers further promising and exciting places to explore in the Alien universe. Now, I can't remember the last time I felt that about a film related to the Alien series.

 

3.5/5

[Squaremaster316]

Terrible film all around.  With the exception of Fassbender's David, every single character in the film is terribly written, coming off as unlikeable and ludicrously stupid in their decision making and general behavior, combined with insane leaps of logic to make any of the film possible.  It's also extremely fundamentally flawed due to the entire expedition being one of "Faith", which no government, anywhere, would fund.  Visually appealing but extremely flawed in execution.

 

*1/2 out of *****

[Gazz]

But the expedition is not funded by a Government. It's funded by Peter Weyland, who is an old and desperate dying man.

Edited March 29, 2013 by Gazz

[Lordmandeep]

Great visual..

 

Dumbest story in a while.

 

The question was not the realism of the story but really what was the point of some of the plot points.

[BoxOfficeZ]

Finally saw the film.

 

First off, pros. Visuals were fantastic. Music was decent. Performances by Fassbender and Rapace are great. 

 

Cons: The story itself is utterly horrible. The last half hour in the film I can point in particular. Like many have said, Shaw (Rapace's character) has some insane major surgery on her, that she somehow managed to stay conscious though, then does stunts within the next few minutes.

 

Weyland is introduced then next minute is totally irrelevant. 

 

The alien structure after it gets rammed by the ship comes down on Shaw and Vickers, and their logic is to run not to the side, but at a perfect angle where the ship can easily crush them. Shaw dodges it hilariously quickly and Vickers is like "I'll just keep running instead of running to the left or right" and gets crushed of course. 

 

 

How the hell did that alien in the escape pod grow to be larger then a human in a matter of hours? Really wanted to laugh at the last scene.

 

Doesn't David need his body to be online like the droid in Alien? Not sure about that part.

 

Pointless questions introduced to be obviously answered in a sequel. 

 

Man the characters are just so dumb.

 

 

D-

 

Man, Ridley Scott must be getting old. Or his writers are just useless. 

Edited March 31, 2013 by BoxOfficeZ

[4815162342]

So I rewatched this on HBO and generally the re-watch confirmed my earlier feelings.

 

Aside from the various idiot balls handed out to various cast members at varying points of the film that made the plot and character behavior very lazy and mind-numbing, the thing that stood out to me the most was that the film tried to tackle too much. It wanted to be a thriller in the mold of Alien, a meditative philosophical film about human origins in the vein of 2001 (the opening shot states this clearly), a faith vs. science film, and a movie about whether androids have souls/emotions/wants/etc. Too much shit going on and the result is a thematic mess that tugs the plot and characters of the film here and there and results in general unsatisfying answers or created questions.

[Goffe]

Like many have said, Shaw (Rapace's character) has some insane major surgery on her, that she somehow managed to stay conscious though, then does stunts within the next few minutes.

I think you missed the part when she sedate herself multiple times after the surgery, and for god's sake, wouldn't you run like she did (even after a surgery) to save your life?

Edited June 24, 2013 by Goffe

[Goffe]

Huge disappointment. Many questions raised that end unanswered. The first scene is good, but I have no idea why it happened.

it's very clear in the movie that the engineer sacrificed himself to create life on the planet

[ssjrem]

Good special effects, really strong performance from Michael Fassbender...and everything else was absolutely horrible. The movie made no sense, explained nothing (I understand that leaving some things intentionally ambiguous can be good, but it just didn't work here) and the characters are inexplicably and painfully stupid. I give it a D.

[vc2002]

Don't know if this was posted before. Tarantino apperantly thought Prometheus got quite a lot of dumb stuff.

 

[Jessie]

I liked the scope of this movie, after all it tried explaining how we were created which is a pretty big task. Unfortunately, for every good scene this film had, it had at least 3 bad ones with it.