Prometheus Review Thread (Spoilers)

[Jack Burton]

Originally Posted by jwerk

That's exactly it. Plus, I fixed your spoiler tag

Cheers, fixed it now.

[beadelf]

well you can wait for a sequel or make up anything that suits you!


fantastic scripting, lets all go pet some aliens!

[SirMontyPython]

Originally Posted by beadelf

well you can wait for a sequel or make up anything that suits you!


fantastic scripting, lets all go pet some aliens!

...with my 12 gauge, for just such an emergency!

[jwerk]

I try to see everything that Idris Elba is in (I've been dragging my feet on Ghost Rider, but I guess I'll have to see it one of these days). As good as he is, I thought his accent was horrible. What was it, American hillbilly? I think his American accent is usually really, really good (In fact, most people I talk to think his British accent is fake), but not this time.

[InCali]

Originally Posted by Barbossa

What a silly remark.

Here's a good, analytical review:

http://www.rifters.com/crawl/?p=3211

Usually when people say "good", they mean they agree with it. Some people seem to forget this is a movie. I'm sure you could take just about any sci-fi movie and find problems with it (may the force be with you in your efforts to do so....). Also, when someone is obviously joking, remarks are usually "meant" to be a little bit silly.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by InCali

Usually when people say "good", they mean they agree with it. Some people seem to forget this is a movie. I'm sure you could take just about any sci-fi movie and find problems with it (may the force be with you in your efforts to do so....). Also, when someone is obviously joking, remarks are usually "meant" to be a little bit silly.

Don't worry Barbossa was a bit dissapointed with the film, he was actually telling off people who said they didn't like it "Well that's like...your opinion, man" when it came out over here a week before it did over there. Now he's done a 180 telling people they're not supposed to like it He's rather lucky the site had a database issue because I would of brought this up sooner

[Pondosinatra]

Originally Posted by BouCoupDinkyDau

Not enough explosions or hyper-fast edits?

Hmmm let's see....

Alien, Blade Runner vs. Armageddon, Pearl Harbour

Enough said.

[R1V3R5]

Originally Posted by jwerk

That's exactly it. Plus, I fixed your spoiler tag

Well..

[Show spoiler] Ridley said that may or may NOT be earth. Leaving me to believe the engineers may have created humans on another planet as well.

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

Hmmm let's see....

Alien, Blade Runner vs. Armageddon, Pearl Harbour

Enough said.

That was the point of my fun little jab at MBF, but Barbossa didn't get it.

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by Barbossa

Here's a good, analytical review:

http://www.rifters.com/crawl/?p=3211

Another moviegoer that wants to be spoon fed. It's not a prebiotic earth, it's ANY planet at any stage where MAJOR species haven't risen yet. I don't recall a single sign post anywhere that said:

Welcome to EARTH
population (currently) zero
Thank you for leaving your seed
Come back and visit us sometime

Nor did the little demonstration of the DNA breakdown and reconstitution indicate that only a single genome was being formed. Without using hardly any imagination at all, I pretty much surmised right away that the black goo broke down the entire body of the engineer and used his entire mass to create life.

Did the idiot that wrote that review ever try to engage himself in anything other than pessimistic thought? I find a lot of critics telling the fans we are ridiculous for having to use our imaginations to fill "plot holes," but the same people that say such things are using their own imaginations for the opposite effect.

Prometheus asks questions. Wether you feel it is on purpose that they are not answered or by creative incompetence is up to you.

What I pose to everyone is this: Has there ever been a movie about creation that gave its answers and satisfied the audience? I'm pretty sure there hasn't, because once you reveal who god is, everyone groans because the limited medium of film will never live up to what we all see god as.

So if Prometheus had spoon fed those that demanded it, they would have been just as let down as if it hadn't.

When it comes to god movies you're damned if you do and damned if you don't—they are always a higly risky endevor. No matter how any of us feel about it though, I applaud Ridley for trying something daring and new, rather than giving us another monster chase in a haunted house.

[Aragorn the Elfstone]

I have not been able to get this movie out of my head. After getting back from viewing #4, I think I'm finally getting a handle on my feelings concerning it. I'm gonna take some time tonight to compose a formal review/evaluation of the film as I see it. I will say, though, that I was very sad to see on this occassion that I was the only person in the theater (the silver lining being, of course, that I did not have to deal with any annoying talkers ).

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by R1V3R5

Well..

[Show spoiler] Ridley said that may or may NOT be earth. Leaving me to believe the engineers may have created humans on another planet as well.

Again, this is another one of the so-called "plot holes" that my mind was able to work out all on its own. You don't

[Show spoiler]build a bomber base with enough black goo to wipe out half a galaxy unless you need to destroy A LOT of races that didn't 'take.'

Now having star maps that lead to a bomber base was pretty damn stupid writing, I'll give the critics that. You could argue that maybe it wasn't a bomber base at first (Yeah! That's the ticket—it was the Five Dome Complex of Utter Happyness and Galatic Understanding!) but you'd really be reaching at that point IMHO.

[raygendreau]

Originally Posted by greg_achen

I fully agree that David's capability as described on the Weyland Corp website is canon. I fully agree that is how they designed David and I fully agree that they believed he wasn't capable of expressing "true" emotion. However, there is ample evidence in the film, as others have pointed out, that indicates that David wasn't quite as robotic as he appears and led people to believe. In fact, the whole opening sequence where he watches people dream, plays a game shooting basketball hoops, and watches movies demonstrates a sentient being entertaining himself. Surely he wasn't programmed to idolize Peter O' Toole and if he was, surely he wasn't programmed to dye his hair blonde in an effort to mimic O' Toole's character. If David is capable of idolizing someone, surely he is capable of other "unintended" emotions like jealousy and anger. As others have stated, on more than one occasion characters insult David or refer to him in a derogative manner and his facial expressions and subsequent responses indicate a being who is at some level offended or even a bit resentful. When David expresses that all children possess a desire to see their parents die, was that solely an observation about humans, or did he reveal a desire deep within himself? If it was a desire within himself, surely he wasn't programmed to have any independent desires outside of why he was built. Scott and Lindelof also explicitly draw a parallel between the Engineers creating humans and humans creating robots. Some unknown species created the Engineers, the Engineers in turn created humans, and the humans in turn created robots. I agree with you in that I don't believe Weyland Corp intended to create a robot who could feel genuine emotions and have personal desires, nor do I believe that David was malfunctioning if he does have those abilities. In fact, I believe the opposite. I think Weyland Corp might have built David too well and before they even knew what they had they "patented it, they packaged it, and they slapped it on a plastic lunchbox, and now they're selling it." Dr. Frankenstein didn't intend to create a monster but that's what he ended up with nor did the Titans intend to create gods that would ultimately bring about their destruction.

O.K. Your take is that David is Pinocchio turning into a real boy. I prefer to take David's statement that "I understand human emotions, but I do not feel them." as the truth. I don't see it as a devious statement. And, Fassbender's comment in an interview saying he "played encounters with humans as simulations" as an accurate representation of what he did. Just an excellent job of acting.

I believe that maintaining the outward appearance of emotion, yet internally analyzing and approaching everything with cold logic as counterpoint to Shaw's faith based character will be much more enjoyable to watch in a sequel, should it happen. I would prefer not seeing David acquire a 'soul' or the spark of life. It would demean the purity of the character.

It is true that, in a discussion with Ridley, Fassbender was asked to play the part enigmatically to give the appearance of emotion, but nowhere have I seen either Fassbender or Scott say that David could feel human emotion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=DOOJl5lWNfM

What Weyland Corp achieved by creating the illusion of emotion in David 8 was to make the android more acceptable to humans. More able to 'fit in'. It is called Anthropomorphism or personification. It apparently has worked with the audience, as well.

[raygendreau]

Originally Posted by BouCoupDinkyDau

Again, this is another one of the so-called "plot holes" that my mind was able to work out all on its own. You don't

[Show spoiler]build a bomber base with enough black goo to wipe out half a galaxy unless you need to destroy A LOT of races that didn't 'take.'

Now having star maps that lead to a bomber base was pretty damn stupid writing, I'll give the critics that. You could argue that maybe it wasn't a bomber base at first (Yeah! That's the ticket—it was the Five Dome Complex of Utter Happyness and Galatic Understanding!) but you'd really be reaching at that point IMHO.

The maps showed a star cluster. They were not pointing to LV-223, per se. The Prometheus selected LV-223 because it was one of perhaps many planets potentially capable of sustaining life in Zeta 2 Reticuli. (Yes, that's where Scott said LV-223 was.) Keep in mind, the emissaries were dealing with ancient civilizations. The emissaries probably did nothing more than scratch the star pattern in the earth with a stick, in answer to the question, "Where do you come from?" There was no way to see the star pattern from Earth. The technology didn't exist in ancient times.

It is a stretch to think they gave them coordinates to the domes on LV-223.

This is just another rediculous nit pick.

[raygendreau]

Originally Posted by Aragorn84

I have not been able to get this movie out of my head. After getting back from viewing #4, I think I'm finally getting a handle on my feelings concerning it. I'm gonna take some time tonight to compose a formal review/evaluation of the film as I see it. I will say, though, that I was very sad to see on this occassion that I was the only person in the theater (the silver lining being, of course, that I did not have to deal with any annoying talkers ).

I'm thinking that, single handedly, your attendance will guarantee a sequel.

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by raygendreau

The maps showed a star cluster. They were not pointing to LV-223, per se. The Prometheus selected LV-223 because it was one of perhaps many planets potentially capable of sustaining life in Zeta 2 Reticuli. (Yes, that's where Scott said LV-223 was.) Keep in mind, the emissaries were dealing with ancient civilizations. The emissaries probably did nothing more than scratch the star pattern in the earth with a stick, in answer to the question, "Where do you come from?" There was no way to see the star pattern from Earth. The technology didn't exist in ancient times.

It is a stretch to think they gave them coordinates to the domes on LV-223.

This is just another rediculous nit pick.

I can see that angle, but it isn't articulated at all. There are a lot of aspects of this movie that were easy to figure out during my first viewing just because I have a brain that works and I don't need my hand held, but that one is a legitimate nitpick of the haters that I agree with. It was dumb.

Again though, nothing was ever so bad that it ruined the film for me, and it was only the illogical behavior of the biologist that ever actaully pulled me out of the experience. They're just flaws that aren't damaging enough for me to care about.

Now last night I finally tried to watch the 2011 Thing prequel, and found I couldn't even get half way through it. While the Star Wars prequels were a disaster for me, at least you could still see Lucas's enthusiasm in the work. Thing '11 was about as passionless and inept as any Hollywood paint-by-the-numbers retread can be.

[opterasis]

Maybe it's because I saw it after a 12 hour work shift, or maybe I'm just stupid, but I didn't understand how

[Show spoiler]the black goo was supposed to wipe human life out? Then why did it mutate the worms in the ground into crazy cobras, or and mutate the humans basically into zombie runners? Was it just another experiment gone wrong?

[InCali]

Originally Posted by raygendreau

This is just another rediculous nit pick.

Well, if someone really wants to nitpick, I went to see "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter" and, if you go see it, you will have ample opportunity for nitpicking. Now I realize there were completely different expectations regarding this movie, but I suggest saving your incredulity until after you see this particular movie (if you dare). An interesting take on how the North won the civil war and Lincoln's role in it. If you're concerned about the intersection of science and movies, I suggest never liking any vampire movie, anything with werewolves, ET, comic book heroes, Star Wars, LOTR, etc.

This movie (ALVH) was soooooooo.....bad that I liked it, but will never, ever see it again unless I'm really, REALLY drunk.

[raygendreau]

Originally Posted by InCali

Well, if someone really wants to nitpick, I went to see "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter" and, if you go see it, you will have ample opportunity for nitpicking. Now I realize there were completely different expectations regarding this movie, but I suggest saving your incredulity until after you see this particular movie (if you dare). An interesting take on how the North won the civil war and Lincoln's role in it. If you're concerned about the intersection of science and movies, I suggest never liking any vampire movie, anything with werewolves, ET, comic book heroes, Star Wars, LOTR, etc.

This movie (ALVH) was soooooooo.....bad that I liked it, but will never, ever see it again unless I'm really, REALLY drunk.

There is a thread. Hurry. You could be the first one to vote in the poll.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=94734&page=9

[raygendreau]

Originally Posted by BouCoupDinkyDau

I can see that angle, but it isn't articulated at all.

Perhaps, not in the film, but it has by Lindelof: Interviewer: "What were some of the things you added to the draft when you came on?"

Lindelof: "I think that what I really wanted to do was rebalance the movie so it wasn’t really relying as much on the Alien tropes we know. The face-hugging and chest-bursting, Xenomorphs and acid blood – all that stuff is great. But I wanted to take it in the direction of, “what if we went to meet our makers? Who are they? What are they up to? What happened to them? Did they invite us here?” If we’re perceiving something as an invitation that’s not an invitation at all – that’s who we are. We’re very egoistic creatures. If we see something in a cave of someone pointing to something, they might just be saying, “that’s where we come from.” We look at it and go, “you want us to come there!” So what happens when you show up at a party that you weren’t invited to? This movie becomes kind of that cautionary tale. I felt like I wanted to take the original idea in Jon’s draft about going to meet our makers and make the movie about that as opposed to making it about running into more aliens."