Prometheus (2012)

[ObiWanShinobi]

Originally Posted by Reubania

Transformers is eye-candy fodder. You don't watch it for the plot or any storyline. You watch it for the fantastic action, special effects and weak characters. But it's fun and entertaining.

Sucker Punch on the other hand was the most depressing movie ever. What it could be a fantastic surrealistic movie with incredible action sequence was too bogged down with the character's torment, depression, angst and psychosis. It was too "full on" for me and didn't translate well in the cinema. I felt like I was watching a video game trailer.

I agree. I own all three of them for the spectacle they are. The characters, ALL of the humans and some of the robots, are annoying as hell but I can appreciate all the hard work that went into the CGI and action scenes.

I bought them because they look and sound fantastic. There are only a handful of Blus I own for that particular reason and those three fit the bill. However, Revenge of the Fallen is damn near unwatchable when anything human opens its mouth

[Hypnosifl]

Originally Posted by Early Memphis

Theron was "rootable for" (and, yes, especially

[Show spoiler]when she burned Charlie

) - why am I using spoilers? - but she wasn't on much and when she was, she was cold as ice (

[Show spoiler]and then, in the end, she ran like a coward

.

Wait, are you criticizing her for running from a ship that was on a suicide mission that she couldn't contribute any help to anyway? Or for running from a giant ship that was about to crush her instead of bravely standing her ground? I don't think you can really criticize her for either of these...it's true she was a very cold character and not all that sympathetic for that reason, though. But I would compare the tone of Prometheus somewhat to 2001: A Space Odyssey (not really comparing them in quality, though I liked Prometheus quite a bit), where the "heroes" were utterly cold and ultra-professional, and the only really interesting character was the homicidal machine.

[Early Memphis]

Originally Posted by Hypnosifl

Wait, are you criticizing her for running from a ship that was on a suicide mission that she couldn't contribute any help to anyway? Or for running from a giant ship that was about to crush her instead of bravely standing her ground? I don't think you can really criticize her for either of these...it's true she was a very cold character and not all that sympathetic for that reason, though. But I would compare the tone of Prometheus somewhat to 2001: A Space Odyssey (not really comparing them in quality, though I liked Prometheus quite a bit), where the "heroes" were utterly cold and ultra-professional, and the only really interesting character was the homicidal machine.

I guess you just want to ignore that she secretly worked for her father, Weyland, and was responsible for lying to everyone as to the true purpose of the trip - and even that her father was aboard! I didn't have time to go into a complete critique and I won't now. Suffice to say, she wasn't a hero, she wasn't even an anti-hero, she was one of the manipulating bad guys.

And, as the highest-ranking Weyland Industries officer extant, her place was to stay and die if need be dealing with the horrid situation she and her company helped create - you do recall that the Earth was going to be destroyed, right?. And if The Earth was to be destroyed, where was she going to go - to another planet where company wealth was stored and maybe sit on a beach crying a tear or two for the billions of humans who died horrific deaths? Is that what a hero does, or even a person with conscience? I'll take the Captain and his two crewmates any day.

Also - this has nothing in common with 2001. Those folks didn't have blood on their hands, they weren't looking to make a deal with the devil to live forever, they weren't mega-wealthy manipulators. They were scientists and explorers - like some of the people Ms. Weyland lied to and, in effect, murdered.

[Hypnosifl]

Originally Posted by Early Memphis

I guess you just want to ignore that she secretly worked for her father, Weyland, and was responsible for lying to everyone as to the true purpose of the trip - and even that her father was aboard! I didn't have time to go into a complete critique and I won't now. Suffice to say, she wasn't a hero, she wasn't even an anti-hero, she was one of the manipulating bad guys.

No, I don't want to ignore that, in fact I said nothing about her being a hero, I was just responding to your specific criticism that she "ran like a coward", which seemed to me like a weird basis for criticizing her.

Originally Posted by Early Memphis

And, as the highest-ranking Weyland Industries officer extant, her place was to stay and die if need be dealing with the horrid situation she and her company helped create - you do recall that the Earth was going to be destroyed, right?

If by staying and dying she could actually help ensure that the Earth would be saved, sure, in that case it would be her responsibility to stick around. But the movie didn't give us any reason to think she had piloting skills, or any other skills relevant to helping the suicide mission that I can think of. Can you think of any way that staying would have actually helped, on the basis of what we knew about her character from the movie? Do you think she should have stayed even if she would be totally useless and her death wouldn't help a bit?

Originally Posted by Early Memphis

Also - this has nothing in common with 2001. Those folks didn't have blood on their hands, they weren't looking to make a deal with the devil to live forever, they weren't mega-wealthy manipulators. They were scientists and explorers - like some of the people Ms. Weyland lied to and, in effect, murdered.

I wasn't saying anything about whether the characters were good or bad, just comparing it to 2001 in terms of the fact that the characters weren't very interesting or relatable and the most interesting character was a homocidal machine (and like 2001, what made the movie interesting was not really the characters but rather the visuals and the world it created as well as the mood, the creepy sense of human insignificance in the face of strange non-human forces). I agree that the human characters in 2001 weren't morally "bad" like a lot of the main human characters in Prometheus (though there were some basically "good" characters in Prometheus as well, they just happened to be boring/incompetent, whereas the human characters in 2001 were competent but still utterly boring as people). But so what? I don't think it's really important for a movie to have admirable "heroic" characters, there are plenty of movies I enjoy where all the main characters are all basically terrible people...Goodfellas, for example, or (to pick another one by Kubrick) A Clockwork Orange.

[Early Memphis]

Well, hey ... you know, to each his own, brother. I didn't find either Bowman or Poole "boring/incompetent" in 2001 (incompetent?). As far as Theron's character, I think you ignored my main point : "And if The Earth was to be destroyed, where was she going to go - to another planet where company wealth was stored and maybe sit on a beach crying a tear or two for the billions of humans who died horrific deaths?" Her responsibility, "as the highest-ranking Weyland Industries officer extant ... was to stay, and die if need be, dealing with the horrid situation she and her company helped create". But she ran, to save herself. Pity she didn't get eaten by that creature she was running to, the creature her company created and protected. I just think you're reaching here, pardner. But, like I said, to each his own.

[Hypnosifl]

Originally Posted by Early Memphis

Well, hey ... you know, to each his own, brother. I didn't find either Bowman or Poole "boring/incompetent" in 2001 (incompetent?).

I think you misread what I wrote:
"though there were some basically "good" characters in Prometheus as well, they just happened to be boring/incompetent, whereas the human characters in 2001 were competent but still utterly boring as people"

Originally Posted by Early Memphis

As far as Theron's character, I think you ignored my main point : "And if The Earth was to be destroyed, where was she going to go - to another planet where company wealth was stored and maybe sit on a beach crying a tear or two for the billions of humans who died horrific deaths?" Her responsibility, "as the highest-ranking Weyland Industries officer extant ... was to stay, and die if need be, dealing with the horrid situation she and her company helped create". But she ran, to save herself.

I didn't ignore it, I explicitly addressed it by saying I thought she only had a responsibility to stay if she actually had any skills that would make it so her staying on board the ship would increase their chances of success. I also asked you about this to try to understand your objection, but you didn't respond: "Can you think of any way that staying would have actually helped, on the basis of what we knew about her character from the movie? Do you think she should have stayed even if she would be totally useless and her death wouldn't help a bit?"

Originally Posted by Early Memphis

I just think you're reaching here, pardner.

Reaching...for what, exactly? I already told you I am not making her out to be some kind of admirable heroic character overall (like I said, I don't think a movie needs to have admirable characters to be good), I'm just saying your specific criticism that she was a coward for running doesn't really make sense to me. I explained my reason: I think there is no responsibility to stay on a ship going on a suicide run if you don't actually have any piloting skill, or any other skill that will help. (Should she have stayed and died just for moral support?) But you didn't address that reason, or my questions above, so I don't know which part you're objecting too--the part where I said staying wouldn't have helped, or the part where I said she only had a responsibility to stay if staying would help.

[Reubania]

Sorry for reviving this thread, but I managed to finally read the "ALIEN: Engineers" script by Jon Spaihts. I thoroughly enjoyed this "prequel" script to the ALIEN franchise, but I have to admit, I didn't mind the deviation Scott took for the movie version. I felt that the original script was too much of the same with an ALIEN movie and didn't really offer too much difference - but it was a stronger "origin" story. But Prometheus took a slight tangent and I loved the finished product. I just hope that we do get a sequel that shows "Paradise" and more of the "Engineers!"

[Dreamliner330]

^I really liked Prometheus. I just need movies to answer questions than it asks. Lol. Silly Lindelof.

[Scottie]

I was wondering if anybody else is having issues with their discs.

I have the 3D combo pack and I'm watching the 2D and it's spammed with pixel blocks just after David examines that crystal thing.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I was wondering if anybody else is having issues with their discs.

I have the 3D combo pack and I'm watching the 2D and it's spammed with pixel blocks just after David examines that crystal thing.

Yeah, it's a problem with the disc. If you remove it and then re-load the disc and go to that scene again, it should be fine...but it might do it again later.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

Yeah, it's a problem with the disc. If you remove it and then re-load the disc and go to that scene again, it should be fine...but it might do it again later.

Yeah, I figured it out afterwards based on some other website, but thanks for the response.

Did they happen to do replacement discs?

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Yeah, I figured it out afterwards based on some other website, but thanks for the response.

Did they happen to do replacement discs?

I didn't hear anything about that, but let me know if you come up with a solution.

With mine, it didn't happen the first couple times at all...but when I played the disc a few weeks ago it happened twice

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I didn't hear anything about that, but let me know if you come up with a solution.

With mine, it didn't happen the first couple times at all...but when I played the disc a few weeks ago it happened twice

It happened twice for me. One when David is about to poison Holloway and then towards the end, just after the alien kills that guy on the ship.

[Spicoli]

Does this movie give a nod to the Nephilim

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by Spicoli

Does this movie give a nod to the Nephilim

I don't think they were mentioned specifically, but I suspect it was definitely in mind when the script was written with both meanings of the word: "giants" and "those that cause others to fall down", although one can make the case that they caused themselves to fall down.

[Early Memphis]

Originally Posted by Spicoli

Does this movie give a nod to the Nephilim?

You're being a bit generous, aren't you? The fact that they're large beings can't automatically be assigned a deeper meaning or a richer history. There is nothing in the film to make or even imply such a connection - which is the job of the writer and not the viewer, yes?

[Jowiko96]

I am still quite fascinated why this film gets all the hate it does. I personally thought it was one of the best films of 2012 and the best of the summer blockbusters of that year.

Everyone does have their own opinion though. Oh well.

[remake]

Originally Posted by Jowiko96

I am still quite fascinated why this film gets all the hate it does. I personally thought it was one of the best films of 2012 and the best of the summer blockbusters of that year.

Everyone does have their own opinion though. Oh well.

I don't get the hate either. I'm watching it now and I love the ideas within the film.

[gates70]

Originally Posted by Jowiko96

I am still quite fascinated why this film gets all the hate it does. I personally thought it was one of the best films of 2012 and the best of the summer blockbusters of that year.

Everyone does have their own opinion though. Oh well.

Too much thinking for some. I loved the movie.

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by gates70

Too much thinking for some. I loved the movie.

I disagree. It's the lack of focus and the implied promise that it failed on that turned people off. Everyone was worked up on seeing Alien 2, and that's how it was initially represented. But as the script morphed into a sci-fi story about human origins, it delivered something people didn't expect. The second problem is the film cannot decide if it is a horror tale or a thought-provoker. While it is possible to have both, this movie struggles with integrating the two at times. Some moments are horror and others are more cerebral. Finally, it insults the intelligence of the viewer with dumb moments like the lost geologist with the mapping drones, the biologist terrified of biology, perfectly matching DNA with a speies that is not a perfect physical match to the human race, a crew that's cool with dying, an unnecessary zombie attack, and two dumb women that can't swerve to the left or right.

Personally, I love the film despite it's flaws. I was hoping to get something more out of Ridley's return than the haunted house treatment and I got it, but I totally understand why people dislike this movie in the same way how I understand how some think Blade Runner is boring.