Great idea. The original Alien's been showing a lot on pay cable lately; it's not essential, but there's a lot of universe detail overlap in Alien and Prometheus. Alien is one of the most beautifully filmed two-dimensional films. I wanted to see Prometheus in 2D first; when I go back, I'll spring for the IMAX version, and see how well it was converted to 3D. After they threw him out, I didn't want to press the issue, and waste five-ten minutes more of the movie dealing with management. (And it wasn't like there was a 1:30 am showing I could change to.) That's the worst part about complaining in a theater, to some random nutjob sitting behind you. If whatever you say isn't entirely convincing, you're in sucker punch / Lincoln range the whole rest of the film.
Just saw Prometheus, and my mind has been completely blown away. It's one of those movies that resonates with you long after leaving the theaters and makes you realize just how small we are in the grand scheme of things. Wow. I dunno, I think I may disagree with you completely about this. For one, I do believe the trailer did an excellent job depicting the tone of the film. It was exactly as I was expecting. As for the themes and the relevance of the title... Spoiler I could see the mythology of Prometheus all over the film. He was an immortal who is credited with molding man out of clay and also with trying to better their lives by stealing fire for them from the gods. As punishment, he was chained to a rock and an eagle tore out his liver, only for it to grow back at night. Keep in mind I think the themes and story of the movie are very open-ended. For instance, in the beginning of the film we see an alien being on earth sacrificing himself to create humans. To me that seems like a direct metaphor. But expanding on it, who was this alien? What were his intentions? The spacecraft in the beginning was very different than that later in the movie. Perhaps this alien, in defiance of his brethren, chose to sacrifice himself to create life elsewhere. Maybe he was tasked with creating humanity, but in giving man his own DNA, he made them far more advanced than his race would have liked. He gave man the tools to better themselves. Now if that is over-reaching, at the very least, the shot of him sacrificing himself to create live on earth should be enough correlation to the Greek myth. But then also, Prometheus is a representation of man's quest for scientific knowledge and the risks/consequences of obtaining it. Humanity has evolved to a point where they can go and search the stars for their creators. We see the blind ambition and determination of our protagonists and the consequences associated with it. It almost seemed toward the end when David tried to communicate with the alien, the alien gave some small hint of satisfaction. It was as if he was pleased to see just advanced we had become, and then he knew that we had become too advanced to for his liking, so he was intent on destroying us. With regards to the punishment of Prometheus, David says something in the films along the lines of...to create life you must first destroy. Prometheus' liver was torn out by the eagle, only for it grow back again, an action repeated until he was freed. The aliens were trying to destroy us, to perhaps hit the reset button. Except they were thwarted (time and again if you cont Alien and Aliens) by our heroes. As for it being a downer. Yes but not completely. After all, not everyone was killed. There was an odd peacefulness to Shaw and David's relationship in the end. He tried to destroy them all (unintended consequence of his directive), and in doing so was nearly destroyed himself, but they needed each other to survive. And despite all she went through, she still wore her father's cross. She still believed. I think she said it earlier in the film, the aliens may have created humans, but who created the aliens? And therein again lies a connection to Prometheus. Her never-ending quest for answers, for knowledge. Sorry if that was really long, but man the movie totally screwed with my head! If you didn't want to be spoiled or didn't want to read the whole thing, I think the film's title fits perfectly. Incredible performances, great score (very memorable), and the effects are just insane. It's so grand in scope. I do have a few minor complaints. Yeah the story has a few plot holes and wtf moments. Hopefully a director's cut clears them up. One part in particular felt like a bad dream and seemed disjointed from the rest of the film. And while it is definitely a prequel, I wish since Scott decided to show some of the iconic imagery from Alien, that it would have better aligned with it's predecessor. And you know, I almost feel the film was a bit rushed at times. I would have loved to see an extra 30 minutes to an hour. In any case, definitely something I want to see again in theaters.
My non-spoilery review: I enjoyed it a lot, it delivered what I was looking for. HOWEVER - if you're a 100% ALIEN freakoid/diehard, you need to be prepared for the fact that this movie does NOT follow that franchise formula much at all. IMO, the film demonstrates that Scott had Blade Runner on the brain far more so than Alien/Aliens. It's in that universe, but the uninformed casual viewer would get 100x more out of watching Blade Runner first. 3D was excellent - it doesn't thrill you, but it adds reality and depth nicely. Overall cinematography and effects were as good as it gets. David doesn't steal the show...he is the show. I only wish you gleamed as much from the other characters. The end is both thrilling and a let down at the same time. Expect a wealth of questions to go unanswered or only hinted at. It's not as entertaining a popcorn flick as Avengers, but it's not trying to be. Decently thought provoking, and the "visual spectacle" makes up for the lack of thrills.
Great post, Junkyard. An apparent plot hole? Spoiler As in, how did the dying albino Artist's representation: Spoiler crawl his ass all the way from the human ship to his own Space Jockey BarcaLounger (on his own ship), what with that gaping hole already in his chest? Resilient MFer, apparently.
Answer - because that didn't happen. They were clear - the end of Prometheus does not directly link to the opening of Alien. They did NOT go to LV426 in Prometheus.
Spoiler Are you sure about that? The wording of Rapace's warning ("Stay away," etc.) is almost verbatim to the one that Sigourney Weaver's ship mistakes for an SOS in the beginning of Alien, and decodes/translates only too late. The crashed ship is the same as in the beginning of Alien. The Space Jockey is the Space Jockey (he was wearing a helmet all along...). And, uh, we saw the birth of the first Alien (Space Jockey/human/squid abomination hybrid), who only needed to go off and hibernate and lay some eggs/lose its human teeth, to set up the beginning of Alien. I don't see how it's not a direct prequel to the events of Alien, given that.
I'm 100% certain, it's not a direct prequel. You CAN however see that Ridley Scott originally did script a direct prequel, only for Lindelof too steer him away from doing so. Spoiler As you said yourself, the dead Space Jockey did not drag himself back to the downed bomber, put the suit back on, and burst the suit outward at the chest to match the hole that had already killed him.
Are you basing your opinion on what transpired in the movie, or what Scott and Lindelof have said in press leading up to the release? I'm not doubting you, but I'm definitely curious what makes you certain. (Like I said, my attention was elsewhere in spots.) What you're suggesting: Spoiler So, one of the four or five other unseen Space Jockeys woke up from one of the other sleep chambers down deep in the stasis chamber (which didn't blow up when the first ship took off), and grabbed another U-shaped spaceship, possibly intent on destroying Earth? And the newly born Alien stowed away (they do tend to do that), bursting his chest, and this second U-shaped ship crashed into another planet, the LV-246 of Alien and Aliens? And for some reason, before dying, Space Jockey B records a warning to stay away to future humans/fellow travelers? Maybe he was a human sympathizer, instead? I think it works both ways, really. I think it's less of a stretch to just presume that the alien planet is the same as that in Alien and Aliens, absent the part of the movie I missed which negates that interpretation.
Both. I totally get how the revision/redirection of an originally direct-prequel script brings things so close that you can see the movie and feel like it must have/might have been a direct prequel....but they steered away from it. We surmise with little question what happened to Alien's Space Jockey, but it happened somewhere else some other time. Spoiler And we see clearly that Space Jockeys are dime a dozen, not a unique singular being. And they get around the galaxy. The site found in Prometheus doesn't have to be unique. (and nothing in Alien-Aliens suggested the existence of the other structures found in Prom.) There's a lot of other things in the movie that are assumed but never confirmed: Vickers - human or no? I slightly lean no. Where the Space Jockey's on the moon really the ones that created humanity? Note that a completely different ship was seen in the beginning - what if this was a different sect of Albino's that wanted to destroy what a different sect created? Scott, not just Damon, is a coy director that likes to leave things open to interpretation I think you're still too focused on connecting what you saw in this film to Alien. You're limiting possibilities Spoiler (these are the only U-bombers in the galaxy? these are the only Jockeys?)
Yeah it definitely isn't a direct sequel..because this happens on LV-223 and Alien/Aliens happens on LV-426. So again, why did they go to such great lengths to make direct connections to the opening of Alien, when in fact that connection is not direct at all? They could have done subtler hints that this is in the same universe but does not set up Alien.
I agree except I thought Rapace did excellent work with her character. Wish we could have seen more of Captain Janek. He was my next favorite after David and Shaw. Did not like Holloway all that much. He was too driven by emotion, which caused him to act like a prick at times.
emjohn, thanks for the reply. Spoiler Yeah, which makes her use of "Father" to her dying creator all the more vexing/chillling. Although, clearly, Stringer Bell died happy. There's a reason he was able to summon his courage at the end, after the previous night's encouragements. After you've had Theron, real human, or Theron-bot (with added stamina boost), what more worlds are possibly left to conquer? Spoiler But the mix of Space Jockey/human/squid creature DNA might be unique to make the creature at the end the galaxy's first, and only, Alien. I thought we were witnessing the dawn of a new creation, not just a dime-a-dozen artificial insemination/lab store clone. That the Rapace character was not only a host to a parasite, but actually did give birth to some sort of new hybrid, and that though humans and Space Jockeys share DNA traits it was still derived, in part, from a requisite human. That's what I think would have power, would resonate: that the plague of mankind is birthed from these particular men and women, and not just a distant Space Jockey test tube. (The Space Jockeys, as Nero pointed out, left behind an invitation for only a technologically advanced mankind to find, only wanted to kill us when we posed a threat; they didn't worry about killing off their Cro-Magnon children, left behind a few grades.) That that birth was the fire (in both senses: controlled, fire warms the hearth; uncontrolled, it razes cities) which ultimately may incinerate humanity. Spoiler The repeated theme of the film: It is borne from us. It disgusts us. We fear it. (As with the Titans, we fear it might supplant us.) We must kill it, and try again. All the while, asking, why do I disgust you, Father? Why do you fear me? And why do you want me dead? Prometheus' new tagline: Never play with matches.
Percicles, it's cool to know that it was shot with 3D in mind. I didn't know that, avoided as much as possible reading about it in advance. And, yeah, if anyone hasn't seen it yet, avoid the ubiquity of the current TV commercials: they pretty much give away the store. I'm with you. I don't get the obfuscation, or the point of, Spoiler e.g., the verbatim warning messages as homage. Prometheus would be just as/more satisfactory as a direct prequel. Unless: Ridley Scott is in his mid-seventies. He's already planning on shooting a Blade Runner-ish universe movie next, right? He can't expect to live long enough to be setting up something so crass as a Prometheus 2, can he? Will Jim Cameron direct?
I know people have suggested this could lead to sequels of it's own, but I hope not. I liked that it ended with just as many questions as it began (aside from the plot holes). Fits well with the spiritual themes presented. As for Theron... Spoiler She certainly played the part with a coldness that any synthetic would find envious. But I think she truly was his daughter, especially when she spoke of her attempts to gain control of the company that she felt was rightfully hers; that he should have been dead already. And if she was a synthetic, then how could she disobey her directive but not David? Plus, when she was trying to escape, why would she waste time putting on a suit? I would imagine survival would be paramount and not continuing the charade of being human. I'll also say that while many felt having Alien/Aliens fresh on their minds hurt their ability to enjoy the film, I find it the exact opposite. I just watched both this past week (my wife had never seen them), and after Prometheus, it almost seems humbling. You watch Alien and Aliens, and you're watching characters not only fighting for their lives but the lives of so many others...there's an epic scope to it all, an imminent danger, impossible odds, grave repercussions...but all of that seems so inconsequential within the context of the larger universe. It's pretty damn cool when you think about it.
I haven't seen the film yet but I don't get that at all. The Alien ship crew encountered the space jockey/ship on LV-426. But, this same space jockey/ship is on LV-223 now? Maybe it's because I haven't seen the film that I don't get it? Is this cleared up by watching the new film? Or, did they do this on purpose just to prevent this new film from being a prequel?
I almost can go with that, I'd like to go with that....but..... Spoiler They already had a sculpture of the Alien in the "head" room - Holloway was checking it out
Review: 6/10 I felt at the same time amazed by this film and deeply disappointed. I'll explain why in my spoilered review, but in short, some of the characters were really weak, there were some very annoying plot holes and there was real cliche overkill. Yet I was still highly entertained. The overall story is very good. The action is pretty good and the film is beautiful. Definitely one of the most visually stunning IMAX experiences I've ever had. I definitely think it is worth a see in the Imax 3d. Below is a spoilered review. DO NOT CLICK IF YOU DON"T WANT SPOILERS. Spoiler Ok so I have a lot of issues with this film, beginning with the male scientist. I'm not sure whether he was just horrifically cast or whether the writing was just atrocious, but he was not even close to being believable. They were supposed to be two scientists out searching for the truth and he came across as a doofus spelunker jock with a drinking problem. I never once bought him as a scientist (was even surprised when they referred to him as Dr. at one point) and I didn't buy his relationship with the main character either. Another massive issue I had was I felt like way too many small twists were inserted and it made it hard for any of them to really mean anything. When Shaw reveals she can't get pregnant that should have been impactful, but if felt like a cheap movie twist. When Weyland turns up to have been a stowaway you are like "ok, why?" Then Charlize is the daughter? Again, why? David infecting male scientist intentionally...why? He saw that it would do nothing but destroy the man. What did he hope to gain? All of these felt like they were just in there to make you go "ohhh" and they didn't do that. The character development was severely hurt because of the above. Idris Elba's character should have been developed much more on screen than he was. He was limited however because they had to spend so much time setting up the pointless "daddy issues" with Charlize. The relationship between the Captain and Shaw should have been the primary driver on the screen to make it more impactful in the end. Instead it felt very flat. Plot holes: I loathe the idea that there are holographic reenactments that are occurring that spell out the whole story for us. Loathe it. IT makes no sense that such things would be there and it feels like an incredibly cheap way to spell out the story. Very lazy writing in my opinion. Shaw post surgery reminded me of a pro wrestler who gets "injured" in a match. They wrestle like normal afterward until they suddenly want to sell the injury. Additionally, she comes strutting into this room with all these people half naked and covered in blood with her stomach stapled, and no on even comments? Not even a sly remark? It made zero sense. Overall I thought the script was lazy and was convoluted in areas it shouldn't have been and simple in places it shouldn't have been. Shaw and David are both good in their roles. Elba was good but his character was not delved into NEARLY enough. Theron was weak and her daddy issues were pointless. Too many things were thrown in to twist the story and had no effect. Yet with all that, I still felt the movie was outstanding viewing.
I think that may have been what happened. At one time this was supposed to be a direct prequel, but then they steered away from that idea. I dunno, it just seems WAY to coincidental for all these things to happen in just a way that would lead you to believe this is LV-426, but it in fact isn't. And the film doesn't address it. The only way you know it's not LV-426 is that they tell you. But how can practically the exact same thing happen on another planet, at about the same time no less?!
Did anyone get the Django Unchained trailer? I saw it in IMAX 3D at First Colony 24 and it wasn't shown.
