Prometheus (Alien Prequel)

[EvilNed]

Reading over my post, it sounds a bit patronizing. I am in no way trying to infer that you are stupid and just "didn't get it" (you've always stuck me as one of the sharper knives in this drawer ), I just think you, and a lot of the naysayers I have been reading online, might benefit from a second viewing. Aye, I think you're right there. I realize myself that I'm a bit hypocritical about this, considering Blade Runner is one of my all time favourite films and there's a hell of a lot of things left unexplained in that film. Maybe Prometheus will be looked on in the same way way that we look upon Blade Runner in 20 years.

[bassman]

It's a good film, but certainly not what most would consider a "prequel" to the Alien franchise and it doesn't live up to that franchise. They just share the same universe, nothing more. Perhaps the sequel(s) will change that, though. My main two gripes were the awful score that sounded like a heroic theme lifted straight from Galaxy Quest, and the make up effects that reminded me of the judge from Dan Aykroyd's Nothing But Trouble.... If you've seen it, you know who i'm referring to. I enjoyed the film, but it kinda left a stale taste in my mouth. Maybe a second viewing will improve upon it.

[Danny]

Just watched it. It was waaaaay too long and bloated and the score was really bloody generic. Aside from that very entertaining flick. Nothing special. Not particularly original or scary at all, but a fun enough piece of light sci-fi. My only major problem is that there is such a large number of plot wholes that people are trying to explain. That fact alone is bad enough, that they are trying to explain it because the film is flawed in that it did not do it itself, but that they are making grasping guess work to do so. yknow, thinking about this im pretty much blaming the flaws on lindeloff. It felt flawed in the same reasons as all his written works. Things happen but by the end it just seems like a pointless, unsatisfying exercise'. I mean with him its almost like a bingo card. -no direct antagonist, just people who do bad things to push the plot forwards -constantly raises questions, a very easy thing to do, without answering them- just having characters make a guess monologue and leaving it at that - the cheap cop out to the hard option of explaining anything. -entire movie is summed up as 'people walk around touching what they shouldnt. only unlike alien its not a rough and ready salvage crew, its a cherry picked team of scientists... -plenty of characters like therons that literally serve no purpose at all, be it in the film or in the logic of the film universe that are there for no reason at all. -where did the extras on the crew all go? -aside from the paper thin 'man playing with fire' subtext of prometheus what was even the point of the film? its too detached from alien to actually be a prequel. it felt like a riff tracks of ideas from the writer that act as plenty of set ups and 'middle acts' but theres no true narrative framework here. just a splicing of ideas and set pieces that on reflection makes the experience seem more like a universal studios ride that gives an actual plot device in the last 25 minutes of its 115 minute runtime if only for the sake of resolution. I still like it as an audience go-er, but when you really look at the film its really a mess compared to the tight, claustrophobic, stressful, frightening and expertly made film that inspired it. great direction, both cinematography and art design wise. but for the sum of its parts its all greatly wasted potential. ALIEN was a smart film. very smart. and there is a reason its the sort of film people studying film write papers on. It is something special and clever in how it tells its story. This is something that looks like it wants to be the same, but feels like alien resurrection instead.

[bassman]

In an interview with Collider, Ridley Scott says there will be an extended cut on blu ray and it's about twenty minutes longer... SCOTT: This is fundamentally the director’s cut. But there will be half an hour of stuff on the menu because people are so into films—how they’re made, how they’re set up, and the rejections in it. That’s why it’s fascinating. So this will all go on to the menu. Well I’m curious about the deleted scenes. Specifically in this film, Noomi [Rapace] mentioned maybe there was a fight scene with her and an Engineer. SCOTT: The Engineer fight scene was pretty good. It will definitely go on the menu. It won’t go on the long version. The problem about it is, while she gives as good as she gets with an axe (she’s very physical), he’s so big, for him to be clouted with a conventional weapon somehow diminished him. It’s subtle. It’s drama. I didn’t want to diminish him by having this person who has a weapon to be able to back him off. It minimized him. That’s why when he deals with people inside his cockpit, it’s over. Wham, wham, wham. Even the shot doesn’t mean anything. And so all she has time for is introducing him to the big boy inside the lab. You’re going to do an extended cut on the Blu-ray/DVD. Is it a lot longer? SCOTT: Twenty minutes.

[MinionZombie]

Interesting, I'd read elsewhere speculation that there wouldn't be an extended cut - so I'm glad to hear there will be (plus some tasty deleted scenes) on the home video release. Definitely something to look forward to. No doubt there'd be some nice shading to round out a few spots in the movie, as I would definitely be up for more in the film itself. I did think when viewing it that there were a few corners cut for the theatrical release's running time, so hopefully we'll get some nice additions to the extended cut. Good news everyone!

[Neil]

In an interview with Collider, Ridley Scott says there will be an extended cut on blu ray and it's about twenty minutes longer... AICN with the same news - http://www.aintitcool.com/node/56336

[krisvds]

Interesting, I'd read elsewhere speculation that there wouldn't be an extended cut - so I'm glad to hear there will be (plus some tasty deleted scenes) on the home video release. Definitely something to look forward to. No doubt there'd be some nice shading to round out a few spots in the movie, as I would definitely be up for more in the film itself. I did think when viewing it that there were a few corners cut for the theatrical release's running time, so hopefully we'll get some nice additions to the extended cut. Good news everyone! As much as I would like to see this extended version I also find it very annoying that the studio can't just release a finished film in the places it was meant to be seen in the first place; the theatre. It's all part of their business plan I guess, but to me it's killing the classic cinema experience. If the nacho munching, cellular phone addicted loudmouths that have invaded most cinemas these days haven't already done so.

[Neil]

^^ Yes and no... If you look at the LOTR films, they were long even without being extended, and I suspect releasing the non-extented versions to the cinema was the right move. Then for those that wish the longer experience have the choice of buying it. But with 20mins, it's more questionable... Doesn't change the cinema experience that much surely? So maybe it's more down to it's content. ie: It's 20mins of character building that isn't directly necessary, but might be enjoyed more geared towards it!? I can also go with your idea that its a tool designed to make the purchasing of the bluray/DVD more attractive too!

[shootemindehead]

Just watched it. It was waaaaay too long and bloated and the score was really bloody generic. Aside from that very entertaining flick. Nothing special. Not particularly original or scary at all, but a fun enough piece of light sci-fi. My only major problem is that there is such a large number of plot wholes that people are trying to explain. That fact alone is bad enough, that they are trying to explain it because the film is flawed in that it did not do it itself, but that they are making grasping guess work to do so. yknow, thinking about this im pretty much blaming the flaws on lindeloff. It felt flawed in the same reasons as all his written works. Things happen but by the end it just seems like a pointless, unsatisfying exercise'. I mean with him its almost like a bingo card. -no direct antagonist, just people who do bad things to push the plot forwards -constantly raises questions, a very easy thing to do, without answering them- just having characters make a guess monologue and leaving it at that - the cheap cop out to the hard option of explaining anything. -entire movie is summed up as 'people walk around touching what they shouldnt. only unlike alien its not a rough and ready salvage crew, its a cherry picked team of scientists... -plenty of characters like therons that literally serve no purpose at all, be it in the film or in the logic of the film universe that are there for no reason at all. -where did the extras on the crew all go? -aside from the paper thin 'man playing with fire' subtext of prometheus what was even the point of the film? its too detached from alien to actually be a prequel. it felt like a riff tracks of ideas from the writer that act as plenty of set ups and 'middle acts' but theres no true narrative framework here. just a splicing of ideas and set pieces that on reflection makes the experience seem more like a universal studios ride that gives an actual plot device in the last 25 minutes of its 115 minute runtime if only for the sake of resolution. I still like it as an audience go-er, but when you really look at the film its really a mess compared to the tight, claustrophobic, stressful, frightening and expertly made film that inspired it. great direction, both cinematography and art design wise. but for the sum of its parts its all greatly wasted potential. ALIEN was a smart film. very smart. and there is a reason its the sort of film people studying film write papers on. It is something special and clever in how it tells its story. This is something that looks like it wants to be the same, but feels like alien resurrection instead. I agree with everything here Danny and your points are well made. I really wanted to like 'Prometheus', but there were just too many stupid moments in it.   The "alien abortion" scene was just ridiculous. To have Noomi Rapace cut through her skin, her muscle layers and into her womb...remove an alien squid, suture her up in the most violent way and then have her run around like nothing happened was just thick. Not only that, but in one of her running scenes, both her and Charleze Theron don't think of the simply running at a sideways angle to avoid being squashed by the crashing spaceship? Really? Scientists me arse... The extra 20 minutes don't fill me with much hope either. If they can't get the current 2 1/2 hours right, 20 extra minutes aren't going to make a difference.

[MinionZombie]

I was always going to pre-order the Blu-Ray of this anyway, but now it's even more definite a move. In the case of LOTR, they added so much in - particular effects shots - that they needed that extra year to complete those shots. Many times you have that sort of a situation, where the new content hasn't been completed yet, but then other times it's taking a different view of it over time (there's a third version of The Town being released in America, if it's not already out yet, in a super-duper special collector's edition, for example). I can understand the business side too - the longer the movie, the less screenings you can have (which, in-part, inconveniences the viewer somewhat as there are less times that you can potentially go and see it). A similar thing is cutting to achieve a lower rating for the cinema release - e.g. The Hunger Games, The Woman In Black, and The Inbetweeners ... the first two were trimmed to get a 12A and reach the target audience, but certainly The Woman In Black at least is getting an uncut home video outing (it's easier to get your parents to buy an over-aged movie for their kid, than get them into the cinema to see it), and indeed The Inbetweeners was cut from an 18 to get a 15 (a wise choice, especially for a British movie of a very popular TV show with teens and adults alike, and it went on to become the #1 comedy in the UK ever in the cinema). Then it was released on home video uncut (although looking at the uncut material, I personally wondered how it was any 'worse' than the rest of the content ... i.e. a few more 'ham masturbation' shots, Jay pissing on a club floor ... but I guess the boundary has to come down somewhere. 20 minutes could make significant changes - at least in terms of pacing, so you make a good point there Neil. More people are going to be forgiving of a lengthier, perhaps not-so-well-paced, extended version on home video, because they've specifically sought it out (either by choosing that version, or if both are available to all editions, then clicking on the option on the disc itself). Sometimes extended version don't add much (the lengthier version of The Town apparently doesn't add an awful lot, it's more just in-between moments that weren't all that necessary to begin with ... so I've heard), but then you have other extensions that very much feel part of the movie (although that could be subjective, e.g. if you saw the extended version first - so that's "the movie" to you, but not necessarily someone else) ... ... for example, the Cannes Cut of Dawn of the Dead. That's "the" version of the movie to me, and I really miss the extensions whenever I see the US Theatrical Version. Where was I? I'm rambling again...

[shootemindehead]

I can also go with your idea that its a tool designed to make the purchasing of the bluray/DVD more attractive too! I love the idea of extended cuts, but to my mind it's only really worked in a couple of instances. 'Aliens', which REALLY benefitted from the extra half hour and the 'Lord of the Rings trilogy'. There have been some awful misfires though. 'The Big Red One' and 'Apocalypse Now Redux' come to mind. They were filled with completely unnecessary additions and it's plain to see why they director cut the out flab in the first place. A friend of mind told me the other night that he heard that an extended cut of 'Once upon a Time in America' was on the cards...I nearly sprayed guinness all over him. Any more running time on that film and you could kiss half your away. It's like 5 bleedin hours long already!

[bassman]

I really wanted to like 'Prometheus', but there were just too many stupid moments in it.   The "alien abortion" scene was just ridiculous. To have Noomi Rapace cut through her skin, her muscle layers and into her womb...remove an alien squid, suture her up in the most violent way and then have her run around like nothing happened was just thick. That scene is very important to a central theme of the movie, imo -   It's not an abortion, it's a caesarean. Shaw allows the creature to live and the imagery of "the creator" with his/her abdomen sliced open is important to the film. The titan Prometheus, after having angered the gods by giving humans fire, was punished by having his abdomen tore open and his liver eaten out every day by an eagle. Just as Prometheus was torn open after having given life to a new creature, so was Shaw. Also tying into this theme, you have the mural in the chamber that shows an Engineer with his abdomen open with a creature beside him and also the Engineer that the Alien-like creature bursts from after the credits. There have even been suggestions by some(including Ridley Scott himself) that Christianity also plays a part in all this. The dead engineers that were on their way to destroy Earth were carbon dated at 2,000 years. That fits in nicely with the time frame of a certain crucifixion of a "life-giver" that also involved an abdomen torn open by a spear. Ridley Scott has hinted that this COULD be a reason why the Engineers want to destroy the human race. Could Christ with all of his "miracles" been sent as a last ditch effort by the Engineers to save the human race but the human race destroyed him, thus providing the engineers with reason to destroy us? Other religious themes include it being Christmas Day, Shaw's "virgin" birth(she physically couldn't become pregnant), her very name being Elisabeth("And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren"), and not to forget that every other portion of the movie deals with self sacrifice for the good of others. Back to your original point of the C-section....I think it was very important for the reasons above. And you say she walks around after like nothing happened, but she appeared to be in a GREAT deal of pain to me. She also gives herself multiple injections that we are led to believe are painkillers. Sorry for rambling on into other subjects, some of which will be considered silly by some, but it's easy to do with science fiction I suppose.

[Danny]

That scene is very important to a central theme of the movie, imo -   It's not an abortion, it's a caesarean. Shaw allows the creature to live and the imagery of "the creator" with his/her abdomen sliced open is important to the film. The titan Prometheus, after having angered the gods by giving humans fire, was punished by having his abdomen tore open and his liver eaten out every day by an eagle. Just as Prometheus was torn open after having given life to a new creature, so was Shaw. Also tying into this theme, you have the mural in the chamber that shows an Engineer with his abdomen open with a creature beside him and also the Engineer that the Alien-like creature bursts from after the credits. There have even been suggestions by some(including Ridley Scott himself) that Christianity also plays a part in all this. The dead engineers that were on their way to destroy Earth were carbon dated at 2,000 years. That fits in nicely with the time frame of a certain crucifixion of a "life-giver" that also involved an abdomen torn open by a spear. Ridley Scott has hinted that this COULD be a reason why the Engineers want to destroy the human race. Could Christ with all of his "miracles" been sent as a last ditch effort by the Engineers to save the human race but the human race destroyed him, thus providing the engineers with reason to destroy us? Other religious themes include it being Christmas Day, Shaw's "virgin" birth(she physically couldn't become pregnant), her very name being Elisabeth("And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren"), and not to forget that every other portion of the movie deals with self sacrifice for the good of others. Back to your original point of the C-section....I think it was very important for the reasons above. And you say she walks around after like nothing happened, but she appeared to be in a GREAT deal of pain to me. She also gives herself multiple injections that we are led to believe are painkillers. Sorry for rambling on into other subjects, some of which will be considered silly by some, but it's easy to do with science fiction I suppose. Heres the thing. If you have to explain a plot as 'well its basically all references' that is not a credit to the film. A film which i would say after a second viewing is beautifully shot, terribly written. Plus if it wasnt a 'legacy film' attached to the far superior alien it wouldn't get all the 'no the plot makes sense if i make up all this stuff that might be an explanation thats not part of the film at all' reasoning to try and make it work. Because if you need to do that to begin with then its a case of bad writing. Not to nock whats on the whole a fun ride, but avatar had better writing.

[bassman]

I disagree. Sort of. There could have been more answers written into the film itself, but thinking beyond what's laid out in front of the audience is half the fun of science fiction. I'm not saying Prometheus is perfect, but asking questions without giving direct answers has always been a staple of the genre. Hell....just look at Scott's Blade Runner. Not only that, but I feel a lot of these things aren't necessarily references, but they're all plainly woven into the film and can easily be found. If you're watching close enough, you see them. The blatant reference to Prometheus in the title and the plot doesn't even need to be mentioned. It's not referenced or implied, it's shoved right into your face before you even see the movie. The trailers explained that story. The Christianity elements are a bit more subtle, but I still believe they are plainly put there for the audience to find and put together. You don't have to know any "reference", really. It's christianity - everyone knows of it even if they don't believe it. You say these things are flaws in the writing, but I actually see them as great additions. Not every film has to spell out everything for the tweens. And i'm sorry dude....but Avatar has better writing? I'm not one to jump on the Avatar bashing bandwagon, but what are you smoking and where can I get some?

[shootemindehead]

That scene is very important to a central theme of the movie, imo -   It's not an abortion, it's a caesarean. Shaw allows the creature to live and the imagery of "the creator" with his/her abdomen sliced open is important to the film. The titan Prometheus, after having angered the gods by giving humans fire, was punished by having his abdomen tore open and his liver eaten out every day by an eagle. Just as Prometheus was torn open after having given life to a new creature, so was Shaw. Also tying into this theme, you have the mural in the chamber that shows an Engineer with his abdomen open with a creature beside him and also the Engineer that the Alien-like creature bursts from after the credits. There have even been suggestions by some(including Ridley Scott himself) that Christianity also plays a part in all this. The dead engineers that were on their way to destroy Earth were carbon dated at 2,000 years. That fits in nicely with the time frame of a certain crucifixion of a "life-giver" that also involved an abdomen torn open by a spear. Ridley Scott has hinted that this COULD be a reason why the Engineers want to destroy the human race. Could Christ with all of his "miracles" been sent as a last ditch effort by the Engineers to save the human race but the human race destroyed him, thus providing the engineers with reason to destroy us? Other religious themes include it being Christmas Day, Shaw's "virgin" birth(she physically couldn't become pregnant), her very name being Elisabeth("And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren"), and not to forget that every other portion of the movie deals with self sacrifice for the good of others. Back to your original point of the C-section....I think it was very important for the reasons above. And you say she walks around after like nothing happened, but she appeared to be in a GREAT deal of pain to me. She also gives herself multiple injections that we are led to believe are painkillers. Sorry for rambling on into other subjects, some of which will be considered silly by some, but it's easy to do with science fiction I suppose. Aye, I understand the throwback to the Greek/Roman myths, but the scene is still as dumb as a box of bricks. My real irk, is having her jaunt about after such brutal and invasive "surgery". That really was just silly. She may have given herself painkillers etc, but she physically would not have been able to move after that ripping. It just either didn't need to be there, or it should have been written much, much better.