Prometheus

[Sir Fodder]

I have a pair of loafers similar to the ones David is wearing, very comfy, too bad Simple went under. It seems everything in that trailer has been scrutinzed to an extreme, his clothing is fantastic, all sorts of possible references to ponder.  Love the clean and quiet sense of order with perhaps a slight whooshing or hum in the background, nod to Kubrick.

I'm going to try and avoid seeing that international trailer. I am wondering, after being aroused yet quite irritated by the spoilery and ADHD-ness of the earlier chop-cut trailers, if they couldn't have done all of the trailers in the superb "David style", I think that could have created a stir in itself for uniqueness.

Had a random thought that it would be neat if they could get Rooney Mara in for a Prometheus sequel, stage a fight with her and Noomi Rapace, and then zero-g makeup.  

[VainEldritch]

Saw this in London yesterday.

Mr Scott has done big budget swords'n'sandles, big budget medieval, big budget modern warfare and now big budget SciFi. How ironic then then that his return to the genre that he so masterfully worked in on Alien and Blade Runner should turn out to be his weakest work for some time.

I'll say nothing more specific as I guess most of you have not seen it due to the staggered global release. What I will say is that I am now far less enthusiastic about Scott's mooted Blade Runner return. Maybe I expected too much.

[Evildrider]

I've been wary of this film since he proclaimed it not to be an Alien prequel.

[VainEldritch]

If you want a totally accurate review from an excellent critic, and you must see such before you see the film, here it is:

http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/90469/prometheus.html

No real spoilers but a short, completely realistic review that gets straight to the core of the film and reflects exactly my feelings about Prometheus.

[Evildrider]

Ugh, I may wait for DVD after that review.

[VainEldritch]

Ugh, I may wait for DVD after that review.

If you need a good night out at the cinema and want to see a film that looks fantastic (Scott is on top form with the visuals here) and is just disposable SciFi-by-the-numbers thrilling, by all means see it on the big screen - this film I think will lose much of its visual impact on the small screen.

But that's the problem - I was expecting a lot more from Ridley. I was underwhelmed - like I was by Kingdom of Heaven. However, "Kingdom" was a far superior film to Prometheus for me because I gave a crap about the supporting characters and if the lead character had been played by an actor with more gravitas than Orlando fucking Bloom and it had been released in the Director Cut version then I'd be comparing Prometheus to Robin Hood... 

[DraconianOne]

So, basically, a film that is going to be let down by the expectations that people placed on it. I doubt it was ever going to win in the first place.

I'm still intrigued by Del Toro's assertion that this film was the reason his planned "Mountains of Madness" adaptation was canned so will probably see it anyway - and Scott's visuals are nearly always worth seeing on the big screen.

[Merusk]

Yeah, it sounds like everyone had this epic idea of what it would be built-up in their minds and instead it's merely a decent one.  The question, I suppose, is do you expect too much from Scott or is he not living-up to his potential here.

Either way I'll still watch it on my own sometime in the next few weeks. If anything because, as Draconian points out, the visuals will be wasted on a smaller screen.

[Mattemeo]

Saw it last night at an imax. Visually incredible; this is sci-fi with scale, both in look and feel. Despite what everyone imagined or believed, Scott wasn't trying to deceive anyone when he talked about it being part of but separated from the Alien franchise. It shares a universe and several themes but is totally its own beast. It has elements of horror and brief bursts of action but it comes across as much harder sci-fi than either Alien or Aliens. Think more along the lines of 2001 or even Solaris; there are a lot of exquisitely serene, lonely moments throughout.

The film's secret weapon (that really isn't secret at all, considering) is Michael Fassbender's David. He is magnificent. Equal parts sinister, charming, childlike and with the exception of Noomi Rapace's Shaw, probably the most relatable crew member, which I'm sure is the point. The film's biggest flaw (and one that I hope might be eleiviated by a classic Scott after-the-fact extended cut) is that the rest of the crew are little more than window dressing. Some get moments to shine - Charlize Theron is a ball of barely repressed contempt and hatred; Idris Elba is stoic, contemplative and detached - but sadly few other of the 17 crew members get much time to show us who they are. We knew the crew of the Nostromo. We fell in love with the grunts of the Sulaco. It mattered more when they died. For the vast majority of the Prometheus crew, the theatrical cut sets them up as fodder.

It needs to be stated however that in terms of long range vision and imagination, Prometheus is incredibly strong. Scott is setting up something grand here, akin to Cameron's Avatar but in a universe we actually give a genuine shit about. There are moments in Prometheus that you know Scott must have been near squirming with glee about including that his younger, leaner self probably wouldn't have gotten away with. Science, Darwinism, Religion. It's all on the table. And more questions arise than answers are given.

Give this one time to sink in.

[VainEldritch]

The question, I suppose, is do you expect too much from Scott or is he not living-up to his potential here.

I expect a lot from Scott at his best - but in this case he can be forgiven since he was fighting a hopeless battle against a bloody terrible script. The movie is high concept, had the right director, seemingly unlimited financial resources - but the script is everything, and in this case I thought it a stinker.

Scott did his job as a visual auteur, but the characters sucked and there was very little suspense. His career annoys me - it's a diamond studded minefield.

[Ghambit]

Saw it last night at an imax. Visually incredible; this is sci-fi with scale, both in look and feel. Despite what everyone imagined or believed, Scott wasn't trying to deceive anyone when he talked about it being part of but separated from the Alien franchise. It shares a universe and several themes but is totally its own beast. It has elements of horror and brief bursts of action but it comes across as much harder sci-fi than either Alien or Aliens. Think more along the lines of 2001 or even Solaris; there are a lot of exquisitely serene, lonely moments throughout.

The film's secret weapon (that really isn't secret at all, considering) is Michael Fassbender's David. He is magnificent. Equal parts sinister, charming, childlike and with the exception of Noomi Rapace's Shaw, probably the most relatable crew member, which I'm sure is the point. The film's biggest flaw (and one that I hope might be eleiviated by a classic Scott after-the-fact extended cut) is that the rest of the crew are little more than window dressing. Some get moments to shine - Charlize Theron is a ball of barely repressed contempt and hatred; Idris Elba is stoic, contemplative and detached - but sadly few other of the 17 crew members get much time to show us who they are. We knew the crew of the Nostromo. We fell in love with the grunts of the Sulaco. It mattered more when they died. For the vast majority of the Prometheus crew, the theatrical cut sets them up as fodder.

It needs to be stated however that in terms of long range vision and imagination, Prometheus is incredibly strong. Scott is setting up something grand here, akin to Cameron's Avatar but in a universe we actually give a genuine shit about. There are moments in Prometheus that you know Scott must have been near squirming with glee about including that his younger, leaner self probably wouldn't have gotten away with. Science, Darwinism, Religion. It's all on the table. And more questions arise than answers are given.

Give this one time to sink in.

 
Nice post.  I dare say you have some skills.  Write much?

As for that prior (negative) review, this is all I need to sell me on seeing it.

Perhaps more than any other film, ‘Prometheus’ is reminiscent of Chris Nolan’s ‘Inception’: it’s slick, gorgeously designed and scattered with intriguing concepts.

I mean really, it's hard sci-fi not space opera.  There IS a difference.  I think people who go into it expecting Star Wars meets Aliens will be dissapoint.  And tbh I prefer an 'Inception-like' sci-fantasy flick than otherwise. 

[Ironwood]

I liked Inception.

[Merusk]

Yeah that line made me scratch my head as the parts of Inception I've seen I really dug.  I haven't seen it all, though, so I thought perhaps I was missing something that turned it in to a tatter of terribleness.

[HaemishM]

Don't you know? It's cool to bag on Inception.

[K9]

I liked Inception.

[Ruvaldt]

I got that vibe from the trailers and it's a selling point for me as well.

[Mattemeo]

Hype and anticipation go hand in hand with backlash and disappointment.

I really enjoyed Inception, but it was merely a beautifully crafted high concept heist/bond flick and not the second coming of cinema. It's not even Nolan's best movie (which remains, in my eyes, The Prestige) or second best. The thing is, much as I liked Inception, I've not really felt the need to see it again since I saw it in the cinema.

On the other hand, I want to see Prometheus again already. Not in an Avengers 'oh my fucking god that was so awesome let's go again' thrill ride way, more that I want to analyse and deconstruct it for my personal benefit, the same way I've done over the years with Scott's best work and Kubrick's also - and Prometheus really is Scott doing Kubrick as far as I'm concerned. I left the theatre feeling like I wasn't full up yet. Its not dissatisfaction - it's wanting more.

[Abagadro]

So are the horror elements jump scares and gooey monster stuff or anticipation/tension type stuff?

[sickrubik]

I think the Internet would have similar reactions to Blade Runner if it came out in modern times. HOW CAN WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENS.

Oh wait, WB added on that stupid voice-over. WAIT. DOES PROMETHEUS HAVE A VOICE OVER AT THE END? IS RACHAEL A CARRIER OF THE ALIEN?

D:

[Lakov_Sanite]

Not having seen the movie there is a scene in the trailer where its heavily implied that she is infected with something inside of her.

[Hutch]

Don't you know? It's cool to bag on Inception.

The only thing Inception didn't do right was to fit neatly into an existing genre. Which probably pissed off some critics, but I loved it. Would watch again.

[sickrubik]

Not having seen the movie there is a scene in the trailer where its heavily implied that she is infected with something inside of her.

Sean Young is in Prometheus?

[DraconianOne]

I expect a lot from Scott at his best -

...

 His career annoys me - it's a diamond studded minefield.

From the man who directed "Legend", "Someone To Watch Over Me", "GI Jane", "White Squall" and "A Good Year" comes a film about a woman and the android who loves her: "Prometheus"




Although, in in the interests of full disclosure, I quite liked Legend. Visually it was outstanding and Tim Curry's make-up was awesome. Also, Tangerine Dream!

[HaemishM]

Legend was a good, very underrated movie.

[01101010]

Legend was a good, very underrated movie.

Man, when I was a kid, that was at the top of my list. Even with Tom Cruise in it, it is still one of my favorite movies from that era, along with Labyrinth.

[Mattemeo]

Legend is amazing. I just wish they'd release the film with the Tangerine Dream soundtrack in the UK. It's one of the most glaring examples of the differences in regionalised features; the 2012 UK Bluray edition is a travesty.

[VainEldritch]

Legend was a good, very underrated movie.

Indeed, Legend is a stunnning take on the fairytale and pretty dark (demon kitchen axe-hacking, innocent fifteen year old princess seduced to her dark, lust-filled goth side - too bad the  studio wouldn't let Darkness fuck her as per the original script because that would have elevated Legend to the status of classic) and it is even better when viewed in the Director's Cut with the Goldsmith Sound Track as in the Ultimate Edition DVD version. I'd rank it as one Scott's best, along with Kingdom of Heaven (again, Director's Cut - fucking studio interference).

While he's raiding his back catalogue, I respectfully submit that Ridley should drop the Blade Runner sequel for now and do the far more important remake of  Legend following more closely Hjortsberg's original script.

[Cadaverine]

I'd rather he didn't do a remake of Legend.  There's just no way it would be as good as the original, even without Tom Cruise, and sticking closer to the original script.  Hell, to be fair to Cruise, it's one of a small number of movies where he wasn't just playing Tom Cruise doing stuff surrounded by other people.

[sickrubik]

Legend was a good, very underrated movie.

Man, when I was a kid, that was at the top of my list. Even with Tom Cruise in it, it is still one of my favorite movies from that era, along with Labyrinth.

You should check out the tee at ShirtPunch today. http://www.shirtpunch.com/

[Mrbloodworth]

No Tim curry, no legend.

[Mattemeo]

You should check out the tee at ShirtPunch today. http://www.shirtpunch.com/

I don't buy branded/printed tee's very often but that one? No brainer. Done deal.

[TheWalrus]

Hail, a_blatant_ripoff. That design was done much better on woot or teefury bout a month ago.

[Mattemeo]

Hail, a_blatant_ripoff. That design was done much better on woot or teefury bout a month ago.

I don't think it's a ripoff; it's just been printed on black for the first time to be sold as a one day special by shirtpunch. You can buy it on other colours for a considerably higher price at other online stores now that offer has expired.

[Kitsune]

Just got back from a midnight show here, and my overall impression is a meh.  Characters made several puzzling or outright stupid decisions for no better reason than forwarding the plot.  Most of the characters were faceless and unimportant.  There was a lot of grossout footage, and very little actual thoughtful stuff.

[Khaldun]

I am really on the fence about whether this is worth seeing. I'm not at all liking Ridley Scott's pontificating about how "Chariots of the Gods" was probably right, there are Things Not Meant to Know and all that jazz, which rather typically for him he seems to be utterly serious about. When Scott decides he has a Message, his filmmaking typically suffers. A lot.