Prometheus - Ridley Scott's 'Alien Prequel' (or not)...

[im]

I thought it was 'OK'

Right, here's Ridley dropping a hint about Prometheus 2 (whilst also talking about the new Blade Runner film)

http://www.metro.co.uk/film/914651-ridley-scott-bl...

[im]

HorneyMX5 said:

Just watched it and really enjoyed it. I have to say I thought the score was a bit "Star trek" though in places which didn't really fit the tension. Fassssbendy or however you spell it was excellent.

7/10

drumsterphil said:

Just got round to viewing this - what a load of tripe (or, more accurately, utter, utter ste!)

And that, in a nutshell, is the power of this film.

[im]

Having just watched it again can I just answer 1 point thats often raised...

Its about how shaw is able to run around having just had a caeserian section. The part of her stomach thats opened is heavily sprayed with a yellow anaesthetic and from that point on she jabs herself at least twice (three times if you count a deleted scene) with further pain retardent drugs which, as its the future, could make Morphine seem as effective as juju.

I'm still thinking about the other issues but having watched the commentary version and seen how much thought and discussion went into the final cut of the film I'd be surprised if all of the criticisms levelled against it were valid.

[im]

Pesty said:

Or scientists seeing alien life for the first time and being tottaly underwhelmed or scared.
[

Again, addressed by the deleted scenes section.

[im]

Pesty said:

What did the commentary say about the crew being dicks and the biggest dick who happens to be the map maker getting lost while in constant communication with the ship? Or the captain that didn't give a fk about them even though they were his responsibility.

I'm starting to get seriously concerned with the quality of criticisms around here now...

You say 'map maker'...please tell me who this cartographer was??? I don't recall anyone with that title. I do hope you don't mean the GEOLOGIST who deployed the mapping sensors for the ships computer to create the maps...

As for the captain not giving a fk about them, wasn't he the one who told them about the storm coming in and that they were to 'hunker down' for the night and he'd come and get them the next morning? Which he then did. What else was he supposed to do?

I do hope y'all are actually watching the film before passing comment because some of the critiques about the plot are nonsense.

[im]

Guvernator said:

im said:

Having just watched it again can I just answer 1 point thats often raised...

Its about how shaw is able to run around having just had a caeserian section. The part of her stomach thats opened is heavily sprayed with a yellow anaesthetic and from that point on she jabs herself at least twice (three times if you count a deleted scene) with further pain retardent drugs which, as its the future, could make Morphine seem as effective as juju.

I'm still thinking about the other issues but having watched the commentary version and seen how much thought and discussion went into the final cut of the film I'd be surprised if all of the criticisms levelled against it were valid.

We are not talking about the painkillers (although dosing up on so much so quickly should have obviously led to it's own set of problems) we are talking about the fact that she is running around, jumping etc mere minutes after she has had a her stomach opened up and stapled back together, sorry that is just silly. Her flesh has had zero time to knit\heal and those staples or painkillers aren't going to stop her abdomen from tearing open and her guts spilling out on the floor the first time she exerted herself in anyway. It would have made far more sense and pretty easy to have some sort of futuristic surgical laser to fuse\cauterise the wound and seal it back together but no they decided to use staples as it would be more shocking for the audience without thinking the rest through logically.

The film is full of these kinds of illogical misteps, done to create tension rather than to logically progress the story. Yes I know a lot of films have these but this one just takes it too far, I just found myself all to often being taken out of the film due to the ridiculousness of it. As others have said, the crap characters that I cared little about and the poor script didn't help in distracting me any either. Not really sure how anyone with more than a passing interest in films and sci-fi can try to defend this film to be honest, it's just very average to poor throughtout, I would have expected and accepted this from the director of AvP but not from someone of Ridley Scott's calibre

Look, I'm not defending the film just deriding some of the piss poor criticisms of it - not yours in particular by the way Having 31 of those staples the length of my arm at the moment your point is valid but not by as big a distance as you might think. I was able to use my arm ALMOST immediately but not as strenuously as the film depicts. I was certainly able to lift objects within a very short space of time. Artistic licence I suppose.

I'm disappointed with the film but some of the plot holes being mentioned are non-existent.

[im]

Pesty said:

Yes the geologist who got lost when all he had to do was call the ship for them to guide him out before the storm hit not keep walking around lost before it was too late.

Sorry, but hadn't the cartographer Geologist already wandered off when he was informed that the storm was about to hit? Didn't they decide that it was therefore too late for them to make it back to the ship in time?

Ergo..."hunker down...."

And again, you say "I get that you liked the film"...where have I said that?!?!

I'm just not gonna make ill thought out criticisms based upon my general dislike of it.

Look here's a proper, well thought out criticism of Aliens:

How does Ripley hang on to a ladder while a power loader suit, an alien queen and the vacuum of space itself are pulling against her. It would actually be an accomplishment to last more than a split second with any of those 3. Indeed its a physically impossibity.

But people overlook this due to their general love of the film. The opposite appears to be happening here.

Edited by im on Sunday 14th October 16:59

[im]

Pesty said:

im said:

Sorry, but hadn't the cartographer Geologist already wandered off when he was informed that the storm was about to hit? Didn't they decide that it was therefore too late for them to make it back to the ship in time?

They left to make their way back before the others. The others got back in time they didnt because they got lost.

Yes they got lost but at that point there was no rush for them to get back to the ship, it only became an issue when the storm appeared, no?

OK, "I get that you don't like the film"

[im]

Pesty said:

I notice you have ignored all comments about his behaviour and that he would not be there in the first place.

No, thats your 1 criticism thats made sense, his characterization of a geologist is...improbable...to say the least and it would be interesting to hear the thought-process Ridley (or whoever) used to create his personality.

[im]

JonRB said:

crazy about cars said:

Just watched this and I'm totally blown away! Not many movies can make me feel this way lately but this is definitely it. It's just something about the whole package that makes it a very enjoyable movie to watch.

Oh dear. You are clearly easily pleased.

Followed by....

JonRB said:

As an aside, I really enjoyed "Cowboys & Aliens".

[im]

JonRB said:

Not at all. I had zero expectations of "Cowboys vs Aliens".

But strangely found it to be actually really good?

[im]

Halb said:

Aliens might be described as popcorn whatever by some, if so, it is the best of it's genre. Thats why it is still loved and still quoted..

OK, time for another Aliens plot hole the size of which is unmatched by anything in the very average Prometheus...

In the first Alien film, a single drop of alien blood melts through several floors of the Nostromo. In Aliens when the sentry guns mow down zillions of aliens, there is no structural damage/melting of any of the corridors...

Again, because the film pleases overall you never get these type of criticisms.

Oh...and just how did Newt survive months amongst them when a bunch of commandos cant hide from them for 10 minutes?

Come on, you want plot holes, take another look at Aliens.

Edited by im on Monday 15th October 00:04

[im]

Halb said:

im said:

It should be films since that is what you are describing, and if you hadn't already realised the laws are changed in each subsequent film and the 'canon' is updated.
That is why what you post isn't the same.

Sorry fella, canon wasn't changed regarding their blood being highly acidic in any of the films.

im said:

Oh...and just how did Newt survive months amongst them when a bunch of commandos cant hide from them for 10 minutes?

The kid whose main aim was to hide, and the marines firing off guns whose main aim was not to hide? Riiiiihgt.

Yeah, cos sticking a cowering, wimping young 8 year old kid in a sealed compound with thousands of the universes most bad-ass creatures and her surviving isn't stretching credibility way past breaking point.

Riiiiihgt.

And, it would appear that 200 years from now, with FTL travel etc the US maines still pack shotguns

Kinda like todays troops in Afghanistan riding into bandit country with musket and shot.

Look, IMHO it aint great, it aint even 'quite good', but slagging off people who actually enjoyed it is a bit ripe when using the 'plot holes' argument.

It didn't live up to what we Alien fans all wanted which was film in the same mold as Alien. I was disappointed. But hey, if thats not your frame of reference then the film is actually very passable.

[im]

Well you're in a minority halb.

Imdb have it at 7.3/10 whilst Rotten Tomatoes has it at 74%

Both a smidge above my score but judging by your nonsense comments waaaaaay above what you'd give it, no?

BTW, what would you give it, out of 10?

[im]

ZesPak said:

I can handle alternate realities, warp speeds, timetravelling but petting an alien snake on first contact is just too unreal for me.

Again, ths is dealt with in cut scenes. They actully happen upon the maggots prior to this and are all blown away at their first glimpse of true Alien life that isn't microbial. Their contact with those creatures without any repercussions is what gives them the confidence to touch the cobra thingy.

In order to make the film 2 hours this too was left out.

The real shame though is the bit thats cut out when the Engineer is hunting Shaw onboard the escape pod. This was very reminiscent of the Alien hunting Ripley on the Nostromo and would have added so much to the finished film. During this hunt shaw constantly chops at him with an axe type implement and it explained the engineers seeming desperation to kill her, he was already badly hurt himself.

In fact, fk it, I'll make the sequel

[im]

The Beaver King said:

Wouldn't work. Engineer alien would of had to be a queen to lay all the eggs on the engineer's ship in place for 'Alien'.

In Ridleys Alien Universe there aren't any Alien Queens, thats not how they reproduce. The Alien Queen was entirely a Cameron construct. Ridleys replication process in the Alien film was far more, well, 'Alien' than that.

[im]

Zod said:

im said:

The Beaver King said:

Wouldn't work. Engineer alien would of had to be a queen to lay all the eggs on the engineer's ship in place for 'Alien'.

In Ridleys Alien Universe there aren't any Alien Queens, thats not how they reproduce. The Alien Queen was entirely a Cameron construct. Ridleys replication process in the Alien film was far more, well, 'Alien' than that.

Ridley didn't tell us where the eggs came from. Which came first, the Alien (in whichever form) or the Egg?

He showed us in the deleted scenes section how the eggs were created.

[im]

JonRB said:

The fact that people can make very well reasoned and structured objections to elements of the film does not make them stupid, as you seem to be implying. On the contrary, it shows that they have really thought about it.

Like Alien this film leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions, I suspect its meant to.

This film is dividing people soooo much that I suspect any sequel will also do good box office.

[im]

JonRB said:

Bedazzled said:

And yet that's exactly how people reacted to HAL losing its mind

Well, those that hadn't read the book.

The point is that, once explained, HAL's malfunction and actions made complete sense. It stands up to scrutiny.

Conversely, many of the actions of the characters in Prometheus make no sense and do not stand up to scrutiny.

...and perhaps thats the point, Prometheus 2 could well do what 2010, 2061and 3001 did. You don't need all of the answers in one hit - Alien certainly didn't give them to you hence this film.

ETA Damn, beaten to it by Garyhun.

[im]

rhinochopig said:

And the cartographer / geologist who has no sense of direction and can't use his own equipment to work out where they are.

What equipment did the geologist have on him at that point to work out where they were?