So from what I'm hearing from early reactions, first 2/3 of the movie is very good, last act is so-so.

Ridley Scott did mention it has one scene that is the equivalent of the classic chestburster scene, in terms of shock value. hope that doesn't get cut. Scratch that, hopefully nothing gets cut at all.

A bunch of US and UK reviews are pouring in and they are all pretty enthusiastic about it. Sounds like this could be very good.

Is no where showing this in digital 2D? I have no interest in watching it in 3D (at least not for the first viewing). GSC and TGV are only showing this in the non-digital format.

Balls, no where is showing it in digital 2D.

Yes it was listed under digital 2D back when it was still "coming soon". Anyway I've just seen it in a GSC standard hall. They must have revamped and cleaned up stuff for the last few months, because despite the picture not being as sharp as digital (understandable), it is certainly bright enough, something that was a real problem before.

The movie? It's a right mess. But very watchable.

There may be MILD SPOILERS below. Nothing major, more like the general tone and direction of the movie, plus some stuff you would already have known if you have seen the trailer. All the same, I suggest skipping what follows and just watch the damn movie. I can't say you will like it, but damn, it's one of those event movies (AVATAR, TDK) you just have to see for yourself.

First things first, comparisons will be made with the first ALIEN film. Inevitable, because while PROMETHEUS does try to be stand-alone, it ultimately has a lot of relations to the ALIEN movie. A major thread of the plot concentrates on the species known as the space jockey (as glimpsed in the ALIEN). Plus, a reason why the movie remains watchable, especially in the first half, is that it feeds off the audiences' anticipation that it will finally integrate with the ALIEN world. That being said, the tone of the movie flails everywhere. At certain points it wants to be a poor man's 2001: ASO, other times it's ALIEN. You may also include EVENT HORIZON and SUNSHINE in there. The pacing though, is nothing like ALIEN. Where the 1979 film was slow and deliberate, this one simply cannot wait to cut to the chase. I guess that's a by-product of having so much crammed into two hours...

... which brings me to the script. Oh it's a pretty bad one. You have the philosophical overtones that are obvious, predictable, shallow, and literally blurted out by the characters. Yes, in-lieu of a subtle approach, Ridley and Lindelof pretty much instruct the characters to explain everything to us. And by everything I mean the motives and plot points, and not the answers. Because the script poses a shitload of questions in a very loud obnoxious way, and neglects to answer almost all of them. So what you get is a bunch of crass ideas and notions that never congeal into anything meaningful. One gets the feeling that they may have been saving it for the sequel, but even then I very much doubt we well get anything truly satisfying, because let's face it, when you asks delicate, philosophical questions in such crude manner, the answer if there is one will always be disappointing. I suspect the answer, if any, will be a very plot-centric one and not the contemplative ones truly great science fiction suggests. And the characters are not well drawn at all. They have nothing in common with the what we had in ALIEN, which gave us some of the most natural characters ever put on screen. Here it's all stock stereotypes. Really crude stuff again. Most of the actors do okay with what they have, which isn't much. Some of characters' actions are f***ing dumb. You'll know it when you see it.

The visuals have been praised by even the detractors, and they are very good. The CGI is seamless. But if you are expecting the photography to match that of ALIEN, get that out of your head. It's not. It is a very good looking picture though.

So yeah, it's a real mess of a film. And yet despite all the flaws, it remains a very watchable movie, first frame to last. The atmosphere is moody and grim, the tension is palpable, the scares are there, and all of it is FUN. Just ignore the bloody philosophical side of it.

This post has been edited by QuickFire: Jun 6 2012, 10:52 PM

It depends on the person watching, I guess. When I say the writing is rubbish, I mean that it presents its ideas in a very crude, rough manner (i.e. having characters blurt them out). It isn't subtle. Now subtlety isn't a necessity. Take, for example, the last great science fiction I can remember- Gattaca. The ideas there weren't subtle, but they were presented with class and heart. It provokes contemplation. In Prometheus, the only contemplation you have operates only on a plot level, never higher. You aren't really going to be thinking "is there a higher being up there? who created us?". At best, you will only be thinking "what were the space jockeys up to? did they really do that?"

Some people may like that though. Me, I think it's lazy writing.

Cuddles? Which scene is that?

This post has been edited by QuickFire: Jun 7 2012, 02:02 PM

I think you're filling the gaps left by the writers with pure conjecture.





Yeah, oddly enough, with such a terrible script, the movie is absolutely entertaining. I still can't be sure how good (or bad) it is, but I'll probably watch it at least once more.

If you have seen the trailer, there's a very obvious mural painting/carving of a xenomporh on the wall in the alien spaceship.

The last shot has a very clear reference to a xenomorph.

You should get the ALIEN and ALIENS blurays then. The transfer is stunning. Alien is a slowburn masterpiece in every regard. Aliens is a bit outdated, but still a great fun thrill ride.

Oh yeah, one more thing... I'm fine that the movie deals with the space jockeys, but I don't appreciate that



This post has been edited by QuickFire: Jun 7 2012, 11:08 PM

The xenomorph very likely existed before the events in Prometheus. How else do you explain the carving/mural of a xenomorph on the wall? It's even in the trailer.

What you're all doing is just pure speculation though. I don't partake in speculation because I think it's meaningless. There are literally hundreds of theories out there about what happened and what I'd about to happen... I just don't see the point of it. Just my opinion. Glad you guys can talk about it.

And please don't being AvP into this!

It kinda is a prequel though. You can't deny the multiple connection it has to the Alien franchise, what with the gratuitous last shot, the space jockeys, the facehuggers, the acid blood, etc. The other half of the movie wants to be standalone.

Prometheus pre-dates the first Alien, and has a number of key scenes that either relate directly or explain elements in Alien. I think that qualifies it as a quasi prequel.

SPOILERS

It is clear to me that the large facehugger and the xenomorph in the parting shot are early variants of the facehuggers and xenomorphs we see in the later films.

These aliens have similar traits with the black goo they (probably) came from, in that they are able to splice their own DNA and the hosts DNA to create something new and aggressive. The first alien in Alien (Kane's son) came from a human being and this stood on its hind legs. The xenomorph in Alien3 ran on all fours as it came from an ox/dog. Similarly, the xenomorph that came from the albino would look different because it gestated in a different organism.

Who's arguing?

Watched it a second time, this time in IMAX 3D.

Enjoyed it very much. Free of any pre-conceptions of what the movie does have and does not have, and letting the philosophical agendas slide, this is a good movie. The intellectual scope of it is extremely limited, but the narrative scope is epic. The only problem is that while the scope is impressive, the inability of the script to satisfyingly answer some of the basic questions is frustrating. I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt though; the sequel damn well better provide more concrete stuff. In fact, if this is the first of a two- or three-parter, and if the sequels deliver, I think the series has the potential to go down as a great. Not as a great intellectual sci-fi, but as an epic space adventure/horror franchise... I must admit, there is potential.

Plus I can see the sequel being better in terms of the characters. This one has way too many characters, 17 is just too many unless you plan to kill lost of them at the beginning and focus on the remaining few. Captain Janek is a really cool character, and is really the real hero in this, but he's just too underwritten. Same goes for Vickers. I actually liked her a lot, because she's hot and she emanates quite a bit of Ripley. By the end of the movie with most of the characters dead, the sequel should be able to focus more on just a few.

Btw, the 3D is useless. Given a choice of IMAX 3D or IMAX 2D, I'll go for the latter every time.

I remember watching MI:IV 2D at TGV IMAX though, and the picture clarity wasn't up to par. Prometheus 3D was crystal though. Perhaps they don't properly align the two projectors for 2D movies.

It's 100% intact buddy. There are a few pretty gross body shock horror scenes.

Sorry I mean they might not remove the 3D lens when projecting 2D movies.

Haha, for the current generation of kids who have never seen Alien or heard of the chestburster scene, I guess this is the closest one could get to a modern equivalent. Not quite as shocking as that classic scene (that had the element of shock surprise) but still great.

Clearly Prometheus is the latter.

I even read somewhere that Ridley approached making this with a sequel in mind. That explains why he got the writer of LOST I guess.

I pity you if you think these frivolities affect your enjoyment of movies.

Plus any way you cut it, Prometheus is more science fiction (remember the fiction part?) than The Avengers will ever be. You had to be joking with that comment.