1929 replies to this topic

[king mark]

I like that theme.

I haven't seen the film yet but I expect to like it more than Avengers

[KK.]

Its better than the Avengers.

[king mark]

3 weeks after seeing it that film has left zero impression on me or any desire to see it again

[KK.]

The Avengers has become pretty overrated. It's not bad and its not very good either. Prometheus is definitely better than The Avengers, it just has its own flaws and fails on expectations.

[king mark]

But i liked Hunger Games a lot more than you did I think, so I expect to like Prometheus less

[KK.]

This is how things played out for me.

Prometheus > The Avengers > The Hunger Games

The size of the "greater than" signs determine the magnitude of difference in quality of the film.

[Jason LeBlanc]

Nope! KM likes it [Sucker Punch].

I don't think he's seen it either. I think I'm the only one on the board who likes Sucker Punch.

3 weeks after seeing it that film [The Avengers] has left zero impression on me or any desire to see it again

[Joey]

Well last night, I came home from watching the film and decided to take the night to think over it and let it soak in. And now I can honestly say the best word to describe this film is frustrating.

First of all, the film looks stunningly gorgeous. The movie is a real piece of eye candy. The opening landscapes were breathtaking and the ships and the visuals continued to impress consistently throughout the film.

Spoiler

However, the root of the film's problems lies in its plot and script. Numerous plot holes taint this film. The plot also really lacks focus. It's hard not to be confused at the origin of the alien or the engineers' weapons. And at one point, the film becomes an amalgamation of cheap thrills and shocks. I mean look at the engineers' weapon specifically. What does it do exactly? At the beginning, we see that it just kills the engineers. Then, later we see that it has a similar effect again but at a much slower pace...but somehow it also implants an alien into Shaw. Alright, I can live with that. But what about the reptile alien that killed the two guys in the cave? How did it form from the black stuff? And what about the guy who was originally burnt? Suddenly he's all alive and kicking like a zombie unexplained...big wtf moments like that seem to be cheap shots at just keeping the adrenaline pumped up.

Characters were kind of mixed. Vicars is great if only she was given a more definite purpose. Fassbender also did an excellent job with his enticing performance as David. The captain was good too, but the others have their fair share of flaws. I wasn't fond of our American Tom Hardy here and it took some effort to get into Shaw. The likeability of the characters isn't too great but I didn't mind that. Also, the friends that accompanied me also pointed out the lack of common sense during the part where Vicars died (just run AWAY from the ship's shadow).

Regardless of its flaws, it's not a downright terrible film. I mean, the viewing experience is incredibly immersive and thrilling, only after having finished do you realize how flawed it was. This film was definitely far more engaging than the other big films of the year (The Hunger Games, The Avengers, etc) and as BloodBoal said, it's better than Avatar.

It's just incredibly frustrating to see the huge amount of potential for this to be a truly great film, but its just executed poorly,ending in a rather big mess of ideas and concepts. To its credit, the first half (by that i mean up to the first deaths) is very strong and really engrossing in its mystery and intrigue (that opening sequence is beautiful). It's just the second half where everything falls apart. And that sucks because I loved the questions that Ridley Scott tries to ask...he just fails to answer them.

I now see why people responded with such a negative view. I think the inability to live up to the potential it sets up for itself is what pisses me off. In the end, it wasn't an awful film but it's not the great film many of us were expecting. For those who haven't seen it yet, you will come out of the theater entertained as long as you are able to taper your expectations. About 10 min later, all it's many plot holes will come crashing on to you. But during the viewing, the film does keep your acknowledgement of it's many flaws at bay because the movie will have you glued onto the screen (even if with use of cheap shots). I bet people would be tolerant of this movie if it had no association with Alien or the franchise. As it is, its an absolutely breathtaking film stylistically, but a flawed work as a whole and a huge let-down for eager fans. So I guess I'm closer to Joey's boat rather than Quints.

Spoiler

By the way, it's hard to believe this isn't the same planet because the destruction of the ship leaves in the same position as it was found in Alien.

Oh and the music was quite fitting for the film. Williams' beautiful theme is not supposed to be the main theme but it's definitely the most memorable and it was quite apr for Scott's big questions about life. Expect a review of the score later this week.

This is not the same planet. This film's planet had a very earth like atmosphere with to much C02.

I have to disagree, Prometheus is not as good as Avatar. Not even close. Avatar succeeds on so many more levels than than this film, but even then they are so different.

I don't want to be too harsh on Prometheus because it really is too new and fresh. I admit I wasn't in love with Alien back in 79 like I am today. Alien has been served well by the passage of time and perspective. Prometheus may well have the same luck.

[Alexcremers]

I don't think he's seen it either.

Are you calling me a liar?

[Matt C]

I don't see why people were expecting the second coming of Alien or Blade Runner to be honest. That said, I think this is a good movie -- a solid entry, and better than Scott's past several films. It's stunningly shot, and the 3D format is just as immersive and visual pop like Avatar and Hugo were.

The big problems are the paper-thin supporting characters (especially Logan Marshall-Green and Charlize Theron) and some questionable plot turns (especially concerning David's actions and the Engineer's motives). But Scott does recapture some of that shock and white-knuckle terror from Alien in two great scenes -- both involving Noomi Rapace -- which alone are worth the price of admission.

I think the movie would've been tremendously better if Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender were the sole characters in the film -- they were great together. Rapace proves that her turn as Lisbeth Salander in the Millennium Trilogy is no fluke, and I look forward to seeing her expand her English-speaking resume in further leading roles.

[Alexcremers]

RT: Prometheus: 206 reviews counted: 74%! Damn, I'm still 4% off!

Audience: 75%


Audience and critics agree, it's a good 7/10 movie.

[Quint]

Hey score boy, what percentage do you forsee yourself giving the movie?

[crocodile]

Its better than the Avengers.

No it's not, that's the great irony, because The Avengers doesn't aim high. But at least it has character and plot. And themes and ideas that actually pay off (however simple they are). Prometheus has none of that.

Karol

[Quint]

The Avengers is brisk and fun. A more successful movie than Prometheus.

[Koray Savas]

The courtesy has sort of been ignored in this thread but I'll warn anyway - spoilers below.


I just got out of the film earlier tonight, so while it's still fresh I'll try to analyze it with everyone else's criticisms in mind. Lee and Karol severely overreacted here. Trash, shite? Really? Get over your disappointment and look at this rationally, the film is far from bad. I'll start off with the visuals; I saw it in 2D (I hate how we have to clarify this nowadays, I'll never watch a film in 3D again). The effects are nothing short of superb; paired with the cinematography they blend well and look as convincing as anything I've seen to date. The film has a really nice color tone to it, a bit gray but enough starkness and contrast to keep it looking sharp.

Obviously the major problem with this film lies in its script, which is not poorly written, but problematic nonetheless. Its story is simple: scientists discover a planet that could explain the origin of our species. They go check it out, problems ensue. That's more or less it, and what makes it problematic are the characters. I had no trouble understanding what happened on this planet. Our species, which is much more advanced than what we thought, ran into a little problem here with another life form. How it connects to Alien is simple. The alien DNA got filtered through ours and that spawned the giant face hugger which led to the xenomorph. It figured a way off the planet and voila. How these more advanced humans relate to us is not really explained. Obviously they want us dead, Shaw wants to know why but she doesn't get the answer. We don't need to know it. The prologue doesn't make sense to me, however. The guy consumes the black liquid, and it destroys him on a molecular level. It is the source of everything it seems, but this where I would have liked to know more. What it did to Charlie and how it resurrected him; and what was it meant to do initially? Tying it all back to the character issue, they are all poorly developed, so it doesn't help the story they're in. Clearly Shaw is the protagonist, but in terms of screen time and how she relates to the events in the film, she doesn't stand out. Everyone blends into a group quite well, and thus none of them gets the arc that they need to make the film work on a greater level. As I mentioned in the other thread, Janek is my favorite character. His character works and Elba brings a lot to it. Everyone else are kinda just there, and it gets a bit messy when Guy Pearce is introduced and Shaw gives herself the cesarian (though that scene in particular was great).

Streitenfeld's underscore and Gregson-Williams' theme work to great effect in the film. It really punches the film forward when it needs it, and sits back when it doesn't. Well spotted, I thought, and the classical piece at the credits was a good choice too. Pietro Scalia's editing is on point as usual. Elba, Fassbender, Rapace, and Theron all deliver fine performances, but again no one really shines, and that has to do with the screenplay, which I see was written by a first-timer. I believe Lindelof was brought in to rewrite it, no?

Anyway, a good movie, an enjoyable experience, but really held back by the script, in my opinion.

[BloodBoal]

Spoiler

The prologue doesn't make sense to me, however. The guy consumes the black liquid, and it destroys him on a molecular level. It is the source of everything it seems, but this where I would have liked to know more. What it did to Charlie and how it resurrected him; and what was it meant to do initially?

What are you talking about? It never resurrected Charlie.

David's plan was to have Charlie drink the black goo, because he kew Charlie would have sex with Shaw later on (how did he know they would have sex before Charlie would die? Ask Lindelof!) and that would create some biological mumbo-jumbo that would lead to the birth of the very first facehugger. And what a cutie pie it is!

[Quint]

Charlie was the second biggest dickhead in the movie. Just sayin'.

[BloodBoal]

Tough call. They were lots of dickheads in this film.

[crocodile]

The courtesy has sort of been ignored in this thread but I'll warn anyway - spoilers below.


I just got out of the film earlier tonight, so while it's still fresh I'll try to analyze it with everyone else's criticisms in mind. Lee and Karol severely overreacted here. Trash, shite? Really? Get over your disappointment and look at this rationally, the film is far from bad. I'll start off with the visuals; I saw it in 2D (I hate how we have to clarify this nowadays, I'll never watch a film in 3D again). The effects are nothing short of superb; paired with the cinematography they blend well and look as convincing as anything I've seen to date. The film has a really nice color tone to it, a bit gray but enough starkness and contrast to keep it looking sharp.

Obviously the major problem with this film lies in its script, which is not poorly written, but problematic nonetheless. Its story is simple: scientists discover a planet that could explain the origin of our species. They go check it out, problems ensue. That's more or less it, and what makes it problematic are the characters. I had no trouble understanding what happened on this planet. Our species, which is much more advanced than what we thought, ran into a little problem here with another life form. How it connects to Alien is simple. The alien DNA got filtered through ours and that spawned the giant face hugger which led to the xenomorph. It figured a way off the planet and voila. How these more advanced humans relate to us is not really explained. Obviously they want us dead, Shaw wants to know why but she doesn't get the answer. We don't need to know it. The prologue doesn't make sense to me, however. The guy consumes the black liquid, and it destroys him on a molecular level. It is the source of everything it seems, but this where I would have liked to know more. What it did to Charlie and how it resurrected him; and what was it meant to do initially? Tying it all back to the character issue, they are all poorly developed, so it doesn't help the story they're in. Clearly Shaw is the protagonist, but in terms of screen time and how she relates to the events in the film, she doesn't stand out. Everyone blends into a group quite well, and thus none of them gets the arc that they need to make the film work on a greater level. As I mentioned in the other thread, Janek is my favorite character. His character works and Elba brings a lot to it. Everyone else are kinda just there, and it gets a bit messy when Guy Pearce is introduced and Shaw gives herself the cesarian (though that scene in particular was great).

Streitenfeld's underscore and Gregson-Williams' theme work to great effect in the film. It really punches the film forward when it needs it, and sits back when it doesn't. Well spotted, I thought, and the classical piece at the credits was a good choice too. Pietro Scalia's editing is on point as usual. Elba, Fassbender, Rapace, and Theron all deliver fine performances, but again no one really shines, and that has to do with the screenplay, which I see was written by a first-timer. I believe Lindelof was brought in to rewrite it, no?

Anyway, a good movie, an enjoyable experience, but really held back by the script, in my opinion.

So you're saying the script is not that bad, but the characters are poorly developed. Doesn't make sense to me, mate.

You see, I have no problems with the concept and basic story idea of this film, the thing that you seem to be so excited about. I get what it's trying to do. I get all the "irony of a sterile woman that gives birth to the new species" theme and all that. It's not WHAT story they're telling, but the EXECUTION of these ideas through characters and plot. On this level the film is a massive, massive failure. On top of that, it's not interesting, or scary, or exciting. The audience talked and laughed over the film at my showing. It's a fairly good idea badly put together.

Spoiler

And I would have liked had the film stayed away from the Alien series, as they promised. It's not good if you know exactly what the last shot will look like 60 minutes before it happens. You're watching a movie about "engineers', "gods" and "creating life" and, yeah, "sterile woman" set in the same universe as the Alien films. What a surprise, schock, horror! It's all so ham-fisted.

Add al this pompous cosmic-scale speeches on top of that where characters explain why this film is a serious s-f, and you end up with bad indigestion.

Karol

[Thor]

Man, I have to stop clicking on this thread. The negativity is stunning. Guess I'm still hoping for a bit of 'balance to the force'.

[Quint]

Sorry we didn't all love it, Thor. On the plus side I did love Tintin - a movie of equal hype and expectation. I mention that because it almost seems like you believe the "negativity" surrounding Prometheus is trollish and mean spirited.

[publicist]

Normally he relishes being the odd man out-role, so don't worry.

[Quint]

Yep.

[Alexcremers]

Man, I have to stop clicking on this thread. The negativity is stunning. Guess I'm still hoping for a bit of 'balance to the force'.

I'm trying to offer that by placing the negativity of an enclosed place like JWfan against the reality of the real world.

[Quint]

Again, because on this occasion it suits him, Alex is all for the opinion of average Joe and his buddies on imdb.

Let us just remember that the next time he's sneering at 'them' as if he's trying to pass himself off as some sort of aloof erudite (in his dreams).

[Alexcremers]

Again, because on this occasion it suits him, Alex is all for the opinion of average Joe and his buddies on imdb.

There's nothing wrong with IMDb. In the end, the opinion of the general audience is never that different from the critics. Say, why do you speak about me as if I'm not here, Quint, the negative?

Hey score boy, what percentage do you forsee yourself giving the movie?

Knowing myself, I'll probably flush it through the toilet.

Nobody here is more critical for the science fiction genre than me. I hate most of them, even though it's my favorite genre.

[Quint]

For comic effect. It's all in jest, Alex. Fellas in groups continuously take the piss out of each other, directly and indirectly. It's a basic and very much practised form of social interaction.

You can counter it if you want by telling me it's merely my way of hiding and drawing attention away from my own failings and inner demons. If you can do it in the form of a deeply cutting joke then you have cracked it!

[Alexcremers]

Yes ... it's something the Koray still must master.

[Quint]

Glad you didn't take issue with my deliberately patronising tone

[Thor]

Normally he relishes being the odd man out-role, so don't worry.

Not really, no. I just like to be honest, and it appears that my opinions and preferences frequently run counter to the majority views on some issues.

But nice to know that you enjoyed TINTIN, Quint. We agree on that. Except for an over-reliance on swirling cameras (digital cinematography gone haywire!), it was a pure feast!

[Jason LeBlanc]

I don't think he's seen it either.

Are you calling me a liar?

Woah, why jump to an insane conclusion like that? I just couldn't remember if he had seen it or not. That's why I said "think". Sheesh!

[Chaac]

Nobody here is more critical for the science fiction genre than me. I hate most of them, even though it's my favorite genre.

I identify with this sentiment.

[Alexcremers]

Woah, why jump to an insane conclusion like that? I just couldn't remember if he had seen it or not. That's why I said "think". Sheesh!

Are you calling me insane?

[Quint]

Normally he relishes being the odd man out-role, so don't worry.

Not really, no. I just like to be honest, and it appears that my opinions and preferences frequently run counter to the majority views on some issues.

But nice to know that you enjoyed TINTIN, Quint. We agree on that. Except for an over-reliance on swirling cameras (digital cinematography gone haywire!), it was a pure feast!

But that ridiculously long one-shot action sequence was a major highlight and an absolute marvel of staging, man!

[KK.]

Its better than the Avengers.

No it's not, that's the great irony, because The Avengers doesn't aim high. But at least it has character and plot. And themes and ideas that actually pay off (however simple they are). Prometheus has none of that.

Karol

I get what you mean. But Prometheus was at the very least engaging and entertaining while viewing it. The Avengers was predictable in every sense (understandably of course) with the occaisonal jabs at humour which helped sustain the film.

Prometheus is a flawed work, but at the very least it is an engaging film. If you're able to let go of all the thin characters and plot holes, then you could come out of the film very entertained. Only later will you realize how flawed it was.

Spoiler

The prologue doesn't make sense to me, however. The guy consumes the black liquid, and it destroys him on a molecular level. It is the source of everything it seems, but this where I would have liked to know more. What it did to Charlie and how it resurrected him; and what was it meant to do initially?

This is exactly I was wondering about Koray and I mentioned it in my write up.

What are you talking about? It never resurrected Charlie.

Yes it did. Somewhere during Shaw's surgical procedure (which was pretty damn scary), Charlie was resurrected into some mindless, man-killing zombie. That was a big wtf moment because it completely breaks down the purpose of the black liquid. That and the reptile that killed the two guys in the cave...where did that come from? And what did it have to do with the black liquid?

Ultimately those scenes were just added to pump up the adrenaline and scare the audience even more. Its meaningless and cheap attempts to keep the audience frightened like that bring down the film.

David's plan was to have Charlie drink the black goo, because he kew Charlie would have sex with Shaw later on (how did he know they would have sex before Charlie would die? Ask Lindelof!) and that would create some biological mumbo-jumbo that would lead to the birth of the very first facehugger. And what a cutie pie it is!

I got that. And that first facehugger is huge. But it completely ruins the point of the prologue (although it was a beautiful sequence). The black liquid killed the engineer, as Koray said, on a molecular level. But later it seems to give birth to aliens and resurrect its victims. Did the engineers know that? Seems like a bunch of plot holes to me....

[BloodBoal]

Spoiler

What are you talking about? It never resurrected Charlie.

Yes it did. Somewhere during Shaw's surgical procedure (which was pretty damn scary), Charlie was resurrected into some mindless, man-killing zombie. That was a big wtf moment because it completely breaks down the purpose of the black liquid. That and the reptile that killed the two guys in the cave...where did that come from? And what did it have to do with the black liquid?

Spoiler

It wasn't Charlie. It was Fifield. If you're gonna criticize the film, at least do it properly!

The reptile thing was some sort of worm that mutated when it entered in contact with the black goo. You see it when they first enter in the jars room.

Spoiler

David's plan was to have Charlie drink the black goo, because he kew Charlie would have sex with Shaw later on (how did he know they would have sex before Charlie would die? Ask Lindelof!) and that would create some biological mumbo-jumbo that would lead to the birth of the very first facehugger. And what a cutie pie it is!

Spoiler

I got that. And that first facehugger is huge. But it completely ruins the point of the prologue (although it was a beautiful sequence). The black liquid killed the engineer, as Koray said, on a molecular level. But later it seems to give birth to aliens and resurrect its victims. Did the engineers know that? Seems like a bunch of plot holes to me....

Spoiler

Well, like I said, it didn't resurrect Charlie (see above), it killed him. You fail. Lindelof wins!

[KK.]

Spoiler

What are you talking about? It never resurrected Charlie.

Yes it did. Somewhere during Shaw's surgical procedure (which was pretty damn scary), Charlie was resurrected into some mindless, man-killing zombie. That was a big wtf moment because it completely breaks down the purpose of the black liquid. That and the reptile that killed the two guys in the cave...where did that come from? And what did it have to do with the black liquid?

Spoiler

It wasn't Charlie. It was Fifield. If you're gonna criticize the film, at least do it properly!

The reptile thing was some sort of worm that mutated when it entered in contact with the black goo. You see it when they first enter in the jars room.

Oh, I remember that...thanks for the clarification!

Spoiler

David's plan was to have Charlie drink the black goo, because he kew Charlie would have sex with Shaw later on (how did he know they would have sex before Charlie would die? Ask Lindelof!) and that would create some biological mumbo-jumbo that would lead to the birth of the very first facehugger. And what a cutie pie it is!

Spoiler

I got that. And that first facehugger is huge. But it completely ruins the point of the prologue (although it was a beautiful sequence). The black liquid killed the engineer, as Koray said, on a molecular level. But later it seems to give birth to aliens and resurrect its victims. Did the engineers know that? Seems like a bunch of plot holes to me....

Spoiler

Well, like I said, it didn't resurrect Charlie (see above), it killed him. You fail. Lindelof wins!

Spoiler

Ok, but still fails to explain the purpose of the black stuff. First of all, it didn't kill Charlie. Charlie died by Vicars' flames. Next, if the black stuff is supposed to kill instantly, why did it make Fitfield the mindless zombie with super-human strength?! And if Charlie wasn't burned, would the same have happened to him? And all of this still doesn't explain how the freakin' alien fetus got into Shaw. The purpose of the black liquid continues to remain ambigious. Still smells like plot holes to me. I win

[crocodile]

Spoiler

What are you talking about? It never resurrected Charlie.

Yes it did. Somewhere during Shaw's surgical procedure (which was pretty damn scary), Charlie was resurrected into some mindless, man-killing zombie. That was a big wtf moment because it completely breaks down the purpose of the black liquid. That and the reptile that killed the two guys in the cave...where did that come from? And what did it have to do with the black liquid?

Spoiler

It wasn't Charlie. It was Fifield. If you're gonna criticize the film, at least do it properly!

The reptile thing was some sort of worm that mutated when it entered in contact with the black goo. You see it when they first enter in the jars room.

Oh, I remember that...thanks for the clarification!

Spoiler

David's plan was to have Charlie drink the black goo, because he kew Charlie would have sex with Shaw later on (how did he know they would have sex before Charlie would die? Ask Lindelof!) and that would create some biological mumbo-jumbo that would lead to the birth of the very first facehugger. And what a cutie pie it is!

Spoiler

I got that. And that first facehugger is huge. But it completely ruins the point of the prologue (although it was a beautiful sequence). The black liquid killed the engineer, as Koray said, on a molecular level. But later it seems to give birth to aliens and resurrect its victims. Did the engineers know that? Seems like a bunch of plot holes to me....

Spoiler

Well, like I said, it didn't resurrect Charlie (see above), it killed him. You fail. Lindelof wins!

Spoiler

Ok, but still fails to explain the purpose of the black stuff. First of all, it didn't kill Charlie. Charlie died by Vicars' flames. Next, if the black stuff is supposed to kill instantly, why did it make Fitfield the mindless zombie with super-human strength?! And if Charlie wasn't burned, would the same have happened to him? And all of this still doesn't explain how the freakin' alien fetus got into Shaw. The purpose of the black liquid continues to remain ambigious. Still smells like plot holes to me. I win

Spoiler

Whoever wins, the film loses

Karol

[Chaac]

I'm starting to think I'm going to dislike this film.

[BloodBoal]

You should stop thinking and just dislike it.

Spoiler

Ok, but still fails to explain the purpose of the black stuff. First of all, it didn't kill Charlie. Charlie died by Vicars' flames. Next, if the black stuff is supposed to kill instantly, why did it make Fitfield the mindless zombie with super-human strength?! And if Charlie wasn't burned, would the same have happened to him? And all of this still doesn't explain how the freakin' alien fetus got into Shaw. The purpose of the black liquid continues to remain ambigious. Still smells like plot holes to me. I win

First, it's "Vickers", not "Vicars". There was no vicar on that ship.
Next, it's "Fifield", not "Fitfield", because that character clearly was not fit for the field.

Spoiler

Thirdly, Fifiled entered in contact only with the "blood" of the snake, not with black goo. Who knows what effect this should have on him? But whatever, that scene was moronic indeed.
Regarding Charlie, he died, so we'll never know. End of discussion here!
You don't know how the alien foetus got into Shaw? Do you need me to do a drawing?