Prometheus previews and spoilers

duked1989:
'Prometheus' Review

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“Prometheus”, the sci-fi thriller that marks Ridley Scotts return to the genre, is a cerebral and intense motion picture that asks a lot of challenging questions in an attempt to be more than the average blockbuster. Does it exceed? Well my answer would be yes…but only barely.

Most people, like me, were fairly excited when they learned Scott would return to science fiction. He is responsible for two of the best films of the genre, “Alien” and “Blade Runner”; and when word spread that his newest film would be a sort of quasi-prequel to “Alien”, taking place in the same universe, lots of rumors began to swirl as to what exactly we would be getting.

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Well, the story here revolves around two scientists, Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway, who have discovered various ancient cave carvings and drawings across the globe from different cultures that depict the same scene, people worshipping tall creatures pointing to a cluster of stars. Because these civilizations never had any contact, and because the star cluster is located so far from earth that humans would have never known it existed, Shaw and Holloway go to the large and powerful Weyland Industries to get funding for a trip to these planets, one of which just so happens to contain a moon that might be able to support life. But why risk so much on such a long and expensive journey? Shaw and Holloway believe that the drawings they found are an invitation from “engineers”, intelligent life forms that created life on earth, and they as well as the founder of Weyland Industries hope to find the origins of life, and the reasons for our existence.

When the crew headed by Meredith Vickers, a strict representative from Weyland Industries, reaches the moon what they find might not only provide the answers to life that they were looking for, but also bring about the very destruction of that life. All exacerbated by members of the crew, including an all too human android named David, who appear to have hidden agendas.

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The entire plot is very thought-provoking. Mainly because the questions brought up, such as the creation of life, planet seeding, and trying to find the answers to why we are here, are all challenging and universal. The only problem is that it doesn’t do very much to answer any of them. There is a bit of ambiguity surrounding the events of the film that I did in fact enjoy. There are times when it leaves thing open for interoperation, understanding that in reality many of these questions can’t be answer, and instead just provides alternative explanations. This is all fine, what bothered me though was when many of these themes were just dropped from the film after only being brought up once. For instance, there is a moment in which Shaw and Holloway talk about god and how if these “engineers” are responsible for life, should she remove her cross necklace because it means a god doesn’t exist. In the very same conversation one of them questions the important of life if it can be created so easily. Both are very intriguing notions, but both never really come up again. Yes, the audience can take what happens in the story and try to make their own assumptions as to god and the importance of life, but the real issue is that the characters themselves never really do this.

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This mostly has to do with my second big issue of the film, which was the lack of really any development of the crew members outside of Shaw. One thing I enjoyed about “Prometheus”, which is one thing I loved about “Alien”, was that it takes it time. It doesn’t really jump right into the action. The major difference is that whereas in “Alien” the crew members seem to all have their own personalities and we get enough of each to care or at least make us think we know them, “Prometheus” fails to make anyone, besides a very select few members of the crew, have any development. This wouldn’t usually be an issue even if death in horror films is made more effective when those threatened are people we care about; but considering stuff that happens in the end, when some of the characters make decisions that could typically make for rather emotional moments but alas because we know nothing about them it just doesn’t hit as hard as it could. So with more development, not only could there have been more of an emotional connection with the crew, it would have also let them have more time to contemplate all these questions the film asked. It makes me wonder and hope that a director’s cut will be released.

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Thematic and character issues aside, the film is damn near perfect on a visual and heart pounding intensity level. The set designs, of the ship Prometheus and foreign world for example, are stunning. This comes as no surprise given that Scott has always been very good at creating futuristic worlds. His use of 3-D was also incredibly effective. It isn’t used simply as a gimmick, nothing made to come shooting out of the screen for scares, it is just there to add a bit of depth which I like.

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As for the horror/thriller aspects of the story….well the first thing that came to mind when I walked out of the theater was that what I just watched was absolutely insane. Like “Alien” it just has those totally shocking, eerie and at times bloody moments that are not for the squeamish. This was incredibly satisfying of course; of all the things I wanted from the film, to feel completely uncomfortable at times and just stunned by what I was seeing on screen was one of them. It is in these two ways, the visual beauty and intensity, in which the film really makes up for some of the previously mentioned flaws.

Another of the films redeeming qualities are the performances from the main cast, which were generally great. Michael Fassbender steals the show, as the eerie and impassive android David. Fassbender is always brilliant, and the mystery and wonder he brings to David makes for a fascinating but also unnerving character. Noomi Rapace (Shaw) was also wonderful. She is one of the better actresses to emerge in the past few years, and the emotion and horror really work all the better when being channeled through her. Also, Charlize Theron is at her stone cold bitchiest and Idris Elda just continues to prove he is one of the coolest individuals around, which made them both fun to watch. The supporting cast held their ground I guess, though most were just the stereotypical hard-ass’s “just here to get paid” while being complete morons until their inevitable death.

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So in the end, I can say that I did in fact highly enjoy “Prometheus”. It works on a whole lot of levels, in being both visually stunning and intensely thrilling. Its only fault is that it tried to be a bit too smart, asking far too many questions, and not having answers to most of them. Perhaps on another viewing, or given more time to mull it over…or if a director’s cut comes out with more story and characters…then I will think more highly of the themes it attempts to tackled. Until then I can only admire it for being a better than average sci-fi thriller blockbuster and at least trying to strive to be challenging and thought provoking, and maybe that is enough, but I can’t help feel a little let down.

hezagons:

I just saw Prometheus. All-in-all, it was a good movie that had the potential for greatness; unfortunately, it fell short. It was very well paced with a slew of visceral impact erupting as the film approached its end, but it failed to provide the final punch. Also, it is apparent that Ridley Scott “dumbed-down” some elements of the film. It lacked subtlety and some of the dialogue was very unbelievable. Towards the beginning of the film, characters underwent major emotional shifts that felt unwarranted. And some very interesting themes—namely creation and artificial intelligence—were poorly explored. This is the most disappointing aspect of Prometheus, especially considering it is directed by the man behind Blade Runner.

On a brighter note, the cast was superb. Michael Fassbender’s portrayal of David 8 was appropriately emotionless. Idris Elba was charismatic as Janek. Charlize Theron was, well, cold as usual. Noomi Rapace was very interesting in her role as Elizabeth Shaw; although some of her dialogue was poorly written, she successfully portrayed herself as stricken, skeptical, and courageous. Awards probably won’t be allocated, but she has left a mark nonetheless and I look forward to seeing her in future films.

So, to reiterate, the film was well paced and very interesting, but did not resonate as deeply as it could have. I definitely recommend a viewing if you’re a Ridley Scott or an Alien fan, but it won’t be the most talked about film this summer amongst cinephiles or casual viewers.

365moviechallenge:
#107 - Prometheus (2012)

Despite my pleading, my boyfriend dragged me to the theaters this afternoon to watch Ridley Scott’s newest film, Prometheus.

A group of scientists travel to the farthest corners of the universe to discover the origins of mankind. Along for the ride are Dr. Holloway and Shaw, who provide the love story, a robot named David, and a super-angry, leather-wearing Charlize Theron.

The review I heard before watching it was, “Good, not great.” I couldn’t sum this movie up better. I think it was an interesting story, but it got a little boring and forgettable about half-way through. I guess the main reason I will forget about this movie in six months is that I had no reason to invest in the characters or the story. Although, I very much liked Michael Fassbender’s character (but that was probably just because it was Michael Fassbender.)

Rating: 6.5/10

moviestop10:
Prometheus Review

From the opening shot the one undeniably stellar aspect of this movie is the cinematography, it is gorgeous. The cg in this movie (minus the final scene) is some of the best I have seen this year.

Michael Fassbender has the strongest performance of the cast, he is outstanding (as he usually is) as the robot David. Idris Elba also does a great job in his limited screen time. The rest of the performances are average, nothing memorable.

The story and script fumbled their way through the film. From the excessive cliches, lack of character development and lack of cohesion this is where the movie really fell apart. The reviews that I read prior to seeing the film noted that it makes the audience question a lot of what they have seen, so my mind went to movies like Inception and Another Earth (most recently) where the final scene makes the audience question the entire movie’s events. Prometheus was not even close. When the credits started to roll I just felt uneasy.

Overall: 5/10

tashlikesstuff:
Prometheus Review

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron.

Rating: 5/5

On the Surface: this was one of those films I’d been waiting for since it had been announced, I watched Alien when I was about 12 and though I can’t say I liked it it is undoubtedly one of the most influential films of our time. Prometheus is the long awaited prequel to the Alien movies; it provides us with a bit of background to the origins of the alien race the other movies center on but aside from that this movie works perfectly well as a stand alone.

The movie is visually spectacular, the cast works well together and the different personalities and characters give the movie an interesting dynamic (especially Michael Fassbender’s performance as David, he was very, very good) and along with the movies extremely disturbing opening sequence and nail-biting finale I’d say this is a must see for all.

ihateallthepeople:
I very much enjoyed Prometheus

I was really pumped for this movie, and yet going in I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I really liked all the shots at religion and all that bullshit. But definitely the best part of the movie was the f#%@#&! cast. I don’t even know where to begin. Charlize Theron was a c***, but for some reason that made me like her that much more. Although he had a small role, Guy Pearce is always great. Logan Green, who is a bit unknown was surprisingly awesome. And then of course Michael Fassbender was absolutely hilarious and I wanted to f&#! his face the whole movie. Idris Elba is a champion and continues to show why he needs to be in more movies. So underrated it’s not even funny. And somewhere in all of this, I think I fell in love.

Noomi Rapace

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Overall I give the movie a score of c***, out of a possible 37

gongetreviewed:
[Movie] Prometheus (2012)

The Alien films and mythos are celebrated hallmarks of the science-fiction genre and possibly the best when it comes to the hybrid sci-fi/horror genre. The amount of enthusiasm the Alien movies garner is palpable, and this was no less true than when news of Prometheus (2012) was delivered. Headed by the mastermind of the Alien films and Bladerunner (1982), Ridley Scott, Prometheus sets out the day I write this. It’s purpose? To earn a place alongside Alien (1979) as a science fiction horror behemoth ripe with commentary on religion and mortality.

Prometheus’s strongest quality is its setting and art direction. It’s an absolutely beautiful universe, everything from Earth at the beginning of the film to the moon that the crew of the ship ends up landing on. Such a gorgeous world, but not without a flaw. You’ll find the story is confined to such a small portion of the world, literally just a domed building created by…the Creators and the ship Prometheus. Tragically underused setting, but I feel it doesn’t take away too much from the film.

What does take away from the film is the plot. The story is caught in a struggle; already pushing the two hour mark, things still seem rushed and points are left without explanation and closure. Some are left to interpretation (like the behavior of android David), while others are ambiguous enough that they are simply plot holes that you can’t explain away with a motif or theme (significance of the mysterious alien in the beginning of the film). And no, not that Alien. Unfortunately, these plot holes come at the convenience of the film’s progression and hurt the logic department a number of times. Scott and his writers are wise enough to avoid the pop-science explanations that plague lesser science fiction works, but there’s no supplement to that. Any hope you had for “hard science”, or explanations for certain biological…occurrences shall we say, are not to be found. Prometheus finds more success in the horror department, although the scares and chills become more sparse later on.

The acting isn’t extraordinary, but not terrible. It does take away a bit from the quality, but by a minuscule amount. Charlize Theron’s character is written poorly, and her conveyance doesn’t help matters. Oddly enough, the character that’ll have you scratching your head the most is the best one, the android portrayed by Michael Fassbender. That might just be my penchant for weird characters, but regardless, his performance is strong. Noomi Rapace as the protagonist is also good. The rest of the cast is unremarkable. Though if you can appreciate classic science fiction acting, you might garner a smile or two at some of the characterization.

The question that most people familiar with the Alien franchise will have is, “Is Prometheus a prequel?” Without specifics or mentions, yes it is. That alone should be enough to tell you what occurs in the story (or outside of it). That being said, I think this point was the strongest part of the film. Ridley Scott and the writers (some from Lost if I recall) don’t disappoint in loading up this movie with several themes on spirituality and God. Hell, if you are perceptive enough, you can even catch a throwback motif to sexuality/rape from Alien. Despite the intelligent approach to the film I feel was the intention, the mythos struggles under a very sanitized film experience. I say sanitized because it plays very much like a normal film, though not like a great normal film. Loose plot strands, a very unscientific science-fiction approach, and an inconclusive ending take Prometheus away from being a great film to an alright movie. It won’t rest among the ranks of it’s forebearer Alien, but if done the justice of a proper sequel, it just might create an engaging (and horrifying) universe that will uplift this film later down the line.

RATING: 6 out of 10

Consistency: Proceeds unsteadily until a revelation about the true nature of Prometheus’s voyage. After that, the film is awkwardly handled. In the balance of sci-fi and horror, it leans more horror but some sci-fi elements stifle horror moments.

Acting: A handful of strong performances accompanied by less spectacular ones. Some prominent characters are poorly done, making the sum slightly negative.

Logic: Suffers from the lack of science. This might benefit the average film-goer, but in a science-fiction movie, it’s a big no-no. If you don’t apply metaphors or some of the film’s themes, some character behavior can be pretty irrational.

Best Parts: The atmosphere and setting. The ending is probably the scariest part of the movie. I found myself laugh at every moment of humor in the film as well.

Worst Parts: The cringe-worthy “science”, the Weyland subplot, Charlize Theron’s confrontation with our two scientists in the beginning.

TLDR Good: Viewed as a prequel, Prometheus is excellent at creating an interesting world of veiled horror.

TLDR Bad: Viewed as a standalone film, it’s unremarkable and at some points, silly.

basedonnothing:
Movie Review: Prometheus

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Movie Review: Prometheus

Great science fiction stories are stories that usually ask one thing “Have we gone too far?” In Prometheus, the new film by Sir Ridley Scott, the question is “Are we about to go too far?” The movie opens with an interpretive prologue and doesn’t stop there with being vague and speculative, which isn’t a bad thing at all. Noomi Rapace’s character Dr. Elizabeth Shaw leads the way in a scientific journey to discover the origin of mankind, so her character is constantly asking the same things the audiences are as well.

But is it a good movie? Well, truly, Prometheus shouldn’t have been marketed as part of the Alien franchise. Granted it has never said that on a poster or a trailer but in interviews Scott says such things. It’s not particularly a prequel to the 1979 hit, but it does take place in that universe and before the events of Alien. Prometheus works better as a standalone film. The expectations for fans to build up will never be met and that’s specifically because they’re looking for that feeling one gets which watching Alien. But the movie is quite good! Visually stunning and some really great scenes (particularly with Michael Fassbender’s David character) that should start a nice dialog between fans considering that they’ve been debating on whether or not a character from another Scott film Blade Runner is a replicant for decades now.

Prometheus is more like John Carpenter’s The Thing than Alien. Nobody is safe from an enemy that is seldom seen. There isn’t much trust among the crew but they have to roll with it all, which hurts Prometheus because that confuses audiences while in the moment. “Why would this person do this if they just dealt with that?!” Prometheus isn’t a perfect movie cause it has those “just roll with it” moments, but is certainly isn’t a bad film whatsoever. The movie opens up questions, sets up pieces, and just leaves the room. Leaving the audience to look at those pieces that were set. If there were a sequel, (which would be called Prometheus 2 or Prometheii, not Alien) there would be a lot to jump off of and explore more definitively. Until then though, Prometheus stands alone among the Alien world and will most likely be overlooked due to taking a leap.

Grade: B-

malkovich-malkovich:
Scattered Thoughts On 'Prometheus' (spoiler free!)
It seems like a fruitless effort to try and assess Prometheus fives hours after seeing it, because at its heart, Prometheus is intended as a think piece (hence the structure of this post). Regardless…

It was really g*&^%$# good.
f#%@#&! hell, Michael Fassbender is so wonderfully creepy. That hair!
I really liked Noomi Rapace, too. I think she’s done a pretty good job of establishing herself as a capable English-speaking actress, even if her most recent characters (Sherlock, anyone?) haven’t exactly been interesting.
Also, Shaw was genuinely badass for most the film’s second half. Holy s$#!, that cryo-tube scene. I don’t think any one would be able to do what she did, or at least not as efficiently as she did it.
I really appreciate how terrifyingly beautiful Scott made Iceland look, especially in that opening scene.
That cave. So much claustrophobia. I haven’t felt that terrified inside a cave since The Descent.
I really liked Charlize Theron’s character, although I don’t think I was supposed to. I thought she had a few redemptive moments that I found interesting. I wish her character had been fleshed out more, or at least given a few cooler moments to work with. Charlize is such a good actor, she deserves more interesting roles.
g*&^%$#. That CGI. I can’t process how gorgeous this movie looked. The ship, the Aliens, that final action scene… Jesus.
Does anyone else find it terrifying that CGI has come this far? We’ve reached the point where CG can essentially replicate real life. Is that not totally creepy?
I’m really disappointed by how spoiler-ish that marketing campaign became over the last few months. They essentially spoiled one of the movie’s climactic scenes in one of the f#%@#&! posters! I understand the need for a money shot, especially when marketing a $120 000 000 + film, but at least the trailers managed to remove the majority of the context that made that scene truly engaging.
I quite like the ambiguity behind the film. I like that we never truly get a definitive answer about some of the more substantial questions in the film other than “Where did we come from?” But even that was left fairly unanswered (in a broader sense). Perhaps something for the sequel to explore.
Also - as much as I want this movie to be profitable, I really hope they don’t make a sequel. Or at the very least, not a direct sequel. I think the subsequent Alien films managed to do a good job of fleshing out the first film’s backstory without explaining every detail and maintaining an interesting mystery around them, but I don’t think Prometheus is nearly as narratively strong as that original film was.
As much as I love the ambiguity of the movie, I think part of the motivation to leave it open-ended was due to Lindelof’s own weaknesses as a writer. I love his work on Lost, even if that show never really met a cohesive end, but he was able to create some really engaging characters that made much of that show interesting even when they were time travelling for no reason. I genuinely think that any answer he could have come up with to the explain the events of Prometheus would have felt silly.
A note about the 3D - I don’t think it was nearly as effective as Hugo’s 3D, but that’s probably to be expected considering how much of Hugo was digitally rendered to begin with. The 3D did look quite good though, especially for a live action film. Does anyone else notice a distinct blurriness within live-action 3D? That wasn’t present in Prometheus. The picture looked completely blur-free and was nice and bright, even in the darker cave scenes. It’s impressive how good it looked considering this is first time using the technology.
I originally gave the movie a 4.5/5, but after thinking about it more I think a 4 is a little more justified. I still adore the movie, but I think it has a few flaws that can’t be ignored.

Fin.

germenis:
Review of Prometheus

Prometheus (R. Scott, 2012): Just to prevent some issues that others seem to be having with the film, here’s a little disclaimer: Whatever it is that you’re expecting, just forget it, as I can almost guarantee it isn’t what you think. It’s a purely existential drama laced with sci-fi elements. Action, horror, and romance find their footing in the film, but the story relies on questions that have no answer, and not once does the film claim to have an answer. It’s about the never ending quest for the secret of life and the horrors that come with gaining knowledge. A beautiful and ambitious film. Michael Fassbender gives the performance of the year so far as David, a first-gen android that proves to be the most humane and personable character in the film. Ridley Scott returns the honor and dignity to the Alien franchise that he began 33 years ago. His direction is meticulous, as to be expected, and he assumes that you’re smart enough, and willing, to do some work while enjoying this truly great cinema experience. In just two hours, Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof manage to tackle the beginnings of mankind in a way that couldn’t be more horrifying, more gratifying.

unsubstantiatedrumours:

Review.

Prometheus

DEFINITE SPOILERS AHEAD!

Congratulations to Ridley Scott for making this years most frustratingly vague film. I saw it last night and considering the massive hype and relentless marketing campaign that surrounded the film, I have so many unanswered questions relating to it that they may as well have released the film in cinemas completely unannounced.

So, the film was originally set up as this. A prequel to the Alien films that exists within the same universe, on the same timeline, and one that will reveal more of the Alien origins, while also having it’s own story ark that stretches wider than just the Alien story. Which is all great. Brilliant idea for a film. Except that it doesn’t work as a prequel in the most important sense, as it answers no questions relating to Alien, answers no questions relating to it’s own story ark and leaves everyone feeling completely baffled and a bit let down.

So I have many issues with it. But first, let me comment on the positive aspects of the film.

1. It looked amazing. Really incredible. The scale of the environments, the ship, the technology all couldn’t be faulted. There was one shot just as Prometheus first arrives at its dstination, where you see the ship silhouetted against the planet which made me gasp. You do get the feeling you’re about to be put into an environment that exists on a much larger scale than many other films.

2. The performances. Again, couldn’t be faulted. A great choice of cast (bar one puzzling choice which I’ll mention later) especially Fassbender, Rapace and Elba. There was a point I stopped seeing Fassbender as an actor and started to view him as a robot. It was the way he reduced his expressions and human characteristics right down to he bare minimum that gave his performance the credibility it needed.

3. The scene with the stomach surgery. A real on the edge of your seat scene in a film that was otherwise lacking much needed tension. This was one of the few scenes that really stood toe to toe with the horror of Alien. Definitely the best scene in the film for me.

4. The early sense of confusion and nervousness; that the characters and the audience had no idea what it was that they were going to find in the structure or how this was going to relate to the Alien storyline.

In fact, I can pinpoint the EXACT moment the film lost its way. It was as soon as Shaw stumbles into the room containing David and Weyland after her surgery. From that point on it became a mess of confusing ideas, plot holes, bad action and stupid decisions.

So now, the bad points.

1. Why, when the mission to the planet costs 1 Trillion dollars, do they only hire complete idiots as staff? Idiots who insist on taking off their helmets on an alien planet, who insist on petting strange alien worms and who keep jumping to massive conclusions on zero evidence.

2. The above point goes back to the script. There were too many characters and not enough character development. What purpose did Vickers serve in being there? At the start of the film when they come out of hyper sleep, there a loads of crew members. Where did they all go? What was the point of bringing Weyland all the way there when they weren’t even sure what they were going to find.

3. Why get Guy Pearce to play an old man. Why not just hire an old man to play an old man?

4. Green crystals. Never mentioned again in the film.

4. The characters jumping to massive conclusions that the audience is just meant to accept. How did they know it was an invitation? Someone suggests the planet isn’t actually the home of the engineers but rather a weapons manufacturing plant. Well, why would they direct humans to that?

5. The hole plot had so many holes. It tried to pose these big theological questions but never actually succeeded in answering any of them. It was lazy and, with the annoying ending, seemed to to defer actually answering any questions by presuming there is going to be a sequel. A prequel with a sequel. Great.

6. The timeline. This is my most major problem with the film. Let’s presume that the engineers created humanity by mixing their genes with the black goo (I think this is correct yes?) and that the ship contains a great deal of this black goo. This black goo acts as a catalyst for creation as seen at various points in the film. By mixing the black goo with human dna and then with engineer dna, an early form of Alien is created by the end of the film. And yet, when the scientists first enter the room with the giant head, there is a sculpture on the wall featuring a similar looking Alien, leading you to believe that the Aliens must have already existed before the events of Prometheus.

Confusing no? It’s like the chicken and the egg idea except with more strands. The whole engineer/ humanity/ alien birth idea is so unresolved it’s shocking. Just as it starts to make sense, another question pops up. Also, if the black goo makes life, why are we presuming it is also a weapon that is to be used to destroy us?

I could go on. It is a shame that the script let the film down so much as it could have been so much more. As it is, it is a visual delight with enough shocks, questions and action in the first hour to make it a more than enjoyable cinema experience. Sadly, it soon becomes bogged down under it’s own ambition, providing neither a satisfactory conclusion to it’s own story or acting as a strong enough origin to the Alien concept.

Amazing visuals, great performances, a poor script and even poorer plot development.

7/10

blurbculture:

Prometheus is everything I expected and more.

It’s a great prequel to Alien. As someone who hasn’t seen the original film, I think Prometheus does a great job of creating a completely separate experience, while still remaining loyal to the franchise existence. With what I suppose are classic Alien or Ridley Scott thriller moments, I think the film really functions well to re-imagine the origins of the continuing storyline.

As a sci-fi thriller, I suppose it really does take on a lot, and can be hard to keep up with. I think it introduces the very human aspect of origin of existence and the philosophy of creation, but does so in a capacity that can’t be really grasped with the story alone. There is a need for more clarification in the introduction. I mean I understand the messages found from the past and the intended signals of communication, but how does that equate with creation. It seemed like a reach to go straight from historical messages from an alien race to immediately form the assumption that they created the human race. This seemed like it could have been a unexpected revelation of the voyage, but would cause problems with the whole ‘meet your maker’ aspect to it.

Overall, I really enjoyed the questioning of existence, and the inclusion of faith. I especially thought the interaction between David the robot (Fassbender) and Charlie (Marshall-Green) was a significant moment of the film. Michael Fassbender and Chalize Theron were outstanding and created a dipolar relationship between their two characters, that was really motivated by each of their own personal objectives.

The film creates opportunity for the addition of a sequel to the already hefty 5-part franchise, but even if there wasn’t one I respect the ending’s perseverance in the questioning and need for discovery of the flaws in the human race.

nargles4life:

I’m really not sure what to think about this movie. I mean, I liked it, I definitely liked it, but I feel I need to sit on it for a bit before I can decide how much I liked it. There is quite a bit to take in, a lot of things to think about. Not to mention I’m sure many metaphorical things throughout the movie connecting it to the story of Prometheus. There are a lot of questions that can be answered very easily that I would actually like to think much more deeply about as opposed to just getting the simple answer. I’ll say this though, it was a good movie. The acting was good, but Fassbender was phenominal. So was Theron. They were both great. Fassbender’s character David also had some of the greatest lines I’ve ever heard in film, although I can’t remember the exact quotes (I wish I did). The directing was obviously phenominal, it looked gorgeous. I feel like the ending was a bit rushed and that the “Proto____” was tacked on, but I still enjoyed it. I’ll recommend it to everyone and right now I’ll give it an 8/10.

PS- I loveloveloved the theme to this film. I felt that it perfectly captured that “innocent”-esque curiosity that is very much prevelant throughout the film.

wheremoviereviewsaremade:

Prometheus (2012)

Review

I’d be lying if I said Prometheus wasn’t my most anticipated film of the year, so I’ll throw that out there before I start an arguably biased analysis. Some have called, and will call, the film a disappointment, although I’m not entirely sure what they were expecting. Scott’s first journey into sci-fi in thirty years is a wildly ambitious one, a film that tries to do nothing less than tell the story of our creation, while also investigating the origin of the Alien films that were set in the distant future of this one. There’s a lot going on here, sometimes too much so, but the film makes quite a bit of sense when broken down into its intricate elements. The opening scene is a startling one that promises a more abstract experience that we get. It’s more of a precursor to the abstractness of the themes we come across, along with questions that deliberately don’t get answers. Is it frustrating? Sure, if that was the type of experience you were expecting, but I’ll be damned if I can find a more intense, visceral, and mesmerizing experience this year, even if I didn’t fully comprehend it the first time around.

A group of scientists have discovered cave drawings all around the world, done at different points in time in places that they couldn’t have reached at the same time, all demonstrating a group of planets that seem to be in the stars. Upon finding this solar system, which was so far out there that it would’ve been impossible for the ancestors to see it, the group leads an expedition to find out what exactly these were pointing to. After all, there is a moon orbiting a planet that proves habitable, even if it’s not the ideal conditions for humans. They believe it may lead to an explanation on the origin of life itself, since so many of these drawings happened so far in the past; maybe they’re right, but maybe there’s something more to it. There are too many hints that there might be some other form of life on this planet, maybe some that wiped out this ancestral batch of people. Alien references abound.

The film isn’t perfect; which film really is? The point is that the movie juggles many strong characters and many themes with relative ease, while also serving the sci-fi and horror genres the respect they deserve. There hasn’t been a film quite like this in a long time, a movie of such foolhardy ambition that uses its science-fiction element in an innovative, expert way. It’s used here, as with all sci-fi films, for inventive devices, weapons, creatures, etc., but it builds off of these things and applies them to where humanity is today. When we look at our capabilities (in the year 2093, where the film takes place) and see what we can now discover, it’s evident that we’ve been called upon to check this place out and find out what’s really going on. Without this genre, that element wouldn’t exist; that may sound obvious, but it shows how they utilize the genre in a way that most films treat casually.

Elizabeth Shaw, played wonderfully by Noomi Rapace, is a fierce embodiment of Ripley, an obvious ode to the Alien franchise and its assertion of a powerful female figure. It’s changed the landscape of the genre, and arguably of female characters, so it’s only fitting that Scott returns to those stomping grounds. Her actions are bold and assertive, even if that may result in a loss of life. She hurts herself in ways that other characters would just give up, and she ensures that she finds what she sought out for; a mention earlier in the film touches upon how a character would sacrifice themselves to find out why they travelled two years. This may be the reason why, and there’s no point in giving up if you think you’ll die. Might as well find out what we’ve been searching for and understand where we stand in this world.

And where do we stand? I’ll do my best to avoid spoilers, but I’ll only address thematic issues that might pertain to later plot points. The opening scene sets the landscape perfectly by showing us what we know as an ancient being, possibly on Earth, planting some type of seed; in doing so, he withers away and creates some form of life. Presumably, that’s the human race. We assume that because, as the body decomposes in the waters below, we see DNA form directly from his body. I won’t go farther than that in terms of where the film strays in its answers, or lack thereof. And trust me, there aren’t a whole lot of answers. Is that a bad thing, though? In reality, it’s merely serving its own purpose by showing that these questions, largely philosophical, can’t be answered, but the origins of life and of, possibly, the aliens that took care of this old race. It’s really a marvel how well these ideas come together, since I’m piecing them together in my mind right now. They work better than I initially realized.

There’s so much at stake here, and traditional viewers might feel satisfied viewing this as a stand-alone feature. People calling back to the Alien franchise might feel a bit of regret over not having many answers, but as I stated many times above, we don’t need any. Not when the experience is this bold and beautiful, with so many gorgeous shots and some of the most impeccable special effects we’ll ever see in a film like this. Fassbender’s performance, one I failed to mention above for fear of going too much into Alien mythology, is one of composure and assurance, something that adds immensely to his robotic presence. There’s set-up for an inevitable sequel, and I honestly couldn’t wait to see it, even though it might not get made. The fact is, I’d be content with getting another experience like this: an intense, well-acted, idea-driven, thematically rich (if inconsistent) movie that delivers on all fronts, except for one: answers. If that’s your cup of tea, you know what to do, but if you’re going to find out all your empty spaces in film and life, you’re going to the wrong film.

Grade: ★★★★½ (out of 5)

docjessen:
Prometheus

First I have to say that I have had an irrational fear of aliens since I was a small child but, because of my love of Fassy I sucked it up and saw it.

DO NOT watch Alien, Aliens, and Alien 3 (I ran out of time for Alien Resurection) before seeing Prometheus. It is because of this that I have some major issues with the movie. Ridley Scott swore up and down that this wasn’t a prequel to Alien but, that it did occur in the same universe. This rings true till the last 10 minutes. Then his lie comes crumbling down around you. Bastard, I want to slap him for this. If he hadn’t done this then I would not be losing my s$#! over the lack of continuity of the film with the first Alien film. Because he decided to do what he did it now requires explaining for the Predator franchise (if you’ve seen AVP you’ll know what I mean) and will require a sequel to explain the s$#! out of this film.

Visually it was stunning and all the actors were stellar. Michael Fassbender was FLAWLESS as always. His character was interesting and you did end up feeling for him…plus dat ass looks fine in a space suit.

The film was more suspense than jump out at you and scare you which I like. It is very hard for me to watch “scary” alien movies. I blame E.T. and my parents.

It’s a solid film. I wouldn’t say it’s the best thing ever but, it’s definitely worth seeing in theaters…and I hope Michael Fassbender appreciates the emotional trauma I went through to support his works…

EDIT:

I was also the ONLY person laughing hysterically at the “vagina monster” then when I realized what it was supposed to be I laughed even harder…It was like there was this great film that could have ended greatly and then someone said, “Hey let’s do all we can to tie this into Alien without actually tying it!” f#%@#&! douche canoes…

black-birdy:
Saw Prometheus Today

It was a special preview style showing of it, and a guy I know works there and brought me and my dad as his two guests. It was free, in 3D Imax, and the sound literallyshook the popcorn in my hand. It was a wonderful, thrilling, horrifying ride. I was bouncing from exited to scared to fascinated and back throughout the whole film. Fassbender’s character is amusing and really carries the story along, but I wanted to sock him in his metal face at one point. Charlize Theron’s character was in-f#%@#&!-tense, she was hardcore from her first scene, but loosens up nicely as the story plays out. It was good character development. But one of my favorite parts was the humanoid aliens makeup: it was fantastic!!! After seeing all the new shows about special effects and scifi make up, it’s only made the creature they made even more impressive. The story line was okay, but felt a little jumpy to me, and I got lost near the end. There were some things that I felt were unnecessary to the plot. The 3D was not wasted at all, in fact it was an enhancer in this movie, not the f#%@#&! main point like in other films. You don’t have to see it in 3D to enjoy it, but it’s always a treat to do so.

Also… I wasn’t aware that it’s the prequel to the Alien series. I thought they mentioned Alien in the commercials to make a comparison, so I got a huge surprise at the very end.

Over all, I’d give it a 8 out of 10.

(If you’re not afraid of spoilers and you wanna ask a question about it, I will tell you anything you wanna know!)

perpetumobsessive:
Prometheus, the short review: Go see it. Now is too late.

Prometheus, the slighty longer review: First of all, and I’m going to be really obvious here, the visuals. It is 100% pure concentrated scenery/technology porn (and Michael Fassbender xD). I’ll just go ahead and say it; it’s the most stunning film I have ever had the privilege to gaze upon. The swooping views of the landscape, the absolutely, ridiculously gorgeous computer interfaces, the H.R. Giger sets, the gore..there was not a moment in this film that would displease your eyes.
Secondly, what should be really praised is the audio mood setting (since it has a significant part in your experience, mostly subconsciously). I need to get my hand on the OST. The soundless parts, on the other hand.. I have no idea how they did it, but that was the most uncomfortable silence ever.
Thirdly, the film had an impeccable pace, even though there were, plot-speaking, some people and ideology hiccups I didn’t quite grasp (and I let my imagination run too wild, I assumed David would use the alien tech to de-age Weyland (why else would you cast a relatively young guy to play an old man?), which proved to be wrong..) and actually.. I didn’t understand the intentions of the aliens at all. I suppose they planned to go a step further than Predators abducting a bunch of bastards and then fighting them mano y mano and actually making Earth one big arena.. or they f&%$#& up in creating us and wanted to make up for it by merging us with xenomorphs. I hope there’s an answer there that I simply overlooked.. the acting (holy trinity of Rapace-Fassbender-Theron) stellar and especially their characters extremely well written. I also think this film has philosophical depths, but I’ll have to see it again to elaborate on those further, which is no fault of the film, it’s just sort of hard to do so while being in the state of primordial awestruck by what you see. It is by no means dumb (as I’ve seen reviewers write), as the current trend of, well.. most of films is, sadly.
The way I understood it, it explains the most basic irk the xenomorph biology has to offer; their origin. It’s been theorised long before Prometheus that they were created artificially (since there’s no possible way they could evolve to rely on the hosts in reproduction in this DNA-altering way) and I hope I understood correctly that they were.

In conclusion: This is a prime example of how a proper sci-fi is done. I can say nothing wrong about it at this point.

Oh, and there’s a bit of a bonus after the credits, so make sure to stay

aimtofass:

so i just came back from Prometheus………..

minor spoilers*

twas good….Alien was better but im just going to say cause ive been in this Alien quadrilogy since i was 8! (im 28 now)

First off…FASSY!

wow…..what a creep…and i mean that in a good way. At one point i was like dude shutup youre creepin the f** out of me right now! and then he just went flat out and i was like DAMN SON!

He was really good, woulda liked more but i never win em all. I LOVED the short grey t shirt he wore in the scene with Shaw SO HOT and his arms…oh that mans arms. And when he lifted shaw up i did secretly punch my imagination.

I can see how fans are not happy with the movie and i can see how people are confused by this and Alien. My husband was i had to explain altho i dont think i did a good job lol.

Like girl with the dragon tattoo they said they’d make all 3 and now they arnt so if Ridley doesnt continue with this im shooting people! I did wait an entire year for this and im happy with the outcome just a few lil tweeks could have been done but overall HOLY SHIZA its cool!

And fassy dying his hair made my night

Is it just me or did it seem to wrap up really really quickly???

BTW i brought Shame on blu ray…and my husband goes to work tomorrow…that is all…….

kanebasterrechea:
Movie Review: Prometheus

So here we are then with another film that has had geeks around the world (including myself) drooling in anticipation. Prometheus is not only director Ridley Scott’s long awaited return to science fiction but also a return to the franchise he created: Alien. And make no mistake, Prometheus (despite what you may have been lead to believe) is a prequel to Alien. It may be set decades before and not feature the iconic aliens themselves but there are a number of plot strands that point directly towards the imminent nightmare of the Nostromo.

But Prometheus still has its own story to tell. Set in 2093, Prometheus follows the crew of the titular ship as they arrive at an unexplored planet hinted at by ancient remains on Earth to contain the answers to mankind’s existence. The two archaeologists heading the mission hope to meet their makers and discover the meaning of their life and existence. Everyone else aboard just wants to go home and get paid. Yet when Prometheus touches down on this faraway world it is immediately clear that an advanced alien civilization was here. It is also clear that something is very, very wrong.

What follows is two hours of serious minded, immaculately crafted science fiction, with a few elements of horror sprinkled in for good measure. Unfortunately it also treads perilously close to over-familiarity. Does any of this sound familiar? A rag tag crew of bickering working stiffs land on barren planet. They explore. Things go very bad, very quickly. There is a storm. Members of the crew are compromised by unknown lifeforms. There is a shadowy corporation. There is an android of questionable morality. There is even a moment where a female commander refuses an unwell crew member access to the ship for fear of breaking quarantine. So far, so Alien.

In many ways, it’s a shame that Prometheus is part of the Alien universe at all. Not because it is bad in any way (it isn’t) but because this forced over-familiarity distracts somewhat from its own considerable strengths. Firstly there is the art design, the same jaw-droppingly bleak architecture and bio-organic technology that made Alien such a grim wonder to behold. There are fantastic performances too, from Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron and most of all Michael Fassbender as the unsettlingly calm android David.

There are also a number of standout sequences and though the film never achieves the same unbearable tension of Alien (or the same unrelenting pace of Aliens), one particular highlight is a scene that takes the concept of alien impregnation to its logical, horrible conclusion.

Prometheus comes out of the gate with a few big ideas about humanity, god and creation but unfortunately a lot of this left on the backburner when the crew touches down and an Alien infatuation takes over. Ultimately, a serious case of identity crisis keeps Prometheus from scaling the same heights as the film it so accurately apes. Yet, taken on its own terms, it is a smart, sophisticated and downright gorgeous slice of hard science fiction that isn’t afraid to ask a few big questions – even if it never exactly answers them.

8.0

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-prometheus-20120608,0,5161428.story

Review: It's no 'Alien,' but 'Prometheus' still delivers thrills
Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus' offers up more creeps than scares, with Michael Fassbender turning in the most engrossing performance as the resident android.

By Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times Film Critic

June 7, 2012, 4:02 p.m.
Part philosophical treatise, part pulp fiction, part pure horror show, Ridley Scott's"Prometheus" ends up with less to say than it thinks it does. Though more involving than much of this year's summer blockbuster competition, by the standards set by its wizardly director it's something of a disappointment.

Scott's "Alien"(1979) and "Blade Runner"(1982) are two of the preeminent science fiction films, and so it was inevitable that "Prometheus" would be compared to them. But it's especially the case because "Prometheus" — starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron — shares, as Scott himself has said, some DNA strands with "Alien."

Anyone who is unfamiliar with "Alien" need not worry — "Prometheus" stands on its own. But those with vivid memories of what happened to Ellen Ripley aboard the Nostromo 33 years ago will find several points of reference in common with this latest iteration.

Aside from Scott's expert first-time use of 3-D, the main differences between "Prometheus" and those earlier films are that the new venture is more creepy than it is scary, and it's considerably more self-conscious about the ideas that lie beneath the action.

Although the director remains a master creator of alternate worlds, "Prometheus," unlike its predecessors, does not wear its themes lightly. It pushes too hard for significance, which is dicey in and of itself for genre material and contrasts badly with the standard nature of some of the story's plotting.

As written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof (co-creator of TV's "Lost"), "Prometheus" begins, after an arresting but baffling prologue, at a dig on Scotland's Isle of Skye in the year 2089.

Elizabeth Shaw (Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green), a pair of romantically involved archaeologists, have made a startling discovery: a 35,000-year-old pictogram that shows humans worshiping an enormous figure who points to the stars.

This same image has also been discovered in a number of far-flung sites all over the world, leading Shaw and Holloway to conclude (as an unacknowledged Erich von Daniken claimed in his 1968 book "Chariots of the Gods") that beings from outer space had a big hand in creating life on Earth.

Messianically determined to find these aliens and answer once and for all big questions like "Where do we come from? What is our purpose?," the pair persuades the world's richest human, Peter Weyland of Weyland Industries (Guy Pearce under a ton of makeup), to spend a trillion dollars, give or take, to fund a trip to outer space with the purpose of tracking those "engineers" down.

"Prometheus" proper begins on a spaceship ominously named after the character in Greek mythology who suffered greatly for challenging the gods. Though Janek (an excellent Idris Elba) is the nominal captain, the ship is really run by Meredith Vickers (Theron), a Weyland Industries bigwig who is not shy about saying things like "my job is to make sure you do yours."

Theron, who has clearly found her comfort zone with ice-cold roles, is strong here, but from the acting point of view "Prometheus" belongs to the protean Fassbender, who excels as David, the spaceship's resident android.

Considered by Peter Weyland to be the closest thing to a son he has, albeit with the drawback of not having a soul, David (who watches"Lawrence of Arabia"for tips on being human) is smarter and more capable than anyone on the ship and very much knows it. Fassbender gets David's almost-but-not-quite human character exactly right and is especially good at conveying the can-he-be-trusted aspect that always comes with android territory.

More hit and miss is Rapace (of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"), who never quite connects with the tree-hugger aspects of Shaw's character but really comes into her own once things start to go south in a major way.

For it will not come as a surprise to anyone that everything is not exactly sweetness and light on the planet where the Prometheans land in search of those creative aliens. All kinds of awful, increasingly grotesque and horrific stuff starts to happen, and having someone with Shaw's indomitability around turns out to be a major plus for mankind.

(In an odd convergence, both "Prometheus" and the benighted"Battleship"share a press material reference to scientistStephen Hawking'swarning that intelligent life from other planets "might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet." True story.)

Making up for the expected nature of some of the film's plot twists is Arthur Max's spooky, H.R. Giger-influenced production design, Dariusz Wolski's fluid cinematography, as well as Scott's moment-to-moment storytelling skill. Though the thrills here are less visceral than "Alien" and the world imagined less mind-altering than "Blade Runner," those gifts continue to impress in any galaxy you care to mention.



'Prometheus'

MPAA rating: R for sci-fi violence, including some intense images, and brief language

Running time: 2 hours, 4 minutes

Playing: In general release

kenneth.turan@latimes.com

Copyright © 2012, Los Angeles Times

satorikun:
Prometheus 3D: Review (may contain spoiler)

Director: Ridley Scott Writers: Jon Spaihts, Damon Lindelof Stars: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green and Michael Fassbender

Review:

As my expectations that I set before I watch the movie, the film is successful in churning out me. Ridley Scott has finally back to the right path. The story is quite difficult to understand, presents the origins of man and their creator. Slightly complicated, but if you watch carefully, you can certainly capture the intent and purpose in this film.

In the early half of the film may seem like the usual sci-fi (science and research), but the film gradually becomes more and more crazy. Scenes that appear even more sinister and perhaps for some people a bit disgusting. They keep search for the answer until gradually unfolding the mystery of where the alleged mysteries of the human civilization they expected to be there, seems wrong.

All the cast played well. And special credit for the excellent performance of Noomi Rapace who appeared great here, such a heroine. It is unfortunate that his talent seemed to be ignored when playing in the movie Sherlock Holmes 2. Fassy as usual is always with his best performances, as well as the Queen Raveena Charlize Theron is still with his expression cruel and mysterious.

In technical terms the film is also very detailed in the special effects development. Several times made horrified by the emergence of “monster” that is enough to make a heart attack although it was not the main theme here. Unfortunately the 3D relief effects I just felt in a few scenes, but that’s quite enough depth.

The music score is also very supportive in making the atmosphere more horror. And yeah, I love the before-credit-scene. Little bit scary, although in my opinion this is not a sequel or prequel of Aliens Quadrilogy. This film is a stand-alone, with its own journey and purpose. But still end with a big question at the end.

Star-meter: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

celludroid:
Celludroid Review - Prometheus (2012) Dir. Ridley Scott

You’ve got to give it to Ridley Scott, the man certainly isn’t lacking in ambition. With Scott returning to a genre which he helped in large part to define in the most contemporary sense, Prometheus represents a director’s heartfelt desire to return to a much beloved universe, and do things just a little differently. Stripped of many of the hallmarks that have come to define the core Alien series, Scott and writer/producer Damon Lindelof instead largely opt for an altogether different vibe of open exploration and wide-eyed discovery in favour of the oh-so-familiar pangs of invasive claustrophobia and dread. This allows Prometheus to ask some questions that have, up until now, mostly been side-stepped or outright ignored by previous instalments. As such grandiose themes involving the origins of humanity, the fragile nature of civilizations and the existence of God™ are tackled head on this time around, rather than being left once again to the fervent imaginations of ardent fanboys.

Prometheus is of course, despite what its director would have you believe, a prequel to Alien in the most literal sense. And this is largely where the problem lies. Although many of the ideas featured are of an undeniable high quality, so much time is spent debating on whether to break away completely from the now entirely expected formula, or to just simply relent and provide the unadulterated xenomorph horrors everyone was no doubt expecting, that it ends up killing any potential tension or interest stone dead. Aided by a score that is almost completely counter intuitive, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’d wandered into a screening of a particularly pedestrian, odd-numbered Star Trek flick. This could be forgiven of course if the plot was even vaguely coherent, the characterisation solid and the script remotely competent, which they’re not.

Proceedings are dominated by plot holes so vast you could comfortably lose an M-Class Starship, and by characters that are either underwritten to the point of absolute insignificance or display behaviour so astoundingly erratic that it beggars belief that they made onto the ship in the first place. Only here will you witness ‘scientists’ fail to exhibit any discernible skills that qualify them to head up a geography school field trip, never mind participate in a trillion dollar scientific expedition of a profoundly species-altering magnitude. In fact one archaeologist’s reaction to having actually encountered the remains of an advanced civilization, which may have directly influenced the course of and even actually engineered the entire human race, is to get a bit drunk and upset because they’ve all been dead for a few millennia.

Except they haven’t, as promised the Space Jockeys (or Engineers, to give their newly christened title in canon) take centre stage this time around and the results are underwhelming to say the least. Not quite the elephantine leviathans they were assumed to be, our supposed creators take the form of nine foot tall, bald smurfs who wield technology that ranges from the disappointing (exosuits form the most famous appearance) to the confusing (spongy buttons and flute operated controls?), but who are usually content with just kicking the living sh*t out of anyone who happens to stumble upon them. Although to be fair they’re probably the best of a bad bunch as the other featured beasties, whilst numerous, fail to display any real design flair or imagination whatsoever.

With Noomi Rapace resigned to a role that involves little more than being sporadically religious and increasingly unbelievable, it’s up to Michael Fassbender’s David to carry much of the film on his synthetic shoulders and with this, somewhat ironically, Prometheus comes to life at last. The resident android here is a seething mass of neuroses, displaying a well worn contempt for humanity whilst demonstrating obviously envious tendencies toward his creators. A performance that could have easily languished in unblinking mediocrity is elevated and transcended via execution that is as filled with childlike wonderment as it is with chilling arrogance. A bit of a shame then that Guy Pearce (caked under mounds of actually quite rubbish prosthetics) has to turn up and creak out probably the worst impression of a British pensioner you’re ever likely to witness.

Yes the cinematography is beautiful, and yes the set design is largely as fantastic as you knew it would be. But the technical and creative shortcomings of Scott’s sci-fi opus are simply to numerous, and too severe to overcome. The question of whether the series’ more immediately recognisable antagonists rear their ugly heads is one you can probably answer yourself. But is the big reveal worth it? Unfortunately not, if Scott wanted Prometheus to fly true and carve its own path through the Alien-verse, then he should have stayed well away from calling the fanboys bluff. Ultimately Scott attempts to tackle far too much material than the relatively trim running time allows, leaving most matters either irritatingly unresolved or hastily bolted together. Too confused, too muddled and too inconsistent by far, this is less a triumphant return to form and more an unsatisfactory mess of ideas that throw out coherence and pacing in favour of spectacle and grandeur. A shame.

Verdict - Overblown, overwritten and overprescribed. Ridley Scott’s latest tries hard to both appease the faithful and also distance itself from its toothier siblings whilst astoundingly achieving neither. A sad waste of most people’s time, more so for the crew who made it. 2/5

TD

prenderareview:
PROMETHEUS

PROMETHEUS

If you aim high – very high – you best be ready to meet expectations. The expectations for making a movie such as Prometheus are that you don’t scrimp on any of the main ingredients – special effects, art direction, cinematography, music, characterisation, and plot. Ridley Scott’s prequel to the Alien saga gets it right on the first three but falls short (sometimes far too much) on the latter three.

Scott’s return to the Alien story (a 33-year distance in release dates of his two efforts) reveals how much the director has changed his craft. His eye for detail and precision in capturing science fiction worlds has evolved finely. But his meticulousness has not carried over into demanding the best in stories and its characters. Instead of making a concerted effort to make sense of characters (flesh them out, merit their inclusion in the story), and to plug holes in a film’s story by rooting out problem areas/weaknesses, Scott has frustratingly let these things slide with the result of making Prometheus, arguably one of the most eagerly awaited films of all time, a needlessly flawed film.

The film’s plot has a much loftier endeavour that Alien;that in itself is not a problem, but it may open up more pitfalls. It is basically concerned with the origins of mankind, so it can’t really get much bigger. And why the pitfalls of Prometheus are frustrating is because they could have been pretty easily avoided. Whether it is because Scott is not too pushed about ensuring characterisation and plot are as best as can be achieved or whether he tried and just didn’t get it right is one question, but one certainty is that the problems with the film are identifiable as being his responsibility (with slight exception of the sometimes ill-fitting score).

This review will not run through the plot of Prometheus or offer a summary; it will merely identify some areas.

The foreign world where the Prometheus story unfolds looks wonderful; it has that giant scope that one may want from a big budget sci-fi attempt (it looks better than worlds depicted in Avatar). The CGI and other effects are spot on. It has a lush, crisp image. One can well believe it is real. They simply look good and do the business.

But there are too many characters in the movie; the time is too short to give them enough room to merit their inclusion and at least five or six are there just to be expendable in one scene. The secondary characters are weak; either formulaic or simply boring. The geologist is supposed to a bit whacky; he looks the part, but his dialogue is so trite and his strained relationship with the biologist doesn’t work. Kate Dickie who plays the Ford character is quite a decent actress (those who’ve seen Red Road or the first season of Game of Thrones will agree) but she is a total misfire in this movie – again poor dialogue, which appears to delivered on an overdubbed track by the actress and sounds amateurish.

One might be tempted to think Logan Marshall-Green is not up to the task; he doesn’t seem to be a serious actor, but maybe his lines and script don’t do him any favours (or maybe they should have hired his doppelganger Thomas Hardy to the job instead). Noomi Rapace is a fine actress. The more you see of her the more she grows on you. She has some intense scenes and she handles them well. Her character has some silly flaws – how a talented scientist like herself still clings to a basic and juvenile Christian belief in the wake of everything she knows – but that doesn’t stick out too sorely, mainly because Rapace is that good.

Charlize Theron is also talented but is a bit restricted in her role. If her character had better lines and one or two more scenes where we see more of who and why she is what she is it would have worked better. And why can’t she run in any direction but straight on in one particular scene at the end is just silly, but that is Scott’s fault not Theron’s. Idris Elba does a grand job at a standard character; he throws in a few subtleties that you would not get with others. Guy Pearce looks ridiculous to be honest; they still haven’t mastered the art of having an actor thoroughly act old when they appear (in this case ridiculously so) old.

Michael Fassbender is undoubtedly the star of the film; he’s perfect as the disciplined and fascinated android. He throws in some nice touches here and there and he seems to be the only character the film has got just right. But a strange point of his android character, David, is that he seems to be the only one who has a patent wonder at what he sees. The others seem to just throw out “oh we’re in the presence of our creators” attitude as if it’s a standard days work.

The film may be confused in its atmosphere. For example the scene where Rapace performs a procedure on herself is excellent and terrifying, worthy of any scene in Alien or landmark comparator. But that sense of terror is never really captured again, this is a real shame. In one scene where they first discover the “vases” and things start to change with nefarious undertones, Rapace has to convey this while the score repeats the main title score which is far too light (almost uplifting) for that scene. That is simply a stupid mistake to make. It is repeated at the end when Rapace delivers her ‘last survivor’ message, she’s sending out a warning while the music plays light notes.

The “Engineers” look good (they look like giant bald Trent Reznors) and in one scene we hear what they sound like, which was suitably unnerving. But on the topic of the Engineers probably the most intriguing question of the movie is why they turned on humans? Did they regret making the human species directly, or did they create other life that evolved into humans but not according to their plan? What was it about humans that they had a problem with? And at what stage of human development did they plan to destroy mankind? These fascinating aspects (which again only Rapace seems to put forward) are not delved into. Is it likely they ever will be? Will there be a sequel to Prometheus? There could be, and it wouldn’t be such a bad thing as it is fascinating territory. But if there is to be a sequel I hope Scott doesn’t make it. I suspect someone like Christopher Nolan (or, impossibly, Stanley Kubrick) would handle it better.

Finding faults aside, Prometheus is still worth the buck for reasons for aforementioned (namely its look, effects, select performances, and the odd interesting sequence) and it will still make its stamp on science fiction film. Just a shame it didn’t have a stricter, more perfectionist ethos behind it.



3/5

moviengforward:

Prometheus MOVIE REVIEW!

Dir. by Ridley Scott

Starring Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron & Michael fassbender

The rebirth of the sci-fi genre.

Every frame of this movie is just beautiful. The visuals are crisp and magnificent to look at. The set design was flawless. I would also like to mention the use of practical special effects, it kind of made the experience a lot more real. This movie is science fiction heaven, the technology featured here don’t exist in real life, but during the course of the whole movie its just seems like it is real.

I have to give praise to Michael Fassbender for portraying the android David. Inglorious Basterds, X-Men: First Class, Shame and now this, he plays all his characters with such finesse and with such integrity that he is always the one that steals the show. Charlize Theron is kicking ass all over. As I’ve mentioned in my Snow White and the Huntsman review, after she performs a character, it’s almost impossible to imagine anyone else playing that role. Noomi Rapace on the other hand probably was the weakest out of the main cast, and she of all people should be standing out, she is playing the lead.

With all the good things I have said, there are still things here I didn’t like. The flow of the over-all story was very weak. It is drenched with cliches which made the movie predictable. Also, I really didn’t care for the ending that much either. There were too many questions left unanswered and is just playing us to go see the sequel. It started out really interesting then it just goes down slowly. I hate movies that end with a big-ass question mark. The pacing, in my opinion, stayed true to the pacing of the first Alien film. It took its time to flesh out the characters and to tell (a very predictable) story.

With that all said, I still love this movie. Yes, the plot was predictable and filled with cliches, but it delivered us an experience that was refreshing and yet familiar. There will be a lot of mixed to negative reactions from movie goers and critics alike, but I’m staying true to myself. I was entertained and I had a good time at the movies and I am just a dork for sci-fi films. I just wish more sci-fi films comes out in the following years, and they should really take notes from this movie and make a list of Dos and Don’ts.

P.S. This movie is not a prequel to Alien. It’s like the prequel of the prequel(maybe the sequel to this film) of Alien.

MY RATING 4/5

bearbaire:

Prometheus (2012)

Director: Ridley Scott

Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba

Ridley Scott’s return to Sci-Fi and the Alien franchise he started 33 years ago frightens, enlightens, and puts you under a spell.

I don’t do these reviews nearly as often as I’d like, but when I actually do, you can rest assured I loved the darned thing. Prometheus is that rare summer blockbuster that challenges you to think, but the truly unique thing about Scott’s quasi-Alien prequel is that its script, penned by John Spaihts & Damon (LOST) Lindelof poses some of life’s grandest questions and has the good sense to realize it could never possibly know the answer, because it is, in fact, simply a movie. Rather, it gives you some food for thought; perhaps raising some questions you never thought you wanted to know the answer to.

These philosophical ambitions take a back seat to Alien tie-ins in the last 15 minutes or so. The last shot of the film in particular is so infuriatingly Alien related and out of place, meant merely for sequel set-up. “Cool, but tacked on” a friend put it to me, and I couldn’t explain it any better. I view no other purpose for it as it is in no way essential to the rest of the story. But as I said before, this is an Alien prequel, and Alien is one of the biggest horror franchises of all time, so I can’t dock it too many points for building on the mythology. It’s just a shame that this could have been a splendid movie in its own right without bludgeoning me with Alien connections.

The horror elements of this sci-fi tale are in true spirit of Ridley’s Alien as far as tone and themes are concerned, only now he’s found clever ways to up the stakes. With Alien, the Xenomorphs that are the film’s main antagonists are phallic shaped and and penetrate the body laying eggs to be hatched via the host’s chest. If you’re unfamiliar with this franchise, perhaps you’ve at least heard the term “chest-burster”. It is exactly as uncomfortable looking as it sounds. In this film, Scott keeps tradition with creatures other than the Xenomorphs, but some still very phallic shaped monsters (one in particular that, in all honesty, looks like a p**** with a mouth) that still do a lot of penetrating. What Scott is doing very successfully in his attempt to frighten us is provide the audience with an ultra-disgusting visual metaphor for rape, both male and female, and although Alien did this to great effect, Prometheus finds some nastier ways to shock you in my opinion.

As for the cast, I shouldn’t have to tell you that the lead players in this movie are at the top of their game. Charlize Theron provides a typically convincing performance as the Prometheus crew’s no nonsense boss, but Rapace and Fassbender stood out the most for me. Such a wondrous thing for Scott to keep the tradition of a strong female lead as he did with Sigourney Weaver in Alien.

Finally, my favorite thing about the film is the visual spectacle. I should admit, I am disappointed this is the case, (I wanted the philosophical insight to be more awe-inspiring than the visuals) but the nonetheless, Scott and his camera crew have delivered some of the most gratifyingly grandeur images these eyes have ever seen. The word “epic” comes to mind, but I feel that term is used often to describe many things that may be cool, but are not quite epic. These images are arresting when you are in the theater and completely haunting after you’ve left. I’m still processing it all.

I saw this film in IMAX 3D and payed 17 dollars for a ticket. I don’t feel that I wasted a single penny, but let’s hope Prometheus’ sequel will allow itself to more naturally flow into the world of Alien.

A-