Prometheus (aka Alien prequel) by Ridley Scott June 2012

[Bill Binkelman]

I have seen too many trailers that looked equally awesome and the final film didn't deliver. Admittedly, this looks fantastic, but I will wait for opening night...I have had too many expectations dashed on the rocks of reality. A lot of films can be assembled into an amazing trailer and the resulting film is only "okay" so we will see. Also, I hope Scott knows what he is doing screwing around with the Alien mythos. Lucas did that with the prequel and we got "midocholorians."

[judd stephens]

This IMAX trailer was also apparently leaked today: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AXLzJhZa8PY

!

From a yahoo news story, about Ridley Scott:  He played down the Alien connection, saying that while there has been talk of the movie having "DNA from Alien," once he and Lindelof began story meetings, it morphed into something else.

"It evolved into another universe," he said. "If we're lucky, there'll be a second part. It does leave you with some nice open questions."

Maybe Scott's playing coy here, I don't know.  If there's any connection to the Alien series, it could be pretty distant.  In other words, if the aliens we came to know and love were only a synthesis of DNA and technology from a superior alien race, would it ruin the myth that much?  I don't think so.  I agree Bill about "midocholorians", but we got much, much, more than just that with the prequels    If that concept was introduced but with a killer movie and story, you know, we probably would shrug it off. 

[Jeff Sampson]

WOW!!! As of today, I'm saving my pennies.

[mgriffin]

We saw the latest Prometheus trailer on the big screen before Hunger Games (which was also good, btw) and it looked completely amazing. This one looks like a "can't-miss" to me.

[Antdude]

Happy Birthday David (NEW Prometheus Viral!)

I. Can't . Wait.

[drone on]

A very believeable robot I'd say.  Nice.  Countdown to June 8......

[drone on]

Well I just watched the first clip from the film released, "Prometheus landing," it's about a 1 min. clip.  Why do they always have to ruin these movies with the grandiose CGI and dumbass dialog/wooden delivery of lines?  I hate some of these characters already.  The ship's captain saying "yeah baby" as the ship lands on the alien planet likes he's playing some kind of football video game.  I admit the previews looked good, but when you watch 1 min. of steady film you start to see the flaws.  Sorry Ridley, you've lost me already.  My excitement level has gone down to about half of what it was.  I'm still going on opening day nevertheless.  To be honest, even the original Alien had a couple really stupid lines that make me cringe every time.  But you'd think with all the money and time and hype, somebody could get the script right.    

[judd stephens]

Prometheus Movie Clip "The Landing "

Here's the clip in question.  If this was an actual clip I thought it was rather briskly edited, but other than that I felt the CGI was tactful and no problem with a yeah baby now and then.  Especially landing on a new planet- it's gotta get the juices flowing depending on one's personality.   

[drone on]

What sounded fake in "Alien" was when Sigourney keeps calling it "the alien" and when she asks how to kill it and says "How?  How do we do it??!". Makes me cringe every time I watch it.  Back to Prometheus, I think too much editing/fast cuts can make it look cheap and like they had no confidence in the sets or production design.  Hate to be pessimistic at this point but I need to prepare for some disappointment.  You have to admit Ridley hasn't made a great film in 12 years, and in between he has made some real stinkers. 

[drone on]

Taking June 7 and 8 off to see this (either sneak preview showing or opening day show, hopefully in IMAX). 

[judd stephens]

the following contains conjecture and some observation.  If you're preferring going in 'blind' you may want to avoid this message:




saw a clip of an English radio host's review of Prometheus.  Apparently this has been released in Europe?  A lot of the comments on the thread were of disappointment and criticism, but overall the actual review on the video was positive.  His basic message:  if you're expecting an Alien repeat, you'll be let down.  There are a lot of big ideas in this movie and a couple great performances, imperfect movie, but very good and "gripping" throughout. 

I also think from the few clips I've now seen, the editing throughout is a little quicker than the old Alien movie.  It seems like Ridley Scott's direction has definitely quickened over the years.  Gone is the artistic emphasis that seems to establish the scene more and lingers.  His scenes are still sweeping and big, but his style is more epic and driving now than Alien and Blade Runner.   I found that it worked fine with a movie like Kingdom of Heaven- enjoyed that one.   One movie he made that kind of married the action with the "artistic" well was Gladiator.  There were plenty of action scenes but there were also good moments of reflection and classic Ridley Scott mood.  That would be a good fit for this type of movie, but I'm expecting a quicker pace in the line of Kingdom' and Robin Hood.  Or, Aliens rather than Alien, to use the series. 

One last thing, and this is more like an anti-spoiler:  Ridley Scott was being serious- this truly is its own story.  Any connections to Alien are distant at best, and that may have been another reason people were disappointed.  Other things people were criticizing were the music and dialogue- I heard a few of the recordings on youtube and to me they seem more than fitting, so I may disagree.  As far as dialogue, if you remember Blade Runner, there was plenty of dialogue between Deckard and the chief Bryant that seemed very "crime noir" almost like dark comic book one liners.  But then you had perfomances like Rutger Hauer that really took it into a unique dimension.  Like that perhaps Prometheus will have similar standout perfomances that make all the rest seem bland.

anyone interested here's the review:  it spares the listener of spoilers, I promise-

Prometheus reviewed by Mark Kermode

[judd stephens]

Prometheus Movie Review

Here's a gushingly glowing review- good to see someone so hyped for it and found it delivered.  (SPOILER-FREE!)

[drone on]

Thanks for the video review.  Trying not to pee my pants with excitement! 

[Bill Binkelman]

I have no problem reading a lot about movies before I see them...spoilers be damned, you might say is my motto. Anyway, I have read a LOT of reaction to this film so far, from fans and critics (the fans are in Europe and have seen it already). The results are VERY mixed. It seems, oddly enough, that a lot more critics are impressed with the film while many fans (of Scott's other works) are, well, to be honest, let down/disappointed/pissed off. Apparently, the "themes" of the movie are much "heavier" than Alien (even heavier than Blade Runner, apparently). It strikes me as odd, though, that there is a huge disagreement about the film's flaws. Some find the dialogue cringe-worthy, characterization non-existent (except for Fassbender, according to most), and plot full of holes you could drive the Nostromo through. Others (mostly professional critics) find it one of those "brilliant" failures that reaches for something far beyond the usual and, even if not hitting it, is to be commended for the ambition. Almost everyone praises the visual design and "look" of the film. Soundtrack music gets a pan from almost everyone, though. I know I will see this, but not sure how soon after its release. Rotten Tomatoes is currently polling it at 78% "fresh" but, IMO, having been a fan of that site for many years, I sense that more and more the awarding of a fresh tomato is not always indicative of the review (when one reads the entire review).

I will stand by my comments from months ago. I have seen WAY too many cases of overhype killing a movie, to the point that either expectations are so high that almost no film can meet them OR that the hype wasn't warranted. I have viewed many trailers that LOOKED awesome only to have the film be mediocre. Only time will tell with this one, but I'd rather go in with medium to low expectations and be pleasantly surprised than go in thinking I am going to see something akin to 2001 and instead see something closer in quality to Dark Star.

[drone on]

Bill, I think you got it right here.  I agree with your comments. 

I'm going into it with a healthy dose of skepticism and expect it to be more a "brilliant failure" than another "Alien" (which will mostly likely never be repeated again in terms of originality).

I think it's fair to say, also (and this has been brought up lately), that both "Alien" and "Blade Runner" had their fair share of bad reviews when released.  And look at their near-mythical status now. 

In any case, I hope Prometheus doesn't suck too bad. 

[Scott M2]

Just to help lower your expectations when you go to see this film, the two Toronto weeklies I read rated it 2/5 stars and 3/10 stars.
Both reviewers were super-disappointed.

[Scott M2]

I don't want to go raising expectations now, but the CBC Radio film reviewer really liked the film, though she said she had to keep lowering her expectations as it went along.

[Bill Binkelman]

Just read several dozens of reader reviews over at aintitcool.com and they are overwhelmingly negative....now, these are "fanboys" so they were hoping for brilliance, so maybe that is part of it. Without mentioning any spoilers, what I glean from their comments is that the biggest problem with the film is that it's a lot like the TV show LOST...it asks all these "questions" and throws all this stuff at you and nothing adds up...plot lines dangle and die left and right. And we're not talking about wrapping things up all neat and tidy, because I don't mind ambiguity in a movie, but it's the reason I gave up on LOST after 2.5 seasons i.e. I kept thinking "okay, but what about "x" and "y?" Based on the reviews, it seems that the last third of the film is a dire mess, with characters making decisions and acting either in an incredibly inconsistent manner OR making decisions and acting in such stupid ways that the film is like the worst haunted house movie, a la "Don't go into the basement, you idiot!" Not to mention that many things that are "important" are completely unexplained (perhaps answered in the sequel which looks like it will happen unless the movie tanks after 2-3 weeks).

I hope someone here on the forum who sees the movie today will post their reaction. I find it fascinating that some of the "professional" critics in the US press are praising the films but the fanboys and geeks are trashing it - usually with SF films, it's the other way around.

[drone on]

I'm giving it a B-.  Will post my comments later.  Bottom line: it is definitely worth seeing.

[judd stephens]

My showing of choice is probably this Monday maybe matinee.  And I'm going all in, baby.  IMAX 3-D.  Never saw Avatar or any of the last few years' 3D offerings, but may regret skipping this one. 

One last teaser worth reading before I'm "going in" : You can relax. Prometheus is very good. Not as frightening as Alien, not as thrilling as Aliens, but a 3D sci-fi blockbuster that’s easily the saga’s most spectacular entry. - Totalfilm.com