Re: Prometheus (2011)

[lassieface]

What was the very beginning suppose to be? Where the alien drank that stuff and killed himself?

[Relaxing Dragon]

What was the very beginning suppose to be? Where the alien drank that stuff and killed himself?

I believe that was supposed to be the start of life on Earth. That black stuff looked to be the goo that was in the little pods later in the film, and the Engineer at the start was broken down by it on a DNA-level. He collapsed into the waterfall, where is DNA started to spread, and thus life began. The specifics as to why he did this (whether it was intentional on the part of the species, or whether he was doing something of his own accord), and how it ties in to the ship leaving as he does it, is more up for debate.

[ManUnderMask]

This film does really seem like one where they excise all the good and interesting stuff in order to use it for the sequel.

I think my biggest beef is how none of the characters did anything except for Noomi Rapace. Instead of spending all that time where nothing is happening developing characters they filled it with useless dialogue and filler.

You can tell it was written by a writer from Lost because it took forever to get going and the pay off sucked.

[Rainbow Dash]

There were just too many unanswered questions.

The only question that should have been left at the end was "Why do they want to kill mankind".  That's a good cliffhanger hook, and would still let them have put together a coherent story.  Questions such as "What was David's motivation for poisoning Charlie?", "What was the point of impregnating Shaw in such a silly way?", "Why was Mohawk guy suddenly a zombie?", "What happened to the thing that burst out of glasses guy?".  These are questions that should have been answered.

In the end it was way to much style and no real substance.

[Pak-Man]

There were just too many unanswered questions.

..."What was David's motivation for poisoning Charlie?", "What was the point of impregnating Shaw in such a silly way?"

I think I pieced together the answer to these first 2 questions. I think David was given the same role that Ash was given in Alien. He was trying to get one of these creatures back home for examination and possible weaponization. It wasn't uncovered and broadcast like it was in Alien. But the only reason I can think of for him to poison Charlie was that he was hoping that he would couple shortly after, and impregnate Elizabeth with an alien spawn thingy. That's why he was adament that Elizabeth should get herself into cryo-sleep so she could be treated back on Earth. That's why he wouldn't show her the fetus. Of course that also means he knew a heck of a lot more about the "engineers" than everyone else did, and that someone at Weyland/Utani knows a LOT about these things, and it doesn't seem to be Weyland...

[Relaxing Dragon]

There were just too many unanswered questions.

..."What was David's motivation for poisoning Charlie?", "What was the point of impregnating Shaw in such a silly way?"

I think I pieced together the answer to these first 2 questions. I think David was given the same role that Ash was given in Alien. He was trying to get one of these creatures back home for examination and possible weaponization. It wasn't uncovered and broadcast like it was in Alien. But the only reason I can think of for him to poison Charlie was that he was hoping that he would couple shortly after, and impregnate Elizabeth with an alien spawn thingy. That's why he was adament that Elizabeth should get herself into cryo-sleep so she could be treated back on Earth. That's why he wouldn't show her the fetus. Of course that also means he knew a heck of a lot more about the "engineers" than everyone else did, and that someone at Weyland/Utani knows a LOT about these things, and it doesn't seem to be Weyland...

The trouble with that answer is, David doesn't seem to be that much in favor of what the company was up to. Particularly since the company's active interest in it all was quite clear, what with the CEO being in flight (and David's ultimate feelings towards him. Consider their final exchange, post decapitation). Given David's general demeanor towards pretty much everyone throughout the movie, he seems to have a general distaste for humanity in general. Bringing the ship back, impregnating Elizabeth, infecting Charlie... these sorts of things almost seemed to have been done with the basic malicious intent of wiping out people. Or if he wasn't truly malicious about it, he was like some little kid poking at a beehive when it's hanging over his father on the lawn. It all sort of depends on

[Tyrant]

Well, I was greatly impressed, but perhaps I'm biased as a long time Alien fan. Tons of ideas and visuals that actually originate with the original Alien film that didn't get used then which were a thrill to see "in the flesh" as it were like the pyramid and oversized, squid-like "face hugger" I'm no authority on the matter but there are some things people are complaining about that have some explination:

Some complaints about the lack of continuity between Prometheus and Alien. Namely, the Engineer dying in the lifeboat and not being present in his cockpit for the crew of the Nostromo to discover years later. That's an easy one. The crew of the Prometheus lands on LV-223. The crew of the Nostromo lands on LV-426. Different moon, different ship carrying different cargo, different Engineer. Even if the moon was redesignated as LV-426 later on, I believe so much time passed between Prometheus' mission and Nostromo's that anything could have happened on that ship within that time. Additionally, David states that there are multiple Engineer ships present on that moon. Honestly, though, I think it's a different moon. Even the landscape is different between the two movies with LV-426 covered in jagged rocks with the derelict ship propped up at an angle while LV-223 is flatter with the Engineer's ship sitting relatively flat on the ground.

David's motivation. David is an android. If the Alien franchise has taught us anything, it's that with the possible exception of Bishop (and I say possible because we still have no clue how a xenomorph egg got on board the Sulaco in Aliens to cause all the trouble it does in Alien 3 and Bishop is the primary suspect) and Call, androids are programmed by the company and the company is hell bent on advancing their bioweapons division. I believe this is the case in Prometheus as it's always been. Having Shaw pregnant with the proto-facehugger and getting her into stasis for the return trip to Earth might have gotten her past ICC Quarantine. I don't think David intended on this originally and probably only planned on freezing a contaminated Holloway, but a specimen is a specimen. This is why he tries to discourage her from aborting the life form.

[mrbasehart]

Ridley Scott has said, multiple times, that Prometheus is not a prequel to Alien.  It's set in the Alien universe, but does not lead into the first film.  In fact, in an interview I heard a week or two ago, he said there'd be at least two more films to explain how we get to the Alien series.

[Rainbow Dash]

There were just too many unanswered questions.

..."What was David's motivation for poisoning Charlie?", "What was the point of impregnating Shaw in such a silly way?"

I think I pieced together the answer to these first 2 questions. I think David was given the same role that Ash was given in Alien. He was trying to get one of these creatures back home for examination and possible weaponization. It wasn't uncovered and broadcast like it was in Alien. But the only reason I can think of for him to poison Charlie was that he was hoping that he would couple shortly after, and impregnate Elizabeth with an alien spawn thingy. That's why he was adament that Elizabeth should get herself into cryo-sleep so she could be treated back on Earth. That's why he wouldn't show her the fetus. Of course that also means he knew a heck of a lot more about the "engineers" than everyone else did, and that someone at Weyland/Utani knows a LOT about these things, and it doesn't seem to be Weyland...

But unlike Alien, where Kane was infected almost im3ediatly, releasing the alien, David found the vase with the black stuff, he had a sample in a simple, easy to handle form.

[mrbasehart]

Ridley Scott has said, multiple times, that Prometheus is not a prequel to Alien.  It's set in the Alien universe, but does not lead into the first film.  In fact, in an interview I heard a week or two ago, he said there'd be at least two more films to explain how we get to the Alien series.

Huh. Every time he opens his mouth all I hear is, "I'm a fatuous wanker."

English accents are hard to understand sometimes. 

[Tyrant]

Ridley Scott has said, multiple times, that Prometheus is not a prequel to Alien.  It's set in the Alien universe, but does not lead into the first film.  In fact, in an interview I heard a week or two ago, he said there'd be at least two more films to explain how we get to the Alien series.

Aye. This is why folks need to divorce themselves from the same expectations they had of Alien. Seriously. Events in Prometheus may or may not directly or indirectly leads to the events in Alien, but this movie is running parallel of that plotline, not crossing into it at this time. Most of the gripes I'm hearing are why this is the case, and Scott has explained himself already.

[Relaxing Dragon]

See, the trouble is, even when I completely divorce the film from the franchise, it still has a lot of stuff that plain doesn't work. Alien connection or not, it's still got a lot of clunky foreshadowing, exposition, flat characters making stupid decisions, and ultimately (probably its biggest sin) is that is doesn't really do much to explore any of the questions it brings up. I'm all for leaving things open to audience interpretation and whatnot, but it really doesn't try to do much for nearly any of its themes expect pay them a little lip service (the religious one especially, which is barely in the movie at all, try as they might to say otherwise).

[Russell]

I'm going to see it tomorrow... and I've tried to get a legal separation from Alien for some time now(even though I was never married to it in the first place) so I might just have to live with a complete divorce.

[Rainbow Dash]

The problems with this film have nothing to do with it's connections to the Alien Universe.  It's a giant mess all on it's own.

[Tyrant]

And that's a much fairer critique of the film than what I've been hearing in my neck of the woods. If you didn't like it and found flaws in it not even related to its connection to Alien, that's fine. What's frustrating me are all the people who didn't like it specifically because they 1) haven't been listening to Scott when he talks about its place in the the Alien franchise and so think he's ruining it and 2) don't do a five minute Wiki read up of the original Alien to see that the supposed inconsistencies they think they spotted and let ruin their experience don't even exist.