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A Few Words About A few words about...™ Prometheus 3D-- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

ManW_TheUncool

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Hehheh... I decided to take a peek here to see whether I should bite on the blindbuy afterall -- had wanted to see it in the theater for once, but didn't make it -- since the price might be right given the available deals this week, *BUT* maybe I really should just pick up the bonus disc off eBay (since people love it so much even despite how they might feel about the movie itself) while it's still available cheaply and then queue up movie for my next rental from Blockbuster Online instead.

Since the movie doesn't seem quite so well received at large and given how BD prices are falling so fast these days (including the option to buy used/previous-viewed so cheaply from places like GoHastings.com) plus this movie probably won't get frequent replays in my house (because I'm probably the only one who'll want to watch it anytime soon), renting (and picking up the bonus disc off eBay) is probably my best bet by far right now. Only caveat w/ that is if I ever want the 3D disc -- 3D BDs don't come down much in pricing -- but then again, I can't watch the 3D at this point yet anyway...

_Man_

PS: Many other "serious" SciFi flicks have gotten panned to similar degrees in the past, but in most cases, I've found the complaints (while very understandable and often valid) a bit overblown. That may well be true of Promotheus as well though the complaints do seem to loom a bit larger than usual perhaps despite the generally positive showing on RottenTomatoes.com (and in the opinion of at least one reviewer I bother to read). Some of those complaints might be addressed/resolved in the anticipated 2nd part, but probably not certain specific characterizations and such I guess... and you can probably count me as well amongst those who respect films like 2001, but do not really enjoy them (so far anyway), though I did learn to enjoy and greatly appreciate Blade Runner (and many others) in time...
 

Douglas R

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It's obvious, even from what has been said in this thread, that many people had such firm pre-conceived ideas about the film, including the thought that it would be a direct prequel to ALIEN, that they felt bitterly disappointed that the film turned out to be something else and cannot stop venting their spleen. But...shouldn't such comments be in the Movies Forum?
 

Doctorossi

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Douglas R said:
It's obvious, even from what has been said in this thread, that many people had such firm pre-conceived ideas about the film, including the thought that it would be a direct prequel to ALIEN, that they felt bitterly disappointed that the film turned out to be something else and cannot stop venting their spleen.
I don't think it did turn out to be something else; I think it clearly is a direct prequel to Alien. However, that's not why I'm disappointed by it; I'm disappointed because it's a nonsensical prequel.
 

Worth

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JoshZ said:
I do not personally find the "Turn off your brain" defense to be a compelling argument. YMMV.
I could accept that had the film been content to be just a big, dumb monster movie. But it was hyped and sold as serious sci-fi that tackles weighty questions. In a way, it's the complete opposite of the original Alien, which was sci-fi/horror that managed to transcend its genre. Prometheus is kind of stuck in a cinematic no-man's land - too dumb to be taken seriously, and too pretentious and ponderous to work as escapist entertainment.
 

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Doctorossi said:
I think it clearly is a direct prequel to Alien.
I guess it all depends on your definition of 'direct prequel' but I look at Prometheus as a movie that takes place in the same universe as Alien and takes place before Alien but they're still removed enough from each other that Prometheus is not really Alien Part 0.
 

dpippel

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Originally Posted by TravisR /t/324523/a-few-words-about-prometheus-3d-in-blu-ray/60#post_3990884
I guess it all depends on your definition of 'direct prequel' but I look at Prometheus as a movie that takes place in the same universe as Alien and takes place before Alien but they're still removed enough from each other that Prometheus is not really Alien Part 0.

Interestingly enough, if you watch all of the excellent and extensive bonus materials on the BD, Prometheus is referred to multiple times as the Alien prequel.
 

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dpippel said:
Interestingly enough, if you watch all of the excellent and extensive bonus materials on the BD, Prometheus is referred to multiple times as the Alien prequel.
I'm sure it is and I'm sure I've referred to it as a prequel too but if I think 'spin-off' is the most accurate term for it. Prometheus just tells part of the story of what is essentially unimportant background info in Alien.
 

Doctorossi

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TravisR said:
I guess it all depends on your definition of 'direct prequel' but I look at Prometheus as a movie that takes place in the same universe as Alien and takes place before Alien but they're still removed enough from each other that Prometheus is not really Alien Part 0.
It is a bit of a grey area, I guess, as Prometheus doesn't feature any of the same characters, but it clearly presents to the audience an agenda that's driven by answering 'questions' presented by Alien, resolving them in a way that sets up Alien.
 

JoshZ

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Douglas R said:
It's obvious, even from what has been said in this thread, that many people had such firm pre-conceived ideas about the film, including the thought that it would be a direct prequel to ALIEN, that they felt bitterly disappointed that the film turned out to be something else and cannot stop venting their spleen. But...shouldn't such comments be in the Movies Forum?
My only preconception was that it would be a good, intelligent movie, regardless of what franchise it may or may not have been part of. Apparently, I was mistaken.
 

RobHam

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This was originally intended as a direct prequel to Alien but was apparently re-written to include all sorts of other things that made the final result a load of old toot.
There is a strong connection with this film and Lawrence of Arabia - it runs thoughout its entire length and is even self-conscious about it with the andriod David's idolisation of the movie version of TE Lawrence. I stand by the opinion that Prometheus is a flim-flam that sells us rubbish as profound, and (as far as I can see) the outside opiion on it is fairly evenly split at 50/50.
Is the audience split who love Prometheus and regard it as "astounding" also the same people who uphold LoA as a "miracle of a film".
What I'm trying to get at is what makes a movie great - is it an emotional connection, or an intellectual appreciation of what the director wants us to feel?
As an aside, one of my favourite Sci-Fi movies is "Man from Earth" - no special effects, mediocre camera-work and (occasionally) muffled dialogue. And yet despite all the negatives, the emotional impact of Bixby's intentions are much much, more profound than what Scott spent a shit-load of money trying to achieve with Prometheus.
 

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I have to admit that I've never heard of Man from Earth, but reading a little bit about it makes it sound intriguing. I will have to check that title out sometime. Thanks for mentioning it, Rob.
- Walter.
 

dpippel

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Originally Posted by dpippel /t/324523/a-few-words-about-prometheus-3d-in-blu-ray/60#post_3990769
I'll have to go back and rewatch the scene, but I could have sworn that Shaw calls the Engineer/Human DNA analysis "an exact match", which would make them human. Or us Engineers. Doesn't she also literally say "They're us." or something to that effect? Someone please correct me if my memory is faulty.

My recollection WAS faulty. When Shaw is analyzing the DNA sample in the lab after the Engineer's head explodes, the computer overlays the human and Engineer DNA graphs and displays "DNA Match" and says "DNA Match". Shaw says "Oh my God. It's us. It's everything."
 

ManW_TheUncool

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Man from Earth is indeed intriguing. I never checked, but it makes me wonder though if it wasn't originally a play given how much talking goes on in it. Definitely not everyone's cup of tea I imagine -- and definitely not for the SFX and/or action oriented crowd.
_Man_
 

JoshB

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Had a chance to catch most of this in our small makeshift movie theater here in Afghanistan.
I left the movie feeling feeling much like I did with Scott's Kongdom of Heaven...that a better film existed elsewhere.
While the DC of KoH was still imperfect, it was a vast improvement over the theatricla cut and in my opinion, better than Gladiator.
I had heard a great deal of deleted / alternate scenes for Prometheus existed and that they would make it to the Blu Ray release in some form.
The main selling point for me for the 4-disc release is the lengthy documentary and other features. In some way the in-depth features almost improve the film in some ways and complement it. It makes one think that if someone goes into that much detail and hard work for the supplemental material, why not do the same for the film itself, or the areas of the film that are lacking?
I think with Prometheus the story and characters were there, so was the director, f/x, and production design but somewhere along the way the screenplay was a letdown and the story never really came together.
I am assuming this is because of some sort of studio involvement to make a cut of the film that 1). general audiences would respond to, 2). hold off on a more elaborate release sometime after the initial BD, or 3). plan for a sequel based off of box-office returns and video sales then perhaps release a more elaborate cut around that time to help answer questions in preparation for that release.
Either way, the build up to the 'Alien' prequel was a bit of a letdown. Expectations based off of the filmn being more in line with the first two films was quite high, and it needed to be better than the last two 'Alien' movies and the horrid AVP films.
Either way, I plan to pick this up as soon as I make it back from Afghaniland :) (75 days and a wake up)
 

Sean Bryan

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I watched this on a friend's 3D set-up this weekend, and I thought the 3D was great.
It's a very natural effect, maybe the most realistic look I've seen yet. I can see why those who like gimicky "jump out of the screen" effects may not like the 3D, but if you like the realism and depth that 3D can do I can't see how anyone can have complaints.
 

Eric F

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Luckily I caught this in IMAX 3D during it's theatrical run.
This thread almost makes me want to sell my current 60" Sharp Aquos LCD and buy a 3D TV. Almost, but not quite.:D
 

Steen DK

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RobHam said:
Is the audience split who love Prometheus and regard it as "astounding" also the same people who uphold LoA as a "miracle of a film".
Not in my case, at least. I think Lawrence is the third greatest film ever made, and I absolutely hated Prometheus. And this despite having lowered my expectations to well below zero. I could probably deal with a few of the non-sensicalities (is that a word?) and stupidities (few movies are completely without them), but what really ruins it is the sheer accumulation of tosh.
 

JoshB

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To take a cue from Steen, I agree with the 'non-sensical'.
In hte first Alien (and Aliens to some extent) characters at least behaved in a natural, expected manner. The first Alien, while not entirely groundbreaking in its 'Alien stowaway' ("It! the Terror from Beyond Space" is one such influence) you could tell it was new in that characters behaved in a manner you would, or wouldnt expect. Maybe it was because the formula was somewhat new and not overdone that made the film stand out. At the very least, it opted for a 'sound over sight' approach that is evident in superior horror films. Add to that first rate production design, effects that complement the mood and atmospherein a manner rarely seen in sci-fi or horror, and it makes for a near-perfect film.
I could go on and on about Aliens, still one of my favorite films and one of the best Sci-Fi or Action films ever. Granted, Cameron isnt the best when it comes to dialogue and despite his shelf of Oscars, you will never see one for Screenplay. However, he never deviates from the characters even when the effects or action ramp up. It lacks the pace and subtle terror of Alien, but it has its share of horror elements.
Prometheus could have easily been made 10 or 15 years ago, right around the time of Alien Resurrection or even just after. There was no need to wait for effects to catch up or for the right story or screenplay to be there. Looking at the final result, one as to wonder how many revisions or drafts it went through. It kinda reminds me of the last Indiana Jones film. After sitting in development for so long, the law of diminished returns seemed likely. Considering how coveted some of these films are in certain circles, expectations were high and its not as though fans asked for too much. But if I had to compare it to the original Alien and Aliens, it would be like placing the 'original' Star Wars next to any of the ones made in the last 13 years.
 

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