Mind you its the best IMAX theater in the whole country. Biggest screen, not lieMAX, and if you get great seats (middle to the back in the center) there is no better movie watching experience.
IMO it doesn't matter that this wasn't shot in IMAX. A movie doesn't have to have IMAX footage to be enjoyed on an IMAX screen.
Just saw it: visually gorgeous, and overall a good movie. Some characters are a bit flat and stereotypical, some of the actions of the characters are downright stupid (and I mean: even in their situation any normal person would say "wtf am I doing?"), some plot lines aren't really interesting, ... But the main story and main actors are all fine.
But I am watching this without having seen Alien(s), and this movie left me puzzled by a lot of stuff. I know that the creature lying in a chair that's seen in the Prometheus trailer is also in one of the older movies. So perhaps watching those would answer a few pressing questions...SPOILER(!)
Goddammit what are the intentions of those creator people!!! Why make humans to then destroy us!!!???
Something tells me this isn't answered in the Alien(s) films either.
actually watched Prometheus yesterday and today i watched alien 1 and 2 for the first time. weird experience. i can see how alien blew minds in 1979 but i just thought it was very good.
Well, Alien is great but it's very simple in its structure, so it makes me laugh when the script for Prometheus is criticized and Some say that Prometheus doesn't hold a candle to Alien. To me, and I've seen both Alien movies (the third and fourth one don't exist in my universe) again a couple of weeks ago, Prometheus is better than those and ten thousand times more exciting, and epic.
I understand the idea of being enamoured with great classics, but this was in 1979, it certainly had a lot of impact at the time, but this is 2012 now.
Since Alien(s) are supposed to be sequels, can you actually trace back the actions of the characters in this movie leading to Alien(s)? For example: the ship Shaw leaves in, is that the same ship that will show up in the other movies? The Alien seen at the end of movie, is this the specific alien seen in the other movies? If so: how did it get off the planet? Or does Weaver's character just visit the same planet again?
I guess I should watch Alien(s) first...
About Prometheus specifically...
Can it be explained exactly what went wrong with the plan of the creators? I mean: they made some biological weapon to destroy mankind, but it had gone array. So.... what is the biological weapon exactly? The big alien? The facehuggers? The little worms? Or simply the black mud that killed the main guy? My take on it is that the black mud "evolved" into those different kinds of aliens and they attacked the creator guys. Right? So what was the plan specifically? Go with their ships to earth and cover it in black goo?
And in the holograms these creators are all trying to flee from the aliens. Into what room is that again? Not the navigation board of the ship right? It was like some kind of shrine. Any reason why? Then again, they might have just tried to flee behind closed doors from the aliens, as there seem massive amounts to be skeletons of the creators all over the place, specifically at doors. I'm confused by all the different rooms in the ship, and I'm not sure if I should be.
And lastly: yes, David does act really weird. It's like a mix between being stupidly nonchalant, and devilishly working out a master plan. But him poisoning the main guy, and especially his conversation with Shaw when he reveals she's pregnant make him look like a Bond villain, which I doubt is what he's supposed to look like. So while it's an interesting character, I'm not really sure he's written/played very well.
You're shocked that I seem to trivialize Alien so much or you're just excited about what I say?! Dont get me wrong, I love the movie, but come on, it's not the be all and end all that many are making it out to be, it was probably much more frightening and impressive at the time though.
You're shocked that I seem to trivialize Alien so much or you're just excited about what I say?! Dont get me wrong, I love the movie, but come on, it's not the be all and end all that many are making it out to be, it was probably much more frightening and impressive at the time though.
I mean, I would never say that Alien has a great screenplay or good characters. It has a main character that happened to be played by an excellent actress who was shaped into a lone survivor type and then maybe made further iconic by Aliens.
Alien is great due to its atmosphere, restriction, and suspense. God knows the last 20 minutes of that movie is laced with suspense crack. So on that token, I will agree -- Alien didn't have great characters, just well-acted ones. It didn't have a great story, just a story with a couple of interesting elements and shock value.
I haven't seen it yet but plot wise, Prometheus intrigues me more. Whether it's well written or fleshed out accordingly is still up in the air, but I'm glad I can look forward to this movie in a way other than just being excited because it's going to be connected to Alien, or excited because I love horror movies and it's just another creature feature.
p.s., Pink Dagger, you're on GAF. These guys do not take comparisons to classic films very lightly, regardless if you have personal, very valid reasoning behind your own opinions. Just a warning.
Well, It's what I think. Brandon talks of the atmosphere, suspense, which is true, even if not as efficient as it was a few years back. Not much happens in the movie, it's all in the atmosphere, the fear (even if I never was scared during Alien), the expectation, the strong female heroine, and the iconic creature.
It was impressive at the time, still is great, a classic but I'd suggest watching Prometheus (in real D 3D please), and then rewatching Alien and re-evaluating it. Prometheus has a rich script, when you look beyond the obvious, it's bold in its themes and deserves several viewings.
I'll be seeing it at least two more times but I can see it becoming a classic such as Alien. It's masterful.
Aliens is a perfect piece of film making. I can't see Prometheus being better. It might be equal but it's pretty hard to top it. Each to his own though I suppose.
Well, careful, this is just my opinion, not a fact, and it will not be shared by many people I feel it seems pretty much acquired that Alien is the masterpiece that nothing can be measured against.
Aliens is a perfect piece of film making. I can't see Prometheus being better. It might be equal but it's pretty hard to top it. Each to his own though I suppose.
There is no such thing as a perfect movie though. Alien had the advantage of being set in a very claustrophobic location,,thus multiplying the efficiency of the movie. Prometheus is epic in scale, and it's not an Alien movie.
Well, careful, this is just my opinion, not a fact, and it will not be shared by many people I feel it seems pretty much acquired that Alien is the masterpiece that nothing can be measured against.
There is no such thing as a perfect movie though. Alien had the advantage of being set in a very claustrophobic location,,thus multiplying the efficiency of the movie. Prometheus is epic in scale, and it's not an Alien movie.
I would disagree with it not being a perfect exercise in building tension, in making the most of its budget and running time, of being a reference point for two genres...
I think anything that's good "holds up." I don't think being outdated or whatever should have any impact on the quality of a movie. Personally I think both movies are great and hold up perfectly well.
I don't think Alien 3 or Resurrection hold up because they're fucking horrible.
I was thinking to myself earlier, science fiction (or films dealing with aliens/space etc) are ones that can benefit by being blockbusters and big budget movies purely because it doesn't look as dated. Watching Aliens the other day, there's some scenes where the creatures look really dated in comparison with Alien because of the pace they move and the amount of them.
I don't see what the difference would be on DVD or Blu-Ray to be honest. Picture quality is obviously better but bits like the aliens in the shaft when they just look like shimmying in it look odd to me now.
Hell I recently bought the Blu-rays for both and I think they're two of the best BR purchases I've made in a long damn time. I bought them without knowing that each one had not one but two isolated scores (final cut and intended composer's vision) and I CAME
I think anything that's good "holds up." I don't think being outdated or whatever should have any impact on the quality of a movie. Personally I think both movies are great and hold up perfectly well.
I don't think Alien 3 or Resurrection hold up because they're fucking horrible.
Mind you its the best IMAX theater in the whole country. Biggest screen, not lieMAX, and if you get great seats (middle to the back in the center) there is no better movie watching experience.
IMO it doesn't matter that this wasn't shot in IMAX. A movie doesn't have to have IMAX footage to be enjoyed on an IMAX screen.
Mind you its the best IMAX theater in the whole country. Biggest screen, not lieMAX, and if you get great seats (middle to the back in the center) there is no better movie watching experience.
IMO it doesn't matter that this wasn't shot in IMAX. A movie doesn't have to have IMAX footage to be enjoyed on an IMAX screen.
Well just back from the midnight showing here, completely sold out unsurprisingly.
Overall I guess I'd say I'm a bit underwhelmed by it all, probably a 3/5 film. I possibly expected too much but even looking at it rationally it was just ok, it looked great and the 3D worked well but as has already been said no real bonds are formed to many of the characters and the story is quite meh.
My final concern after seeing it is (no real spoilers here, read if you'd like a bit of a tease)
this film explores so much, it creates more questions about this universe than ever before. Answers? Not so much. So, if you were expecting 'closure', it may be a disappointing film for you.
It's very impressive though how this film has succesfully created its own space inside the Alien mythos. This cán become a seperate series of films, and man, I hope it will be.
a lack of closure after it asking so many questions that got me really interested at the start only for it to fall flat in the second half of the film and become quite formulaic.
Just home from watching it. I feel like I need to see it again.
There's certainly some glaring issues with the plot. Some massive decisions are seemingly just arrived at, and there are clunky/awkward moments where the plot just doesn't flow.
My biggest gripe with the movie is that other than 2-3 characters the rest are easily forgettable.
There are some genuinely funny moments, but I was never once scared or felt any kind of fear etc.
However all that aside I enjoyed the movie a lot. It is beautiful to look at, the score is good, effects are fantastic and the 3D while subtle is very well done.
It's not better than Alien or Aliens, but I do want to see it again and I am excited for the sequel.
Let's not forget the spotty motivations, irrational behaviors, disjointed plot, inconsistencies and vagueness masquerading as "mystery", wasted ideas, shallow and sophomoric "exploration" of supposedly "big ideas and themes"... Uncanny.
I'd really like to know more about the extent of the guy's input on the movie. Hopefully, Spaihts' draft will surface at some point.
Just got back, loved it. The criticisms are valid with some of the dialogue and lack of character development. Saying that the vast majority of the actors do a great job (Fassbender in particular) and I really liked pretty much all the characters
except for Peter Whelan, I have no idea why they felt the need to give him a physical presence during the last half an hour, he looked a bit goofy and served no real purpose in the end
.
The plot I was fine with, the answers it gives to the Alien mythos satisfied me and the new questions it creates are very interesting to say the least. The most impressive aspect for me were the visuals, visually I was wayyyyy more impressed with Prometheus than Avatar. It looked stunning.
One of my major fears of the film would be that it wouldn't be as intense or straight up scary as I wanted it to be. It was. A couple of scenes really had people squirming in their chairs.
The space-abortion scene was straight-up fucking horrifying
Anyway, I'm fucking knackered so sorry for the incredibly static impressions haha. I'm off to bed to
Prometheus isn't exactly disappointing, but it really ought to be better than it is. Chief problem is the disjointed, messy script, and the way it falls uncomfortably between hard SF and suspense-horror. It feels like something written by committee over a long period of time.
A major issue is that the Prometheus' crew isnt the Nostromo's tight ensemble. Too many characters, minimally defined, so its hard to care about any of them, and worse still it makes it hard to stomach all the out-of-nowhere, leaps of logic they seem to make during the third act.
On the upside, it looks absolutely stunning, and the lead's performances are pretty good. Fassbender is the standout, but on the other hand David is about the only character written with any sort of nuance. The technology is wonderfully realized, and all the big set-pieces are tightly put together, the 3d isn't overplayed either.
Its entertaining enough, but its not a particularly thrilling thriller and despite all the big questions being asked it explains virtually nothing.
Maybe I'm being a little harsh, because I did enjoy it, but... its a 6/10 effort when all's said and done.
Maybe the inevitable director's cut will spice it up (its a soft R), and add some much-needed characterization, but until then I strongly suggest people to lower their expectations.
Looks incredible, sounds great, it's very hard to make it all fit together though. Which by the end is annoying you to the point it distracts from the film. The last scene doesn't really work at all either. We walked out feeling a bit underwhelmed and confused, and then started trying to piece the plot together so it felt satisfactory. My feeling is it was trying to be too clever for its own good.
Also, too many characters and too few of them fleshed out.
Need to see it again really, but Alien it is not and the best thing about it by far are the visuals.
I liked it but it didn't WOW me. And yes, I have seen "Alien".
Though I have to say something: I have kinda mixed feelings on this, something I can't explain - I had huge expectations and the movie didn't fulfill them at all, yet I knew it wasn't going to be "Alien" and, in the end, I didn't come out disappointed.
The movie's gorgeous, I really liked the main theme, Fassbender's performance was great, some parts were really, really creepy but the plot was kind of a mess and most of the characters were really forgettable.
it seems pretty much acquired that Alien is the masterpiece that nothing can be measured against.
