Joss Whedon effect on Prometheus

I believe Lindelof is part of the JJ Abrams team that pulled of the Star Trek reboot - That is encouraging.

Well, I hope so. The Star Trek movie was ok. But I'm not sure how much involvement damon had in its making.

I think you've rightly addressed the elephant in the room! I think it is up there on the list of concerns. As we know LOST went to crap...but Lindelof was a principle script writer. My hope with Prometheus is that Ridley moderates Lindelof, taking the best of his ideas and putting them into practice, yet suppressing any of the sillier concepts. Just another quick point; did anyone notice the comments Theron made at Comic-con? She basically stated that she had worked with Ridley and Lindelof to re-write her character :S that is another definite worry for me.

Just think..the new Avengers film is directed by Joss Whedon (shudders).

The filter or balancing factor here is Ridley Scott, I'm sure he would not let crap slip by; so I would not worry much about that though. Alien Resurrection in my opinion was not a bad or incongruent story, but the style of the film seemed kind of "batmanish" to me, it just had a different feel to it. I am hoping that Prometheus taps into the original Alien movie feel, as rarely do you see movies of that intensity and caliber.

i dont see Prometheus become something horrendous like Serenity ... there are some TV scripts that are just great and many mainstream movies scripts that suck ...so i dont see a connection . The good thing in Lindelof is the characterization of the cast ...he always do a good work ( like in Cowboys Vs Aliens ) ...less good is how he wrap up things ...in lost that was atrocious ...in cowboys and aliens too ( the sultry alien woman was atrocious ) ..lets hope everything will work in prometheus

sounds like your admitting that Lindelof is a poor choice for script writer on such a "groundbreaking" movie, Frantz? The end of Promtheus will be (possibly) ambiguous just for the sake of it, rather than to actually benefit the story of the Alien-universe

[b]@PerfectOrganism2[/b] don't put words in his mouth, come on. We're all here to discuss Prometheus, this isn't a battle between those who think it will be great and those who think it will fail. If that is what you're after then let me politely re-direct you to the [url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1446714/board/]IMDB forums[/url].

Yup Mentos is right ... IF someone say " i think prometheus will fail" he will be a prisoner of that idea and inside he will hope it will fail ...just to be able say "i told you folks !!" also there are hundreds of shades between the "average at best, weekly episodic T.V mini-series" script and the script "of the century"

Good writing is good writing, wherever you find it. IMO, contemporary television and film script writers are often too self-indulgent, in trying to show just how clever they can be by employing multiple, uneccesary plot-twists, when a more straightforward story-line would work just as well, if not better.

In all fairness to Joss Whedon, even he says that "Alien Resurrection" is "unwatchable": http://www.bullz-eye.com/mguide/interviews/2005/joss_whedon.htm "Uh...you know, it wasn’t a question of doing everything differently, although they changed the ending, it was mostly a matter of doing everything wrong. They said the lines...mostly...but they said them all wrong. And they cast it wrong. And they designed it wrong. And they scored it wrong. They did everything wrong that they could possibly do. There’s actually a fascinating lesson in filmmaking, because everything that they did reflects back to the script or looks like something from the script, and people assume that, if I hated it, then they’d changed the script...but it wasn’t so much that they’d changed the script; it’s that they just executed it in such a ghastly fashion as to render it almost unwatchable. "

In resurrection the breath analyzer/recognition thing for entering restricted areas was so, in my opinion stupid/funny, I was waiting for Father to respond with " Jesus!, that breath is so bad it has to be the Commander". I know 1 little element in the movie, but there were many more that I cringed at.

I thinl the mass disliked alien 3 because they were expecting something that was like aliens, but instead have a bunch of prisoners in an outlandish planet. without any modern weapons. Then many might disliked the depressive Tone of the movie. but i think the movie was good. Alien resurrection however waa totally different. It waa not seriious for me And many dialogs were really lame. The best scene of that movie was Indeed how ripley confronts her clones. but the newborn, the guy with the chestburster killing the scientist were really a big facepalm. Then the aliens looked also not as cool And well designed than in the previous movies. Nothing giger style but just exrremely slimy.

I understand why people don't enjoy Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection all that much but I loved them. Alien 3 was incredibly badass, so was Resurrection. I'm sorry these films weren't what you wanted but seriously what were people expecting? Just more guns and Aliens? Another repeat of Alien? Of course they could be done differently. But so could any other film. But these films have A LOT to put forth for the series. Alien 3 was incredible. The acting was superb and it was a dark, gritty and powerful. Alien Resurrection was creepy, melodic and sensational. Alien 3 was nominated for an academy award for best visuals and Alien Resurrection sparked some AMAZING scenes. The scene where Ripley confronts her aborted clones has sparked multiple parodies in other shows even freaking South Park. I'm sorry people don't like these movies but I fucking loved them. I'm willing defend these films but its unfortunate many people don't see the amazing execution and creative content these films produced. These films broadened the series with new life. Just because they weren't given the notoriety of Alien and Aliens doesn't make them bad films. Its difficult finding others who will defend Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection. Its too bad because in my heart these films are just as good as Alien and Aliens. I love every single one of the films because they were all different and the character was consistent. I just wish one day people would embrace these films and realize the true value of Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection. It was AVP that desecrated everything. AVP took away Ripley, it took away the true Alien and insulted fans. Those were the films that sucked. We rooted for Ripley, we fought for her and AVP destroyed any chance of an Alien 5 which Ridley Scott and James Cameron were in the talks of doing. It would of fully explored the Ripley 8 character which many people complain about. It would of been an EPIC and for me it was when AVP came in that shit hit the fan. As a full collection of films. Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection created a full circle of excitement and quality. Opinions are just opinions and Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection will ALWAYS be apart of the series whether someone accepts them or not. They are fantastic films and its sad that many don't realize that.

and surely Wheldon cannot blame the cast of alien resurrection ..was indeed an excellent cast ( with some overacting of sigourney imo ). the problem with Alien 3 and Alien resurrection is that they arrive AFTER two movies that have made history . THATS my ranking ALIEN - Cinematography 10 Acting 10 Scare 10 Cool 7 script 9 base idea 10 ALIENS - Cinematography 9 Acting 9 Scare 7 Cool 8 Script 9 base idea 8 Alien3 - Cinematography 8 Acting 8 Scare 7 Cool 6 Script 6 Base idea 6 Alien R - Cinematography 7 Acting 7 Scare 5 Cool 7 Script 6 Base idea 7

ALIEN3 suffered from terrible special effects, bad to the point where they took the audience out of the film every time they came on screen. The opening sequence of ALIEN3 made absolutely no sense; I really can't put into words just how nonsensical it was. And to sum up ALIEN Res? Dear god. Overacting, terrible dialogue, bad editing, and a script so bad it was cringe worthy. Honestly the script felt like something I would have written at the age of about nine. The negatives from each film negate any positives they might hold! But in the interest of fairness ALIEN 3 had beautiful sets and some great background murals for the exterior shots. ALIEN Res was equipped with fantastic miniature work for exterior shots of the space craft, good sets and great creature design.

When A3 came out I remember reading a number of reviews that stated something about the director's ability, or lack thereof, to pull it off. Something about his experience being in total... the direction of a Madonna video on MTV? Also, a number of critics did not like the fact that the artistic decision had been made to return to the original "single alien will chase people around" scenario. I mean, they did make the host a dog so it looked different (which unfortunately spawned the "let's see how ridiculous we can make an alien look by giving it different hosts" toy line)... I pretty much gave up on the franchise returning to it's roots at that point. I watched A:R with those lower expectations, and therefore liked it for the most part (until I saw Ripley's kid). Maybe a few of the underwater renders of the swimming aliens could've been better too. But it gave Sigourney one more chance to be (a) Ripley. Personally, it's a miracle any movie ever gets made. So many egos are involved it's a wonder anything makes it to the big screen. I look forward to Prometheus being able to recapture some of the original tone of the franchise and perhaps even making it more epic in the end.

Alien- Was a groundbreaking/revolutionary science-fiction masterpiece. Dark, tense, incredible story, real characters, developed plot, full of mystery. Aliens- Was a roller coaster ride of heart pounding action. Scary at times and then full on action the next. Genuine masterpiece of a film that gave Sigourney Weaver's "Ripley" character the notoriety she has today. Alien 3- Is akin to a fine wine; it matures with age. An underrated if somewhat misunderstood masterpiece. Acting was incredible, dark and real in its tone and gave the alien a new perspective in its development. Alien Resurrection- Was a melodic, creepy yet sensational film. It was deformed and eerie its look. Gave Sigourney Weaver a dark, romantic, unpredictable twist in the "Ripley" character and really developed this form of unknown aborted identity.

Personally, it's a miracle any movie ever gets made... It really is. Between the overbearing studio budget concerns and in-fighting between the directors, producers, crew, and talent... it's a wonder any kind of coherent story makes it to the big screen. A3 & A:R weren't meant to be like the original "Alien" or sequel "Aliens." As stand alone movies, they survive on their own. It's only when we compare them to the first 2 films (which are vastly different from each other too), that some of us see them as "less than". When they killed off Ripley's love interest and adopted child in the beginning of A3, I thought it was a cheap way out. When they killed her in the end... I said, so be it. This is the end of her story and she died a hero... It's over. When they brought her back in A:R, I thought... OK... New Ripley stories... This will be interesting... Then...

...Shear poop happened.

I agree strongly with the clone, each movie had its own strengths. No one is saying that 3 and Resurrection were of the same quality as the first two movies, but what did you expect? A carbon copy of The Nostromo or Hadleys Hope adventure? The series had to go somewhere!! Of all the sequel scripts available online I have never read anything that compares to the sequel movies, therefore I appreciate those movies for what they are..... quality science fiction. Frankly the amount of Alien snobbery out there is disappointing, "because its not Ridley Scotts Alien - it's garbage" I gorge huge amounts of science fiction as often as possible and the vast VAST majority of it is depressingly bad, if only there were more productions like Alien 3 and Resurrection I would be a happy man. Not everything can be, or should be, a masterpiece.

I agree strongly with the clone, each movie had its own strengths. No one is saying that 3 and Resurrection were of the same quality as the first two movies, but what did you expect? A carbon copy of The Nostromo or Hadleys Hope adventure? The series had to go somewhere? Of all the scripts available online I have never read anything that compares to the sequel movies, therefore I appreciate those movies for what they are..... quality science fiction. Frankly the amount of Alien snobbery out there is disappointing, "because its not Ridley Scotts Alien - it's garbage" I gorge huge amounts of science fiction as often as possible and the vast VAST majority of it is depressingly bad, if only there were more productions like Alien 3 and Resurrection I would be a happy man. Not everything can be, or should be, a masterpiece.

Ripley 8 says it all Alien 3 was a bloody good film and i think ive seen as many times as Alien I personely didnt enjoy Alien Resurrection I didnt like the CGAliens, the story was good though and it can have a sequal to explain more of Ripley's new DNA

See this is one of my biggest problems [i]"The series had to go somewhere?"[/i]. Did it? Did it really? Because from where I'm sitting it looks like they made 3, Res, AVP and AVPR for the sake of it/cash. If you don't have a decent script or source material then don't make the darn films. I can't stand this, [i]well what did you expect, a film as good as ALIEN?[/i] yes, yes I did. If Ridley and his team can take the time and effort to create a masterpiece, and Cameron can put the legwork in to a superb sci/fi action then I don't expect anything less from other directors. If you want to add something to the ALIEN universe, then do it right don't just make films because you fancy having a go.

aliens acting a score of 9 i think your being extremely generous there frantz lol

For me, Resurrection paid enough homage to make it a good Alien sequel. It was whackier than any of the others (Cameron wouldn't of touched it with a ten foot pole) but it at least built something and carried on a tradition of altering the alien's life cycle. Though it shines a light on how horrible the Alien 3 script was. Now that I think about it, if Fincher went down the whacky route and went with the script about the company performing experiments on inmates, it would of at least built on the corporate greed theme that the other films shared. He could of said, "well, it's going to be a sad ending, and I can't really compete with Cameron's film, but I at least have this". Instead there's nothing, really (I know it's not all his fault). This is where I disagree with Enderwiggin, it WAS the Nostromo all over again. Just no heroines or lead-up to the story. An ending for ending's sake... Geez now I'm depressed.

"We're all here to discuss Prometheus, this isn't a battle between those who think it will be great and those who think it will fail." Well put at @Mentos....anyone else as tired as @Mentos and I are of the Ridley and Lindelof bashing before the movie is even out?........... @PerfectOrganism2......when you start a thread, understand the facts behind the idea...."Well we al know that Ridley has used a script written by a T.V scriptwriter, who has never made a film before, so lets take a look at what happened the last time a television writer was used to pen an Alien movie." Joss Whedon, before he penned 'Alien Ressurection', wrote 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' and 'Toy Story'. Damien Lindelof, before he re-wrote what became 'Prometheus', penned 'Cowboys And Aliens'. Second @PerfectOrganism2, what's up with all your pessimism about 'Prometheus'? I keep coming back to the forums looking for cool ideas and fun threads to geek out about and get me pumped for June and I keep finding you pouting about this or that.......slow your roll man, seriously :)....you're bumin' me out. Lastly....................@Mentos: "See this is one of my biggest problems "The series had to go somewhere?". Did it? Did it really? Because from where I'm sitting it looks like they made 3, Res, AVP and AVPR for the sake of it/cash. If you don't have a decent script or source material then don't make the darn films. I can't stand this, well what did you expect, a film as good as ALIEN? yes, yes I did. If Ridley and his team can take the time and effort to create a masterpiece, and Cameron can put the legwork in to a superb sci/fi action then I don't expect anything less from other directors. If you want to add something to the ALIEN universe, then do it right don't just make films because you fancy having a go." That was perfectly put and I thank you ever so much for expressing my thoughts and feelings for me.

@ mentos, every film made cannot be a masterpiece, if that was the case there'd be no masterpieces. So I suggest you enjoy A3 and AR for what they are.... Good films. And by the way I never mentioned AVP.

All fairness like so many others even Joss Whedon has ups and downs. Normally I have to give it to Whedon if he is left alone by studio heads wanting this and that and changing things from his original ideas they are pretty good. Remember he did write Serenity and it was pretty good for a low budget film. With regards to Prometheus I'm pretty sure Ridley Scott is very active in each aspect of this film from the writing to wardrobe to the modeling and CGI just as he was with the original Alien movie and Blade Runner. So in my opinion this will be one of the best SciFi Movies to hit the big screen in 10 years. Something familiar yet new and exciting. Good thing is Scott changed up the name from Alien which was a good move as those sequence movies get old to most and are judged before they are even watched. As for Jon Spaihts I know little about him and what he can bring to Prometheus. But Damon Lindelof can bring a good deal to the script writing of Prometheus, though he was primary for TV scripts he has since broke very well into movie scripts with the Star Trek remake and with Cowboys and Aliens.

All fairness like so many others even Joss Whedon has ups and downs. Normally I have to give it to Whedon if he is left alone by studio heads wanting this and that and changing things from his original ideas they are pretty good. Remember he did write Serenity and it was pretty good for a low budget film. With regards to Prometheus I'm pretty sure Ridley Scott is very active in each aspect of this film from the writing to wardrobe to the modeling and CGI just as he was with the original Alien movie and Blade Runner. So in my opinion this will be one of the best SciFi Movies to hit the big screen in 10 years. Something familiar yet new and exciting. Good thing is Scott changed up the name from Alien which was a good move as those sequence movies get old to most and are judged before they are even watched. As for Jon Spaihts I know little about him and what he can bring to Prometheus. But Damon Lindelof can bring a good deal to the script writing of Prometheus, though he was primary for TV scripts he has since broke very well into movie scripts with the Star Trek remake and with Cowboys and Aliens.

i haven't seen cowboys and aliens but from what i read it has very mixed reviews. The star trek reboot was ok enjoyable but very predictable but not bad there were a lot of belief suspension points in it like spoke turning up in the exact location that kirk found himself on the ice planet but you expect that in star trek i just hope this script for prometheus is as tight as a virgins ass .

I know we've gone off an a tangent slightly, but in terms of preferences of the films, for me, Alien is way better than any of the others. Alien had a fantastic story, it was all psychological, the actors and casting was spot on and the script and acting was very natural. The tension between the characters was superb and they were all real. It created a while new universe for us but left so many unaswered questions, you wanted more. The fact that to this day we all question and want answers to the space jockey illustrates how less is more. Do not give everything away. For me, Alien is an intelligent movie. I understand why Aliens is also viewed positively, but for me, it missed the boat completely. It became an action movie franchise; it lost all it's enigma and became dumb-ass. It was exciting on a different level, but there were no big questions, no revisiting the mysterious questions on the SJ or derelict and ot lost its realism. Alien was actually believable. Aliens was gung-ho and the dialogue was naff. Dont get me started on Alien 3 and Resurrection. They destroyed the franchise way before AVP did. What started off as a ground breaking, intelligent movie, ended up with a series of mediocre to awful sequels that undermined the original. This is why I am so excited Ridley Scott is back at the helm. We're hopefully back to basics, back to where it began, back to the big questions and hopefully the suspense, the macabre, the realism, the atmosphere. When I watch Alien and Blade Runner, it makes me think about the universe, our future, humanity, etc ....Prometheus will hopefully have the same impact of greater. I am wetting myself in anticipation!!

[b]@Enderwiggin[/b] oh I know, I just thought it made sense to throw AVP in a that point in my post. [b]@Craigamore[/b] no problem sir! Glad you appreciated my statement :) .

Exactly, Lindelof has helped write Star Trek and that was the best movie in that franchise by a mile. . . Also, Lindelof has proven with Lost and Fringe, that he can conjour up absolute brilliance!

in my honest heartfelt opinion if i'm honest with myself i totally agree with you stefan i always felt that way but have had to except the events of history regarding the rest of the franchise and force myself to be constructive in the merits of the other films but hand on my heart i only truly love one of those films and it is of course the first and original one. i only brought the blu ray box set anthology because it was so cheap if the film alien had been released on its own i think i wouldn't have even bothered with the rest. and i am talking with reference to the blue ray release.