Empire Review here (spoilers-inside)

well, that review was unfortunate.

I take or leave Empire...it amazes me how inconsistently they score, but it does seem to be splitting opinion Will be waiting patiently like most people to hear what Kermode has to say about it

[quote]Scott didn’t want the cliché, but you sure miss him. [/quote] Sort of worried about this. I'm really pumped about the new monsters, clearly, but I'm not gonna lie about it: the second I found out it wasn't just an Alien prequel my heart sank. When ordinary folks with no great investment in alien movies say this sort of thing, it looks, well, not good. And with: [quote]Early on we glimpse beneath the exoskeleton — sorry, spacesuit — and the Space Jockey, sorry Engineer, turns out to be a overly-pumped bald bloke with dead-eyes who has no dialogue and punches people across the room. So basically they’ve spent two years in cryo to discover that God is Jason Statham.[/quote] They basically sum up how I feel about taking everything that was cool about space jockies and erasing it. So that sets a precedent. Neat. Still, what with the protoalien and shoggoth poking around, I'm sure I won't be quite as disappointed as this guy. After all, I watched avp:r multiple times just because Chet is so friggin' cool. (you just fast-forward the teenagers, it's cool)

The bottom line will be how well it does at the box office. I ask you this, who has seen The Kings Speech or The Queen, I'm from the UK and I have not nor have any interest to see these yet the reviews were outstanding, I like and read this magazine but a review is an individuals opinion only nothing more, nothing less.

bottom line is that Empire are a bunch of idiots

screw this movie and RS for spinning up a silly, over hyped ad campaign for a weak assed flick. I'll wait for FX to show it in a year or find it the shit dvd bin at Wally world. Mr.Scott sir, you should be ashamed for making such crap-tastic films and should have stayed away from the "genre" you helped define. remember, just cause' you could.....doesnt mean you should. Got me wondering if John Carter makes an appearance. Get ready people, a let down is a comin. Now, back to waiting for "the Hobbit".

I agree with JP, if we leave the cinema loving the film then it renders critics reviews worthless. You may agree or disagree but I thought Terminator Salvation was fantastic, it was severely slated when reviewed.......

@shawn Calm down, you haven't even seen the movie...that's a question of points of view, the critic here doesn't state anything, he just expresses his opinion...

What's funny is that so many of the negative things some are saying in reviews are the same negative things said of Alien at first like the characters lacking. Now everyone talks about how "human" the characters were in Alien and how "you know them" and "they are real people." Now you've got people saying the same shit about these characters. It's funny. I give very little if any weight to reviews, good or bad. Too many times have films flopped and recieved bad reviews to turn out to be some of the greatest films ever made. But we all know this of course. @yasjooni...The box office is the bottom line for you? Let's see a list of box office flops... The Wizard of Oz Citizen Kane It's a Wonderful lIfe Cleopatra Blade Runner The Thing Legend Office Space Fight Club The Big Lebowski The Shawshank Redemption The Usual Suspects Donnie Darko Tron Rocky Horror Picture Show Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory(original) The Fountain Mallrats Those are just a few I looked up quickly and most I thought of real quick. And they don't include films that did good but "still haven't turned a profit" like Predator and Return of the Jedi. The box office is faaaaaar from the bottom line. If that's how you rate films I don't know what to tell you.

Good review - subtle and nuanced.

Deckard_B26354 point taken and in fairness I probably rushed what was a knee jerk and angry response to the Empire reveiw, what I meant to express was that if the box office ratings go through the roof, I think then that the critics might be left speechless.

Since it was filmed at Pinewood studios, I think the UK media see it as something of their own product. Therefore, it almost had to get a negative review; the reviews from the US seem to be on the whole positive. However, those expecting another 'Alien' horror-type flick seem to be somewhat disappointed.

@yas... I see what you're saying. Sorry, I know I came off as rude. A lot of stuff being said not just here but everywhere is getting to me. Not negative reviews but just ignorant stuff reviewers and people say. You statement obviously wasn't ignorant I just read it wrong. I hope the box office goes thru the roof. I know I'm going to see it multiple times. The Total Film review really said some stuff that got me excited. Like it's too much to take in in one viewing.

No problem, you do make the valid point though that even if the takings are not as expected, the film could build on cult credibility over time.

@Shane....really? To each their own, but I don't base my opinion on reviews. Many times critics and I disagree (Fifth Element comes to mind. Loved it. And critics had nothing bad to say about Drag Me to Hell, but I thought that movie was the dumbest slop ever spewed on screen). See it for yourself - then gripe and complain if it doesn't meet your expectations.

Drag me to the hell. Funniest movie ever. Especially that "teeth bridge" scene.

That was one sweet review, well written, funny, and clear. Those who wanted straightforward reviews are now complaining because what they meant to say is that they wanted POSITIVE straightforward reviews. I think this guy did a good job at conveying why he gave it 3/5 stars.

While Empire is, without doubt, the best film magazine out there, some of their reviews have been questionable. Two in particular: The Phantom Menace 5/5 Transformers (yes, I said Trans-fucking-formers!!!!) 4/5 I love them for their wit, humour and ability to get scoops before any other magazine, but some of their reviewers have no idea about film in general. I think the above examples above prove this.

And another thing, a lot of reviews (especially this one) are extremely focused on comparing Prometheus to Alien. No matter how many times Ridley and cast and crew have stated they are trying to make this a distant cousin of Alien, yet the reviews keep on saying "well, it lacks such and such which Alien had". It needs to be judged on it's own, not against another film. Don't get me wrong, I completely understand why people do it, but this ridiculousness of constantly comparing it to Alien isn't fair, as it's been stated over and over again that it's a completely different movie.

Hello Drakeequation. You seem to be an inteligent and well spoken individual. I just want to know if you are a fan of Mr.Scott's previous work. Not counting Alien, and Blade Runner. It's that's you sound so negative about the movie. I get the feeling that you want the movie to receive bad reviews.. You want it to be a flop. Please enlighten me, maybe I am over reacting a bit. But I have seen you put up posts on other threads speaking so negatively about the movie when I don't think that you have seen it yet. Sorry if I sound offensive. That is not my intention. I am just curious to know if you have an agenda with the film.

I don't care! I'll watch this movie anyway... When I'm watching a movie, I think I'm going on a journey together and sometimes We can to like or not what we see! The reviews of films are complicated but the critical make no difference when I like. This doesn't reduce my expectations because I want to have my own opinion.

@ Rubirosa I am a fan of film in general and a big fan of Mr.Scott's work. Although I must say that his portfolio of films isn't exactly spotless, as I hated Kingdom of Heaven and didn't much care for Matchstick Men, Hannibal, or Body of Lies. There is a difference between being blindly negative while saying things like, "Ridley Scott sucks and this movie is going to suck and you all suck" and being realistic about the information being released and discussing it without having rose colored glasses on. There are James Cameron fans who are arguing even now that Avatar is a science fiction masterpiece that has dethroned all other sci-fi films. I am not a fanboy and especially hate it when directors or writers toot their own horn in interviews about how their film is a thought provoking masterpiece and then deliver a product which, by all accounts, is merely a visually stunning entertainment piece with little substance. Furthermore, I am only really negative in comparison to everyone else on these boards because I have said on multiple posts that I am still looking forward to seeing this and have my Imax tickets bought and paid for.

I thank you very much for your explanation Drakeequation.

You also have to bear in mind that Ian Nathan (who reviewed Prometheus for Empire) gave the following scores for these movies: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 4/5 Tree of Life 5/5 Full Metal Jacket 3/5 (what the fuck????) but here's the kicker....he gives Knocked Up 4/5 Ian, it's time to retire mate!

Critics are just like everyone of us....they have their own biased taste and opinions...their own likes and dislikes..they seldom very objective...they just more articulate than most...lol...some people wanne believe them cause they sound so clever....

Just read it, and i agree with everything that dude says. This is one of the most honest reviews out there in my opinion... and funny.