Enlighten me, please...

visualizer
MemberOvomorphJune 19, 20122770 Views34 RepliesI was disappointed with Prometheus on many levels, and I am quite sure that I won´t remember this movie as anything but a grand scale missed opportunity.
It seems to me though, that a lot of the people, who liked this movie try to categorize the opposite opinion as lack of insight or abillity to make sense of the plot. So can someone please explain the plotholes to me, and more importantly; tell me how the understanding of these plotholes, makes this movie a masterpiece...
June 19, 2012
What plot holes are you referring to specifically?
I'm not sure I would refer to this movie as a "masterpiece", but I did enjoy it quite a bit. I didn't see or wasn't aware of any plot holes at all.
I think if you pay attention to what is said by the characters throughout the movie and understand the timeline, you shouldn't have any problem following the movie at all.
June 19, 2012
Please tell me what plot holes you speak of. Keep in mind a plot hole to me is not "they were dumb" or "they wouldn't have done this or that". A plot hole to me is a gap or inconsistency in the story line. Please jdog impress me with your acumen.
June 19, 2012
I think I´ll let [url=http://boingboing.net/2012/06/16/plot-holes-in-prometheus-deli.html]this guy[/url] pose the questions, because he actually gets around most of my questions about the plot, creative choices etc.
June 19, 2012
I would say that a few situations were thrown in that look odd, and that while some seem a bit unlikely, others seem downright crazy.
The crazy ones are there to puzzle you, and I would say that there are then teasers for you to make up your mind as to what happened.
It helps if you watch it more than once.
I have written threads about how it's [url=http://www.prometheus-movie.com/community/forums/topic/8321]deliberately diverging[/url] in it's possible explanations, and also how [url=http://www.prometheus-movie.com/community/forums/topic/8260]the 'plot' grabs you[/url].
June 19, 2012
maybe the OP means stuff that wasn't explained?
1. why did the engineers create us?
2. why did they leave a map to a weapons facility?
3. why did the engineer kill everyone when he woke up?
4. why did they want to destroy us with the black goo?
5. why haven't they been to earth in 2000 years?
6. why did no engineer come and check what was happening on this planet or to see if they carried out their mission?
June 19, 2012
@fluke
Yes, that´s what the OP (me) meant, thank you for clearing that up.
@Hadley´s Hope
I´ve seen movies that leave things unexplained and get away with it, and I have certainly seen movies that didn´t. In what way does deliberately diverging in possible explanations make Prometheus a good movie?
June 19, 2012
1. why did the engineers create us?
Who says they did?
2. why did they leave a map to a weapons facility?
They didn't. Holloway made a bad job of picking his destination.
3. why did the engineer kill everyone when he woke up?
Multiple theories on that one.
4. why did they want to destroy us with the black goo?
Again, an assumption.
5. why haven't they been to earth in 2000 years?
There's a 7th century cave drawing from Hawaii shown in the briefing.
6. why did no engineer come and check what was happening on this planet or to see if they carried out their mission?
See answers to 4 and 5.
June 19, 2012
[u]In what way does deliberately diverging in possible explanations make Prometheus a good movie?[/u]
It's a mystery not a horror. Not everyone will like that. I disliked it on first viewing. Loved it 2nd time around, after the penny dropped.
June 19, 2012
visualizer:
Those aren't exactly plotholes per se.
Actually there are very few [at least one that I remember of] plotholes in the movie. There are, however, a ton of oddities in the screenwriting that the acting transpired, but those are not plotholes, they are just odd character behaviours [and I can point some out]:
- Janek leaves his station to hump Miss Vickers [never minding the well being of Fifield and Milburn]
- No one was informed of the mission prior to accepting it [makes little sense]
- No one knew each other [wich can only be explained if they were already in cryo when they were put aboard the ship, a la 2001]
- Milburn, being a biologist didn't care for the dead aliens but wanted to befriend an alien snake
the list goes on and on.
But again I have to admit that these are not plotholes, but rather bad screenwriting.
[b]Ask nothing from no one. Demand nothing from no one. Expect nothing from no one.[/b]
June 19, 2012
@hadleys
1.Who says they did?
shaw does in the movie. Also the scene at the start alludes to this as this is what they do to create life. unless the movie lies to us and doesnt reveal that in the end
2.They didn't. Holloway made a bad job of picking his destination
there is no evidence of this in the film. they state clearly only 1 system matches the map (lol)
4. again an assumption
this was stated in the movie by david "to create you must first destroy"
5. There's a 7th century cave drawing from Hawaii shown in the briefing.
ok why havnt they been to earth in 1200 years : p ?
6. see answers 4 & 5
doesnt answer the question . if they did go to the planet they left the engineer in hyper sleep buit for what reason? if they didnt visit why not?
June 19, 2012
@David 1
You are absolutely right, I meant missing explanations and not plotholes, which I acknowledged in my reply to fluke : - )
June 19, 2012
'' It helps if you watch it more than once''... watch it the second time on a sit n' spin and it may help !
June 19, 2012
@Hadley´s Hope
[quote]"It's a mystery not a horror. Not everyone will like that. I disliked it on first viewing. Loved it 2nd time around, after the penny dropped."[/quote]
Hmm, the movie has tons of gore and horror, and its pace fits an action movie or adventure flick rather than a mystery. With all due respect, categorizing Prometheus as a mystery movie to justify missing explanations doesn´t make sense to me.
Dont´t get me wrong, I am seriously trying to understand, how the multiple loose ends make you thinks its a good movie. To me, the number of missing explanations in itself, is what makes me feel like the writers choose to leave them open, simply because they didn´t have the answers themselves.
June 19, 2012
hi visualizer - one of the writers stated that it was ridley scott who decided what to hold back from revealing in the story so they definitley do have the answers. he just chose not to give them in this movie.
seems like a cheap ploy to make more movies about it but there you go.
June 19, 2012
[i]Moving to "Prometheus Reviews (Disliked)"[/i]
If the movie isn't mysterious and deep then why is it that I discovered more answers on my 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th viewing? Each viewing revealing more answers.
If the movie wasn't mysterious and deep thenwhy do we have a movie fan-site trying to figure things out. How many movies have a fan-site such as this to try to help new-comers and veterans alike try to figure out what is going on in this 5-7 layer "onion". We're only scratching the surface here. Everything in this movie, like a short story, was put it there (or removed) for a purpose. This is a movie that makes you think. Alien had us thinking for 33 years. Why should Prometheus give it all up in 2 hours? I want to be discussing this movie and debating about stuff till the sequel hits. If I wanted something different, I would have seen The Avengers....Oh, I did....I forgot all about it.
June 19, 2012
Visualizer:
Glad I could help.
[b]Ask nothing from no one. Demand nothing from no one. Expect nothing from no one.[/b]
June 19, 2012
@ rumoir control -If the movie isn't mysterious and deep then why is it that I discovered more answers on my 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th viewing? Each viewing revealing more answers.
maybe your just not very good at watching movies?
June 19, 2012
@Rumour Control
People conversate in here for a number of reasons, one of them being their fascination of Ridley Scott and the Alien-universe. A lot of theories and thoughts have been posted in here prior to the release of the movie, so logically, we now discuss what the movie was like, if it lived up to our expectations etc. Concluding that Prometheus is a deep and mysterious movie, because people debate it, is probably a little far fetched.
I am still here, because I am interested in hearing peoples opinions on this movie, and also because I still can´t wrap my head around the fact, that I found Prometheus so disappointing.
@fluke
Seems like a very cheap ploy to me, like saying: We don´t have to explain anything, we´ll just do a sequel.