Prometheus: why all the disappointment?

this post is a testament to how much we (human beings) have lowered our standards for film making, acting, etc... i would blame Hollywood, but it is the audience that keeps showing up for multiple viewings - that ultimately turn something like brometheus into a blockbuster! yes - i'm one of those who thought it was visually nice, but was filled with idiot "professionals/scientist" and bad story. if this had been released in 1995, everyone on here would be pissed off. ah, come on IT, it's just a movie!!!

@Spartacus....Um here's my $20.00 give me those 3D glasses, I'm first in line to see your version of Prometheus. I agree, we each do the best we can with what we saw. It wasn't what I saw that gave me problems, it was what I wasn't hearing. The devil is in the details, and this film wasn't devilish. Scott himself said he was going to scare the SH(T out of US. I'm still waiting.

@engineering - the point about aliens and the military: nobody is acting outside the parameters of their characters - gung-ho, macho, excited about actually getting into some action. nobody questioned it, because it works. everybody watching knew it was a bad idea (the audience is playing the role of fear for the marines charging into the unknown) - no different than the unsuspecting cocky military (marines) trying to prove themselves. you're catching so much flack about prometheus, because everyone wants to know why they (professionals/scientist) are so stupid. the audience doesn't really fear or care for them (i was hoping and waiting for them to die). the crowd is divided because we feel like we were tugged on by Scarlett Johannson and didn't get to finish!

@Rubirosa - did you really question the Aliens/military until you read it on this forum??? honestly???

[i]"@engineering - the point about aliens and the military: nobody is acting outside the parameters of their characters - gung-ho, macho, excited about actually getting into some action. nobody questioned it, because it works. everybody watching knew it was a bad idea (the audience is playing the role of fear for the marines charging into the unknown) - no different than the unsuspecting cocky military (marines) trying to prove themselves.[/i] I never said that there's anything wrong with Aliens imo. I was just pointing out a pretty much dead on example of how people trash Prometheus for things that don't seem to bother them in other films. And what did you do? Exactly what we do. Defended it with reasoning. Pointed out that it's not that big of a deal. Pointed out that it's ok. Gave us a reason for the "flaw" or whatever you want to call it. You explained the flaw away. In your opinion it's not flawed because of the things you pointed out. To be honest, I didn't even read all of you explaination. I don't really need to because what I pointed out about Aliens doesn't bother me. And I know that's just one example and that Prometheus does have other "flaws" but I would think one would have to look at this and at least consider the possibility that there are other reasons for some not likeing Prometheus BESIDES what's on film.

[u]8 pints[/u]: I love your post. By your mention of when and how you first saw "Alien" I'm guessing that you and I are around the same age (FYI, I'm in my early 40's). I agree with you about your comment that "Prometheus" should not be seen as wrecking the legacy of "Alien" (and, for that matter, "Aliens"). I also agree with your comment about Scott not pulling back all the curtains and doing an epic and full scale reveal to the audience about the universe in which the Engineers and Xenos operate/live. That said, my biggest critique of the film is that I think Scott got a little bit too cute with some of the editing and design choices (e.g. not showing the elder Engineers in the film, showing the barest glance of the ceiling fresco, not including more detailed shots of the pile of bodies, various issues surrounding the mutated version of Fifield). Still, the film is full of stunning imagery that supports both the plot and the development of the universe in which the story takes place. The scene in which David discovers and enters the bridge of the Alien spaceship is perhaps one of the most interesting put on film in the genre. The manner in which the scene wraps up with David discovering the sleeping Engineer is beautifully done from the perspective of sound design. While I believe and acknowledge that this film is flawed I've come to think that in many ways this film is being undervalued and underappreciated. I say that not as a salivating fanboy but as a lover of film and sci-fi. Nowadays most films made in the genre are simply awful and thoughtless and while "Prometheus" is not flawless enough to be a classic it is leagues above almost all of the competition. Going into “Prometheus” I felt that Scott was the film’s greatest liability in the sense that his career post-“Blade Runner” has been a checkered one. IMHO, “Gladiator” was dreck in that it alternated between great scenes with Russell Crowe and somnambulistic scenes in which Joaquim Phoenix moped and whinged about his kingdom. For as flawed as “Prometheus” may be I’d say that Scott’s handling of the film was in many ways a pleasant surprise to me. I find the film to be so frustrating simply because I feel that a few small tweaks would have helped it make the leap from being a very good film to a great and classic one. I've already seen the film 3 times and am planning to make see it for the fourth time at some point this week. The last film I enjoyed and appreciated this much was "Inception". I truly hope that "Prometheus" begets a high quality sequel and that 10/11/12 brings the fans of the film a great and wonderful surprise!

Prometheus is a thinker movie... I really did enjoy it, and will rewatch it until I am dead. Are all stories perfect... no. Do some plots my you laugh when they are actually attempting to be series... oh yes. Prometheus is the invitation to further explore the Alien canon without all the excess baggage of the other films (avp etc.) I am so happy Ridley decided to do this film.

please do not lump Prometheus into the same category as Inception, as Inception (as high-handed as it is) makes sense; even with its flaws! Prometheus on the other hand wants you to intuit (if that is what is truly meant to happen - which i doubt - but for sake of argument we'll go there) a great many things - david's motives, our existence, what the engineers are for, the key to perfect peach pie, etc..., but it wants you to do it and swallow all the crappy acting, character flaws, characters not making sense, silly science, which IMO is just too difficult to look over. like the perfect looking girl with the machine-gun laugh that you just can't live with. there are a few that buy into this hook, line, and sinker, but most everyone says they liked it "buuuut" or they like it because it is visually stunning and that's all movies have to be! true, and you may not register what it is that quite isn't right, but your mind did, and now you're trying to convince yourself otherwise. maybe by seeing the movie 30 times or waiting to perform fellatio on the blue ray DVD with extended "i'm not answering your fucking questions and i'm not making the professionals/scientists any smarter" scenes, you'll be able to completely lull yourself into this is an EPIC and lovable film that doesn't discredit the genre!

@Inquisitor... It seems there is some anger or hostility emanating from some of your posts. While I do understand that some people don't like the film I don't understand where the anger and hostility towards those who like it comes from or why it's there to begin with. Am I just imagining it? Does anyone else get this feeling or is it just me. [i]"waiting to perform fellatio on the blue ray DVD with extended"[/i] Yes, I can't wait to perform fellatio on the female version of the blu-ray! I bet with my skill it'll give me EXTRA special features. If I was an exhibitionist I suppose I'd have been arrested at theatres lol.

:^)

[u]Tremayne[/u]: I have to second what [u]Engineering[/u] said about the tone of your posts. I felt that way even before you posted a response to my post. I don't spend much time on user/fan driven sites because inevitably there will be the negative Neds and Nellies who will respond to a well considered and written post with something that's akin to "Hey, dude. You're deluding yourself. Now let me tell you why." Your reply to my post ignored simple and obvious facts and details such as these gems: "...I believe and acknowledge that this film is flawed..." "I find the film to be so frustrating..." When I walked out of "Prometheus" the first time I was frustrated with the film and those reasons involved some of the acting and directing related to the last third of the film. I still feel that way about those elements of the film. However, my second and third viewings of the film allowed me to focus on different aspects and details of the film. The bottom line for me regarding "Prometheus" is as follows: Fassbender's performance is one of the most impressive pieces of film acting I've ever seen. The cinematography is phenomenal, especially the exteriors of the planet and the dust storm. The visual design of the film connects with me on many levels. However, none of that is important to you because you really know that I’m not actually expressing my own nuanced and educated opinions via my posts but rather just displaying for all the world to see that I’m deluding myself into liking “Prometheus”. Well, given that fact I might as well kill myself now. Really, what do I have left to live for now that I've been exposed for the self-deluding drone that I truly am ?

[b]Rubirosa[/b] I'm not sure about that - if you go back and watch Alien, check out the size-difference between Dallas' helmet and the Space-Jockey...then re-watch Prometheus and look at the size of the Space-Jockey's helmet that Dr Shaw brings back and they have on the operating table: there's not [i]that much[/i] difference, IMO. I think a lot of people are wishing/hoping that there is another 'level' or species of Space-Jockeys in this whole melee, that the original Space-Jockey was one of them and that the next movie in this series is going to show them. BTW, I re-watched Prometheus and I've warmed to it more - obviously it's not on the same level as Alien, but then how could it be? That movie was a total game-changer in sci-fi/horror movie-making genre. My best-effort analgoy would be...imagine The Beatles doing a follow-up to 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' 15 years later and think how that would go down.

@synthetic_69...[i]"Hey, dude. You're deluding yourself. Now let me tell you why."[/i] I don't really mind that as long as the "why" is intelligent and thought out. As far as the simply useless, negative, no point replys I just try to ignore them. It might not matter to him or anyone else but Inquisitor is cool in my book. I was just wondering if I was the only one that thought this and if it was, in fact, hostility and/or anger. I've said a million times that there are people on both sides which are the "it rocks" or "it sucks" with no explaination or thoughts as to why types. Inquisitor obviously isn't the type to post useless, negative ramblings. His opinions are on a solid base. Anyway...why the disappointment? I'd like to hear the reasons from more people who were disappointed. I obviously have my thoughts as to why but I know that everyone doesn't fit in to that view.

Well at first i was disappointed and thats because of the scope, Alien and Blade Runner set a very very high bar. And just as the Original Star Wars Movies did, the prequels had a very hard task to meet the expectations. Star Wars EP1 was a disappointment but then half way through EP2 it started to improve vastly and EP 3 Revenge of the Sith was a Good movie. And so Prometheus has the same scope for sequels. Yes i think there was and are a few plot holes, and yes i think some Characters were never really used to the full extent. But i now understand why, and thats if the movie gave us the depth of Characters that some deserved the movie would have had to had been much much longer. My major disappointment was that the story and plot was so vast, that the limits of time the movie had could not do it justice i felt the movie needed 3 hours....... But taking away Weyland Corp and the Other Crew, we are still left with Shaw and David and many questions regarding the Engineers and Xenos that a Prometheus 2 can give us great depth on those subjects without having to include other human crew who in Prometheus was there purely as a plot device to move things forwards. Some of the movie seemed rushed it seemed to flow well until after Holloway and Shaw Love Scene, after that it seemed everything was rushed, as if the movie had another 1.5 hours to go but some had to be cut to get it to fit with only a hour left. Some scenes just seemed to be cut short and have little build up, some a little odd as if something was missing.... THE GREAT NEWS IS..... That 24 minutes was cut from the movie and some of these cuts would make some scenes flow together more better, some scenes that seemed rushed could had been indeed because they was cut and edited. I understand why some scenes was cut and edited. 1) The Elder Engineers.... i think with Prometheus 2 Ridley wants to explore these guys and maybe felt after filming that the full Sacrificial Scene would have taken away that Enigma these guys have, and felt he wanted to leave these guys for Prometheus 2.... i think the Cut Scene will be added into Prometheus 2. 2) Fifield Attack.... there was a few different Fifield scenes, and what appeared to be 3 different Fifield Mutants... I guess Ridley decided that he wanted to go for the Mutant scene as the others had more Xeno DNA and he wanted to savior that DNA for the Money Shot's that being C-Section, Cuddles vs Engineer and Deacon. 3) Engineer vs Shaw, Ridley felt the full scene kind of made the Engineer not looks as powerful as for a moment Shaw gets a upper hand and escapes his clutches... but she has a Axe.... I am sure Danny Devito would be more than a match for a bare fisted Mike Tyson if he had a Axe. 4) Blood and Guts.... Ridley had said that some scenes had to be changed/cut so the movie was available to a wider audience and potentially having a movie that only 18+ can see could mean Millions and Millions of lost income from the Box Office.... Maybe thats why some fight scenes seemed lame compared to how they was described as being some brutal scenes...... we also saw in the behind scenes Fords face being CGI... i dont think that was so she gets tossed up the wall. So maybe there is a few alternative death scenes that are far more gruesome. The good news is maybe we will see such things when the movie is on DVD/Blu-Ray and its all about marketing... yes a Cert 15 or less means more potential viewers and thus more income.... but then a Blue-Ray with plenty of alternative scenes and edited out scenes would be something more for fans to look forwards to and make more money. The main thing is the potential this movie franchise now has..... Big Things come from Small Beginnings and i am sure that as Ridley explores from Prometheus to Prometheus 3 the franchise will get more EPIC as he does so. Overall a Good movie with some Plot/Character Flaws, a Masterpiece Visually with a HUGE AND EPIC Story to tell that will need Prometheus 2 and 3 to do so and i cant wait.......

[u]Engineering[/u]: It's late and I need to crash but I'll say this: I'm totally with you on the upside of people on people from both sides of the spectrum chiming in with well thought out and written posts about why they liked or disliked the film. Perhaps [u]Tremayne[/u] has some other posts that s/he wrote that were more fleshed out than his/her response to my initial post in this thread. However, his/her reply to my said post was nothing more than a flaming "Hey, dude. You're deluding yourself. Let me tell you why?" and I don't have a problem expressing that belief. I'm not a dull eyed fan boy who can't tell garbage from gold. I'll gladly go see a ridiculous movie without feeling ashamed of doing so. Case in point: 2 days I saw "Abraham Lincoln" with my ex because she wanted to see it. I'll also go see art house films, retrospectives of older films and foreign films. I’m far from being uncultured. I just got back from seeing "Prometheus" for the fourth time and I like it more with each viewing. This time around I was able to pick up a lot more on both the foreshadowing in the script/dialog and references that the film was making to both scenes that had taken place earlier in the film and to "2001". Honestly, I think that this film is way tighter than some people are willing to admit. I'm also wondering if Scott did in fact film 2 new "Alien" films at the same time. The more I see this film more I get the sense that it's one half of a 2 piece locket. I'm very happy and impressed with this film.

Come come my brothers! Let us all rejoice and be happy in our differing opinions! Take the movie Splice for instance - my friends hated it; made fun of it and still to this day give me shit about it. It's dark, sexy in an odd way and Adrien Bridge has seen better moments on the screen, but I enjoyed it nonetheless just as I despise the story of Prometheus. Not because it is a bad premise, but because it is poorly executed (like Splice) in many ways. We expected more - I expected Scarlett Johansson and got her - she just didn't deliver! I think you should watch redlettermedia.com ' s take on Episode 1 - it would shed some light on this for you! I think I deserve to be posses - I don't like this old men syndrome or the fact I might have to view it 4 times to like it - retarded!!! Mighty night!!!

From the Wikipedia article Prometheus (film) section principle photography- "In September 2011, filming moved to the Ciudad de la Luz audiovisual complex in Alicante, Spain. Shooting areas included the complex's large water tank, and a nearby Alicante beach. The complex was booked from August 22, 2011, through to December 10, with set construction occurring from August until late September. Approximately 250 people worked on the three month-long Spain shoot, generating over €1 million to the local economy" With regards to the theory/suspicion that Ridley pulled a Peter Jackson style move and filmed at least some, if not all the sequel....where is THIS FOOTAGE IN THE FILM? Count up those days. I had raised this activity long ago on this board as did member Zeta Reticula...and we got no hard responses....it just faded away. Not long after the film opened, this particular section of the Wiki article was scrubbed clean of something that I dont want to mention because it is a true spoiler....I'm not going to screw anyone out of the surprise that I found there and was blown away finding it there, couldnt believe someone at Fox just let it sit there for so long..but its gone now. If you know what I'm talking about, shame on you for saying what it is..I couldnt have been the only one who found it

@Forever War...I've been thinking the wiki info is behind whatis101112.com is all about. It's obvious imo. The dvd is coming out the Tuesday before and talk about a great marketing plan for the dvd. Prometheus has already had a ground breaking and innovative marketing campaign. There are quite a few things that point to a sequel and things already being filmed for it. To me the question is has it all been filmed or are we going to have to wait a bit for the rest to be shot. It would be a fantastic first for them to have pulled this off without people knowing about it. Another question is if they did in fact film it what does that mean in regards to a 3rd Prometheus?

Thanks for all the replies! synthetic_69 - yes you're right, I watched [b]'Alien'[/b] aged 14. There's another thing: can movies have the same impact on you in your teens/younger years as it can when you're a lot older? Anyway, I understand the movie wasn't a prequel of any kind, but I do see how it answered hypothetical questions posed by [b]'Alien'[/b] about the space-jockey and the derelict spaceship- we now know what these are - it doesn't really matter about [i]"who was the space-jockey?"..."what happened to the rest of the crew?"..."where did all the eggs come from?"..."where was the derelict ship headed for?"[/i], blah-blah-blah - some of it is answered, but most is all up to you to interpret however you like. The fact is, the Engineer-race were the creators of the bio-weapons (and these can take a multitude of forms), according to the maps, they were headed for Earth, they used exo-skeleton-suits and those 'U'-shaped-spaceships to travel in. That said, I don't think I'll go and watch it again...maybe on Blu-Ray..because even though I'm here along with all of you discussing this, let's just remember: [i]It's only a movie!"[/i]

[i]"Anyway, I understand the movie wasn't a prequel of any kind, but I do see how it answered hypothetical questions posed by 'Alien' about the space-jockey and the derelict spaceship- we now know what these are - it doesn't really matter about "who was the space-jockey?"..."what happened to the rest of the crew?"..."where did all the eggs come from?"..."where was the derelict ship headed for?", blah-blah-blah - some of it is answered, but most is all up to you to interpret however you like."[/i] I feel the same way. There's no need whatsoever to tell the story of the Space Jockey, eggs and what happened to them before we see them in Alien. For a long time I've been an advocate of this as well as Scott and co not explaining the xenos origins as I felt they've been done to death and that they fit into the same category as the Jockey and the eggs. I've really been hard headed about this and was dead set on wanting the sequels to drift further and further away from the Alien and the xenos. The main thing I've always been interested in was the Space Jockey and the questions it posed. At first, of course, I wanted to know how he got there why he had the eggs etc. But as the trailers were released and things went along I saw how much more this could be than just a prequel. I'm glad Scott chose to go this way. However, I now feel that it wouldn't be as bad as I thought if they were to explain the xenos origin. "Bad" is a strong word as I never really thought it would be bad if they did that. I would just rather see something new rather than all the things from the Alien franchise that we've been beaten over the head with. But the Engineers and xenos really go hand and hand and while I do think telling the Alien Space Jockey's story would be a bit pointless I now feel that they could tell a great new story with the xenos origin right along with it. I really felt I've been an ass being so adamant about this but to be honest I really didn't think it through. Hard to admit but I'm not the kind of person to stick to ideas simply because they were my first ideas. No matter how strongly I felt about them.