Viewer Complaints Explained

Uneeque

MemberOvomorphOctober 03, 20122580 Views43 Replies

I enjoyed the movie and bought it before I even watched it because I knew it would be worth owning. Last night it hit me why so many have a problem with it and maybe this has been touched on but I have not seen it discussed. Overall, it was not a prequel or sequel, but a remake of A79 to run parallel to the A79 sequels. In addition, there were themes borrowed from other films but here are the core pieces in no particular order: The Company sends a team to explore an alien life form on another planet. The team is not expecting to face a hostile enemy on any level. While in the alien ship, strange containers are discovered (eggs and urns). When the teams return to their ship they think everything is okay. The androids have secret orders involving the sacrifice of the explorers. While in the alien ship, an unexpected attack happens. (Face hugger, mutated worm) When the team returns to their ship there is chaos and an order for full medical quarantine. (1st return'79, 2 nd return, Prometheus) A lone space jockey is found in the alien ship control area (fossilized '79, stasis Prometheus) Mutations threaten and kill explorers. Squid like creature comes out of the body (chest burst '79, Shaw auto C-section) Decapitated androids. The lead female fights aliens and wins despite insurmountable odds and ends up leaving with decapitated androids The alien ships are on desolate planetoids. Then there were themes done to death from other films: Audience is lead to believe a character is dead when he really isn't. There is a parent-child relationship revealed. Crew members sacrifice their lives to save earth. An alien entity wants to kill earth, or at least humans, with no explanation for their hatred. Someone is looking for immortality. Well, I am sure there are more but that is a glimpse of what can be seen so for those of us who love the film, we cannot pretend the critics are out of ammo. Frankly, Ridely was under a boat load of pressure and amazed the final product was as good as it is. Regarding LV426, let's give the guy a break. Whatever explanation he comes up with will be BS because we all know he wasn't planning on Prometheus when A79 was done. Although, I think he should take advantage of most of us assuming Shaw and others were right about the carbon dating. He could bring it a closer together by revealing the Bio weapon has a component that causes false readings on carbon dating and the events on LV223 were fairly recent.

Uneeque
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October 04, 2012

@Ruhan.......why do you think those cave markings mapped LV223? It was a dead rock. Is it possible someone other than engineers were the ones responsible?

djamelameziane
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October 04, 2012

I reckon the deacons gotta shag the hammerpeade - the next parts gonna be pron :P ...then yutani craft turns up and takes it with them and they all have an orgy on the engineer planet - yay ...

"It's almost as if they are making it up as they go along" :D

Uneeque
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October 04, 2012

I suspect the Deacon takes a black goo bath making it closer to the Xeno from 426.

zzplural
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October 03, 2012

Me, too. My colleague at work, on the other hand, was mightily peeved by it, as are many others. They are entitled to their opinions, but I'm never going to agree with them.

The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent

Uneeque
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October 03, 2012

There are two different generations of viewers and both probably had their share of higher than reasonable expectations. When you do a movie like A79 you can't expect to repeat that magic for the audience as countless people dedicate their whole lives to films and never come close even once. It also seems like some viewers are not picking up on the underlying philosophies at play. Ie. When Shaw proclaimed to Peter "We were wrong!" she made allusions to different explanations for her statement and each viewer would see it their own way.

djamelameziane
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October 03, 2012

LOL - there will always be lovers no matter how crap a film is...I thought prometheus was ok but no were near alien standard - and can get allot better in the next part or so - yes standards are high but thats what happens when you are good at making films! If prometheus was almost as good as alien I think there would be not many people arguing! I just hope the blu ray clears up some of the arguments!

"It's almost as if they are making it up as they go along" :D

shambs
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October 03, 2012

Spin Off / Prequel maybe but a Remake? Ok let see ...mmm... Nope, I don't think so :P

Uneeque
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October 03, 2012

@shambs.......a remake in terms of elements outlined above and plot development. I didn't see anything in Prometheus that was different from A79. Maybe I missed something and others can point it out. But I see P2 going in the direction of Resident Evil where there are parallel stories for an overlap of sideways sequels.

shambs
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October 03, 2012

No one here knows exactly how is the plot of the sequel, what we do is speculate and opinions are not the same as the facts. I think that many here simply can not accept the fact that Ridley Scott preferred to move away from the original concept to create a new mythology.

shambs
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October 03, 2012

@Uneeque, The similarities may be due to a lack of creativity on the part of Ridley. But who knows anyway and we'll see, only the time will tell us.

Uneeque
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October 03, 2012

Ridley said the connection is dna attached itself to the first alien at the end of Prometheus and he made it clear more than once the space jockey on 426 was the springboard for moving forward. Since he also stated it is essential for Shaw and David to be alive in P2 he is clearly retaining the same mythology but merely expanding on it without creating Aliens 5, 6, 7, etc. The lack of creativity is exactly why so many were disappointed....which is why I highlighted the similar....almost mirror elements. For P2 timeline......he may do P2 and P3 in the 30 year gap and end P3 with the lone space jockey on 426. If he has P2 end on 426 that would give more freedom for P3 so he could begin it long after Ripley has disappeared without sequal overlap. Who knows. I know he better get working on it.....he aint exactly a spring chicken.

shambs
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October 03, 2012

But if this was a remake then, why Ridley said it is a prequel? Would not it have been better to tell the truth from the beginning? But as you say, the only justification for making this as a remake is to take away the other movies and establish his films as the only Canon. Well in that case bye bye Cameron's Queen XD

Patient Leech
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October 03, 2012

From the first time i saw Prometheus i saw many similarities with the original Alien. It's undeniable. So why Alien fans are disappointed i do not understand. But i think whatever happens next is going to be very different than what we're used to. So people who are pissed off now probably are going to have an aneurysm when they see P2. I, however, cannot wait.

Uneeque
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October 03, 2012

@shambs....I don't think he intended it to be a remake.....I am saying that is what the finished product looks like through the eyes of many viewers.

Uneeque
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October 03, 2012

@patient.....I don't think it is mostly Alien fans that are upset....mainly people who heard such awesome things about the experience of a Ridley sci-fi....really think expectations were unreasonable. For something to surprise viewers with....I have no doubt he is focusing on that and the angst over Prometheus will fan the flames to draw in even more people for P2. He could try to pull of something like showing the space jockey on 426 was not really fossilized but only in a different kind of stasis machine designed to play possum.

BigDave
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October 03, 2012

Well i am not so sure whats going to be done with the series. Lindelof pitched a plot that was very ambitious and a good story to follow, but then as always he seems to have this idea and that as sub plots and never fully links or explains them. This does leave a lot of areas that could be explored.... 1) We know so little of the actual Engineer Culture and their Ultimate Purpose and Agenda. 2) We know they come from Paradise and not LV 223 but we know nothing of their home world. 3) The explanation for how the Urns came to be has not been answered, or any connection with the Xeno and purpose. 4) The connection between Engineers and Xeno and the purpose for their relationship and origin has not be explained. 5) The history of LV 223, why it was built what does the Head Statue Mean, what does the Xeno Mural mean, and when was it used and changed for a Bio Weapons Facility or has it always been that. 6) What in detail happened on LV 223 how did they manage to suffer a outbreak and why did one survive. 7) What becomes of LV 223 and the Deacon from the end of Prometheus to Alien/Aliens. 8 ) What now becomes of Weyland Industries and how does Yutani get involved. 9) Does anyone discover Shaws SOS. 10) What becomes of David and Shaw do they find Paradise and what happens when they do. 11) Why did the Derelict end up on LV 426 what was its mission. These are just a few questions left behind and not really answered and thus thats a whole lot of scope for many things they could do with Prometheus.

R.I.P Sox 01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017

Uneeque
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October 03, 2012

Paradise is going to be anything but....paradise. Lv223 was probably earth like when the Engineers interacted with humans and then their bioweapons turned on them. It appears the Engineers were all male or all female and the head statue was on the ship.....wasn't it? If so, it may have been used for cult control and/or a portal between ships. The helmets the engineers were wearing seem to be designed specifically against the bioweapon and that is why they put them on while flying the ship even thought the air was breathable.

MoonMan
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October 03, 2012

Ridley would never want to make a remake, for the same reason he didn't want to make an Alien 5. Yes, there are similar plot lines and ideas, but it's already been well established it's a prequel. It's a prequel by definition. We're in the same universe and 28 years prior to A79. Prometheus doesn't end where A79 starts, but it's still temporally a prequel. I think there's a large contingent of people who were upset by the movie simply because it didn't explain enough; it left too much open. People like this don't want to interpret things or have to think through too much, or they don't pay attention to detail where many of the answers lie. Just as an example, there was/is a good number of folks he continue to complain about the geologist getting lost, when there actually a logical explanation and details that explain it. You just have to pay attention and make sense of it. Others went in with expectations that weren't met, and when it didn't match they complained. Prometheus never played in our area (didn't want to travel an hour to go see it where it was actually playing). Before seeing the movie, I saw all the trailers, saw and read Youtube opinions of it, read through many complaints and disappointments, etc. I was prepared to be very disappointed myself, with all these "flaws" glaring me in the face. But that didn't turn out to be the case. No, not everything works in the movie, some of the actors were miscast (Logan Green and Charlize Theron weren't convincing enough and wrong for the parts), but overall I was impressed. It was a thumbs up for me.

Prenihility
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October 03, 2012

Dude... Movie is whoopty. Period. Scenes likes Janek crashing into the juggernaut were flat out RETARDED. They happened so fast, and in such a sudden manner, that it made them ridiculous. It almost reminds me of the first AVP. They tried to do something good with that movie. But failed miserably, because something deep, and detailed was supposed to be told in such a short amount of time. I was expecting Avatar-equivalent run-time and overall epic scale/feel with Prometheus. Stupid scenes, like Shaw crying. Holloway taking off his helmet. Holloway being in the movie. The scene with Fifield and Millburn... Oh, my, ****ing God... You know those typical slasher/horror film, where you get frustrated at the person trying to get away, because they are dumb, clumbsy, or a combination of both? Well, yeah. You could very well compare that to the Fifield/Millburn scene. Just frustrating to watch. Not off-putting. Just extremely frustrating. Watching the retardation unfold. It made me wish Fifield burned even more, and was so high to the point that he didn't give a shit about the thing on Millburn's arm. Completely retarded. Again, going back to the sporadic, out-of-nowhere scenes. The Engineer waking up. Dummying everyone in the room. Controlling the ship (best part of the movie by the way). Then the momentum of that EPIC scene gets ruined by Janek's subsequent handjob crash scene. The Engineer actually dying. Which felt like nothing more than to brush the Engineer aside, to get him out of the movie. Just so we don't have to worry about him anymore. Lazy pricks... And all for what? To cater to the Alien fanboys? "Oh, the XENOMORPH"... I remember some Alien closet-dork saying that out loud at the end. I nearly punched him in the back of the head... PFFT! PISS OFF! Instead, they could have taken us on an epic adventure. A movie with amazing levels of immersion. And discovery. Not... finding the place where they need to be. As soon as they land on the moon. Unbelievable... And if you're satisfied with the instant scene-changing nature of the movie. The sporadic actions that take place, that change the scenario, or overall situation in the movie. You need to get your BRAIN examined. Because they just killed the movie.

Uneeque
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October 03, 2012

hey Pren, it's pretty anonymous here so feel free to loosen up and be honest in your assessment. No need to soften it up or be ambiguous :-) I agree with some of the criticisms though they are generally exaggerated. Your beef about the engineer being killed is missing a serious plot point. That needed to be shown for the intelligent Deacons sure to appear in P2. Keep in mind Holloway was not infected by the goo because David used a pure specimen of the bioweapon that Holloway injected into Shaw within 2 hours, producing the cleanest DNA transition to the amalgamation of the Engineer.