'Prometheus' offers oozing sci-fi spectacle, early reviews say...

[Left Hand]

Re: 'Prometheus' offers oozing sci-fi spectacle, early reviews say...

I also expected there would be some kind of confrontation after Vickers fried Shaw's boyfriend. (Something like, "Hey, bitch, you fried my boyfriend.")

[MacG]

Re: 'Prometheus' offers oozing sci-fi spectacle, early reviews say...

I think the trouble with these highly paid writers is that they worked their ass off on that one script which got them noticed. And then they're given two months to write something profound and ready to go into production and they settle on the first idea that pops into their tiny heads.

Every scene needs to be second guessed... You need to put yourself in the shoes of every critic and think. What are one of these douche bags going to say about this??

Prometheus felt like a first draft... But there were two writers who wrote the damn thing... Double trouble...

You're being kind with that "first draft" comment; script felt like it was cobbled together from a scattering of note cards with a bunch of disparate ideas scribbled on 'em.

And, to clarify, there weren't two writers working in tandem on the script. Spaihts wrote the first pass, when it was solely an ALIEN prequel. Then Lindeloff came on board and injected his unique stank into the project, which is what ended up on screen.

Which brings us to the larger issue with PROMETHEUS: it should have either been a straight-up, unequivocal prequel to ALIEN or a wholly unique science-fiction film with absolutely zero tangential links to that universe. This trying to shoehorn in the ALIEN "DNA" is one of the reasons -- in my opinion -- the film sucked balls so hard.

[MacG]

Re: 'Prometheus' offers oozing sci-fi spectacle, early reviews say...

1) Excellent point -- instead of giving the writer 26 to 52 weeks to come up an effort that's been justly ruminated upon -- the typical contract as I've heard it explained is "First draft due in 12 weeks" and from there dumped into a "too many cooks" process.

Yes, twelve weeks is a very short window to work in. I have night sweats just thinking about a deadline like that...but it's usually imposed after a great deal of outlining and -- in this instance -- no doubt a great deal of conversation Ridley about what he wants.

So, while not a walk in the park, it's not like Lindeloff signed his contract and then had twelve weeks to think of an entirely new story, new characters and put the thing on paper, you know?

[Left Hand]

Re: 'Prometheus' offers oozing sci-fi spectacle, early reviews say...

Since when are writers given 26-52 weeks for a draft? It's 10-12 weeks, people. Just about every time.

[streaker12345]

Re: 'Prometheus' offers oozing sci-fi spectacle, early reviews say...

Movie sucked! Waste of money! I'm a huge Alien fan and was so disappointed. When that film ended the theathre was deflated. No one arrupted into applause and everyonne left muttering to one another. Anyone of the previouis Alien films is bettet then this, even Alien 3. I get he was trying to answer sone of the questions in the franchise but this was flat and boring. This is going to collapse in week two because there is going to be no word of mouth on this film. If you think this was a good movie you're an idiot!

[YakMan]

Re: 'Prometheus' offers oozing sci-fi spectacle, early reviews say...

Since when are writers given 26-52 weeks for a draft? It's 10-12 weeks, people. Just about every time.

I know...I know...I was making a (VERY) wishful (and unfounded) observation ...but the salient point here is that the script that got the foot in the door may have been ruminated upon for years. And now the money's given to those who can kick out feature lengths at episodic TV speed once the ink is dry. And perhaps when you have existing material such as a novel...that - may - not be as critical as the "ruminations" been done for you. But with an original work such as "Prometheus," the lack of germination seems to be apparent???

(...I certainly remember sitting in one room re-writing ad copy while the "talent" and production waited in the other room for me to GET IT DONE NOW!)

[ChadStrohl]

Re: 'Prometheus' offers oozing sci-fi spectacle, early reviews say...

"While it's true Damon is no fan of spoon feeding answers (LOST), he told me that he considers his work on PROMETHEUS as “work for hire”…he was really following Ridley’s lead. I think the first script was a straight up prequel, but this one was more ambiguous…which is what Scott apparently wanted. So if you come out with questions, that is what he wants…he wants you thinking about it instead of just feeding you answers. Right or wrong, that apparently was the plan."

3) So Spahts may have crafted a workmanship like prequel which Scott found too "spelled-out," brought Lindelof in and told him to give it more "unanswered" beats, and I want it in 4 weeks ... and that is what you, we're left with. A visual spectacle that illogically meanders all over the place????

I like Lindelof for what he is. He's the guy in the room that raises the questions for the thinkers to answer. That's pretty much what LOST was all about - constant stream of more questions that left us wondering what act of genius was going to pull all those thrings* together. Problem was there was no genius. It was outright avoided altogether and played off as some wave of the hand, "Not all questions are meant to be answered."

These kinds of writers play a shell game with the audience and when the audience doesn't "get it" they can take some sort of elitist high road and pretend to be brilliant in their subtlety when the likely truth is there wasn't a ball under ANY of those shells.

But what sucks about all this... I have to go see this movie now to see what all the hate is about.

[Dr. Gonzo]

Re: 'Prometheus' offers oozing sci-fi spectacle, early reviews say...

...I'm a huge Alien fan and was so disappointed...

...Anyone of the previouis Alien films is bettet then this, even Alien 3...

...I get he was trying to answer sone of the questions in the franchise but this was flat and boring.

Let me play devil's advocate just for a second.

Ridley and Co. went out of their way many times to say that this really was not an "Alien" prequel and only shared the slightest of DNA (being the same universe).

I never really looked at this thing as an "Alien" film... but even with divorcing this thing from that series, the film still had several problems.

[Signal30]

Re: 'Prometheus' offers oozing sci-fi spectacle, early reviews say...

I thought it pretty much worked as a prequel. Sets up what follows in the ensuing series [SPOILER] Especially that the Aliens were essentially created by the Weyland Corp from the beginning.[END SPOILER]

It just spent more energy hitting the footnotes than creating a cohesive narrative. Scott needs to pull his head out of Kubrick's dessicated ass.

[Steven L.]

Re: 'Prometheus' offers oozing sci-fi spectacle, early reviews say...

Major disappointment for my twelve fitty.

[Biohazard]

Re: 'Prometheus' offers oozing sci-fi spectacle, early reviews say...

Major disappointment for my twelve fitty.

My ticket came for free with a Fight Club blu-ray that I picked up from Best Buy for $9.99.

Kids these days...don't know how to shop.

[kirkbyoung]

Re: 'Prometheus' offers oozing sci-fi spectacle, early reviews say...

It was kind of what I thought it would be, but also not at all. And I loved it. For those who have seen it, whatever your reaction, this post that Damon retweeted is really really interesting: http://cavalorn.livejournal.com/584135.html

[ScriptGal]

Re: 'Prometheus' offers oozing sci-fi spectacle, early reviews say...

Major disappointment for my twelve fitty.

+1 but only $8.25. In L.A., no less.

[Ire]

Re: 'Prometheus' offers oozing sci-fi spectacle, early reviews say...

I will put a caveat that I think I should use for every movie I find disappointing. And this one qualifies. The caveat is I don't know if I could have done better with the speculation as to how the script was developed.

But seriously wtf?

Rating it based on expectations: 1 out of 5 stars.

Rating it minus the expectations (if possible): 2.5 out of 5 stars

I'm glad I wasn't looking for any answers with Prometheus. I was however looking to be substantially entertained. A movie stealing performance by Michael Fassbender and gorgeous cinematography wasn't enough. To note, I thought Noomi Rapace was also decent, but compared to Fassbender's character, her character was a supporting role. Actually, it was movie of supporting characters, NOT AN ENSEMBLE, just supporting characters, some less supporting than others.

Although it had me with all of the freaking set-ups for the first half of the movie, it LOST me. It lost me with what felt like a disjointed narrative. It lost me with characters for which I didn't care that much or in which I was not interested. The latter issue is kind of big for me. David and Noomi's character, some bland character name that didn't stick, was nearly the exception, but by the second half of the movie I was too distracted to care.

I totally agree that it had a first draft feel. Ideas were flying left and right, but nothing felt cohesive or complete as a narrative. It's like there was no internal logic agreed upon. I don't know where Spaihts went with it or what Lindelof or Scott added into the mix, but it would seem that this project had POTENTIAL.

So Scott said "yes, this script is ready?" All of the producers agreed it was ready? For all of the cachet that the project had and money to be spent why would they settle?

All the potential. All the potential.

To me that is why this film was all the more frustrating to watch: POTENTIAL. For all of the criticism Scott gets, he's always had potential to turn out a 3 to 4 star movie. This subject was in his wheelhouse. And POP there it is. It's up there way up there. ...It's a fly ball to the second basemen for the last out of the game.

*Shaw. A possible Doctor Who reference? Too many ideas, none of them unifying.

[Signal30]

Re: 'Prometheus' offers oozing sci-fi spectacle, early reviews say...

It was kind of what I thought it would be, but also not at all. And I loved it. For those who have seen it, whatever your reaction, this post that Damon retweeted is really really interesting: http://cavalorn.livejournal.com/584135.html

So Scott shoehorned his underlying subtext and motifs in at the cost of a cohesive narrative. That kind of makes it worse.