Prometheus 3D 2012

Ridley reaches for the Stars

adamatdramatrain Flicks Superstar (?)

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Let's get this clear straight off the bat - Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus' is NOT 'Alien.' But if you loved 'Alien' then this certainly delivers some great backstory, links and hints to the 'Alien' franchise universe and a standout visceral body-horror scene to rival the first movie's chest-buster. Yes the script is ambitious, perhaps overly so, and yes it poses more questions than it provides answers - but then how many Hollywood blockbusters leave you pondering the nature of the universe for days after their screening? Many will pick holes in the plot, but 'Prometheus' has delusions of grandeur more in common with Kubrick's '2001' and Spielberg's 'A.I.' than 'Transformers.' But it's not in the script department that 'Prometheus' excels- it's in the spectacular spectacle and visceral visuals. Stunning design and attention to detail we've not witnessed in a Ridley Scott movie since 'Blade Runner' make 'Prometheus' an eye-popping, ear-thrumming feast. The use of surround sound and 3D is superb - easily rivaling James 'Aliens' Cameron's 'Avatar' for the creation of immersive cinematic scenes that ooze, shimmer and rock the senses, lifting you out of your seat and into the alien landscapes. The CGI is terrific, the aliens superbly realized and the human cast are great. As Elizabeth Shaw, Noomi Rapace is a great Ripley-replacement, albeit one with a bizarre accent, and Charlize Theron's Meredith Vickers is a suitably icy company suit, but acting honours go to Michael Fassbender. His portrayal of android David is wonderfully realized. Sadly, the great Idris Elba is as under utilized as he was in 'Thor.' But, small grumbles aside, once you accept that Scott has jettisoned the intimacy and claustrophobia that made 'Alien' such a scary monster movie and gone instead for a far larger canvas - 'Prometheus' is a top-notch thrill ride, beautifully rendered and with a script that, whilst not perfect by any means, at least tries to tackle some big, difficult and challenging questions - whilst Scott simultaneously attempts to scare the crap out of you and drop your jaw to the floor with dazzling visuals. Not perfect - but a delight to see Ridley Scott return to intelligent sci-fi wrought with a master's eye for design, detail and otherworldly drama.

Pre-Prometheus

RealityCheck Flicks Superstar (?)

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Im sure the purists and die-hard 'Alien' (Ridley Scott) fans will find some continuity issues with the ending, but basically it's awesome! Can't tear my eyes of the screen, like watching the original almost, complete with new Ripley (or is that old?). However as the credits rolled up, I felt as if I'd just bared witness to a new 'Alien' episode of 'Lost', cos there were almost as many questions as there was answers. Bet there's gona be mixed reviews on this badboy. I enjoyed it (even with wifts of 'Red Planet') just forget about the previous 'Alien' flicks :-) First world robot problems, typical, lol. Can't help thinking about 'iRobot', 'AI', and 'Pinocchino' when thinking of David.

Genre : Horror, thriller, alien, sci-fi, action (boarding on genealogy or religous in nature), with huge relationship to growth on many levels.
3/5 : Maybe I was expecting too much, plus I think a lot of people will leave feeling slightly confussed

All wrong!!!

DarcyClay A-Lister (?)

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I was just so utterly disappointed in this movie! It was the 'Happy Birthday David' and Guy Pearce 'Ted Talk' trailer that got me so amped for the entire premise that it hyped things way beyond what Scott could actually achieve. But what's bollocks about it all is that he doesn't even TRY address those big questions, or even create any intrigue. He just falls back on a bog-standard horror script set in space... with some filler about finding the genesis of humanity.

Add to that the plethora of terrible performances (hold Fassbender and Rapace who are awesome!) and RIDICULOUS plot points and you have a film that does nothing but frustrates. I mean, I'm fine with glossing over minor incongruencies or taking a few liberties with a story to keep things ticking over but when the whole premise is shot down in the first few scenes it just doesn't make for happy viewing or any immersion in the story. Like, a company apparently spends 1 trillion dollars sending a expedition in search of what might be the birth of humanity (based on rock drawings) but the crew who are sent there wake up at their destination with no idea who anyone else is on the ship and asking "Alright, what are we doing here? SEARCHING FOR OUR HUMAN ORIGINS!? Oh na eff that! I came here for something else. To look at rocks or some sh!t." Nothing fits. And the animosity between all the characters on the ship is just totally unneeded. I could go on for hours about how disappointing this movie was but I would just hurt myself so... just do yourself a favour and don't go see this movie.

Just Ok

Sarah29 Flicks Superstar (?)

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It was most a 2.5 stars...
To be honest it was a bit boring and lacking in any real scares. The 3D was fabulous and it all looked great but the story didn't flow very well and there were lots of moments that left me wondering why it was even included in the film at all. I was hoping for more terror like in the original films, but I left feeling disappointed and a little bored.

Ridley got it right

KatieF Flicks Superstar (?)

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'Prometheus' is the sort of film that must be watched in 3D, the special effects were amazing, as was the cast. Noomi Rapace was incredible as the lead Elizabeth, just as she was in the original 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. Rapace definitely made the film for me.

Some of the plot at times were a bit hard to follow as you're unsure of where it's heading and you're left with many questions when the film ends, but after reading more about the plot and significance of objects and names in the film it becomes clear.
I will certainly watch this again.

I get it, David is Dr Smith!

RexH Flicks Superstar (?)

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And not the movie Dr Smith, but the prissy 1960s Dr Smith from the Lost in Space TV series, only younger, better looking, still of dubious sexual orientation and still up to no good.
Dr Smith wasn't the only reference to spot throughout this movie. The older Wellend looked uncannily similar to Keir Dullea's Dave character at the end of 2001. In fact, the 2001 referencing was noticeable throughout this film, from the scattered landscape panoramas of the opening to the video calls home to the exercise sequences and the trip to the monolith.

More amusingly, there was a direct Moebius connection with regard to the look of the "creators" and the somewhat hilarious struggle at the end between the humanoid and many-tentacled alien was a swipe from a Moebius strip in which a hot woman turns out to be... a many-tentacled alien! It's not surprising, since Moebius contributed concepts to original Alien movie of 1979. Perhaps this was Scott's homage to the late Jean Giraud.

Apart from referencing 2001 and his earlier Alien project, Scott seems to have been influenced by Forbidden Planet (again), the Quatermass films, those two Mars movies and Contact... There was a moment before the captain decides to ram the alien spacecraft when I thought of Star Trek, in particular Scotty, though that was probably just me!

I don't mind guessing - or viewing - all these influences, real or imagined, but what annoyed the hell out of me were the poorly written characters (and for such good actors). Not since George Lucas introduced mind-numbing woodeness to Star Wars 1,2 and 3 have I seen characters I couldn't care less about! Oh, the biologist is dead! Good thing, too! What biologist approaches a completely unknown alien life form as if it's a cute kitten? Idiot!
The geologist? Why was he even there? Oh, right; to die.
And the set up once they had all regurgitated themselves out of cryo-sleep was absurd - an improbable rehash of the Nostromo crew without any back story to make it credible. Irascible, unco-operative, dysfunctional... this is not how one picks a top crew for a major undertaking worth trillions of future bucks.

There were plot holes you could drive battalions through. No explanation as to what the "creators" were running from or how they came to be decapitated. Not by our favourite aliens, they hadn't been birthed yet.
Oh, and Ridley? Evolution is a SLOW process - it takes a little longer than twenty or thirty minutes!
The Theme: nothing new, but interestingly put forward and it would have been even more interesting if all the above nonsense had been put to one side to allow a deeper exploration. Sometimes exposition gets in the way of a good movie but in this case exposition would have helped immensely.

So what was good about this film? Surprisingly, quite a lot. Notably Fassbender's David. He was almost a movie in himself. In fact, he could probably sustain one. The clip "Happy Birthday David" was brilliant and scary! Charlise Theron makes a delightful Ice Queen, yet still remains delightfully hot!
What engaged me most of all was the visuals. Sumptuous landscapes, stunning sets, excellent CGI, satisfying use of 3D, and a gritty feel that involves the viewer. There were moments of pure poetry - the Prometheus in orbit around the giant planet, and the holographic star chart in the chamber are two that sit in my memory. When it worked, it worked brilliantly.
Unfortunately, the "horror" sequences were just slapstick.
BUT.... it's the first science fiction movie deserving of the name in a long time. That's worth 3 stars in itself.

Is this an "Alien" prequel? Or Not?

Jordan Flicks Superstar (?)

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When "Prometheus" was announced as Ridley Scott's next film, and with screenshots slowly dripping out, many wondered if this was going to be an "Alien" prequel.
Not just for want of more stories from a loved franchise, but also for the amazing visual journey Scott took us on with "Alien".

So what has he given us with "Prometheus"?

This is the story of Drs. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace, whose star grows ever faster) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) who discover a series of images from our ancestors that show a chart to a planet, left for us by those beyond the stars.
As they take a journey with a star-studded cast (Charlize Theron, Idris Elba and Michael Fassbender turning in a performance worthy of Lance Henriksen's "Bishop"), on arrival to this mysterious planet, the environment isn't the only thing that is alien to them.
Everything starts to fall apart in a thrilling manner leading to an ambiguous ending that is open to your interpretation.

While the dialogue is shoddy in parts, and some of the thrills rather obvious, visually it is one of the most beautiful films to have shown up in the last few years. While this is highlighted in 2D, it has used 3D fantastically and is a better film as such. There is no colour loss allowing the detail to really come in, and the depth given to the world is something to see. In many ways, it does 3D so much better than "Avatar", which popularized this format.

Overall, while there are some quibbles with it, "Prometheus" delivers a great film, packed with delicious visuals and some great, thrilling action-packed moments.

This film definitely gets close to delivering something that lives up to its namesake.

Ridley's Origin Of Mankind

GrahamP Flicks Superstar (?)

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Forget the movie "Alien" this is completely different.
Of course you can pick holes in the plot like the different blend of characters on the trip but it is also a real visual experience. The future technology is well thought out but I did wonder why wine bottles and glasses had not changed at all.
I usually find 3D annoying but in this movie they did make the best use of 3D that I have seen so far.
A sequel will be made I am sure.