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AvPGalaxy Reviews Prometheus

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As some of you know, I had the chance to attend a press showing of Prometheus and I’ve written up a some-what detailed review:

“It’s certainly been a fun road to here. First it was an Alien prequel, then it’s a completely new original movie and then it becomes clear that it is in fact related to Alien. However, the important thing to take into consideration when watching Prometheus is that while it is connected to Alien, it is in no way an Alien movie.”

I’ve tried not to give away too many spoilers but I’d say it’s detailed. Have a read of my review and check out my opinion on the movie.


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  3. hfeldhaus
    Posted
    Quote from: Blacklabel on Jun 17, 2012, 02:25:19 AM
    Quote from: hfeldhaus on Jun 02, 2012, 06:31:23 PM
    Huh?!? You would put aliens over alien I terms of quality? And depending on your idea of quality Prometheus could well be top, of the series it's the most visually stunning

    ...my idea of quality? Oh hello there, mister-i-make-silly-assumptions-about-other-people.

    I felt Aliens was more tense and slightly more paranoid than the first film... and it just has better dialogue and character work.. the 80's action movie vibes may put some off.. but please do consider that these films are essentially Bmovie stories with Aclass moviemaking. They werent made to please pretentious twats. :laugh:

    Prometheus just isnt as tight in it's storytelling as Aliens or Alien.

    i agree that promtheus isnt as good as alien or aliens in terms of dialogue, but saying that aliens has better dialogue than alien is ridiculous. aliens had the typical cheesey corney cameron script that if it didnt make you cringe made you annoyed (Hudson, vasquez and drake all spout some bullshit lines that just take away from any realism that was accomplished in the first film). the script for alien was wound much tighter than aliens and was more believable. whilst i think aliens is a great film i dont think its a great alien film. as for me making assumptions about you, read my post wise guy. i didnt make any assumptions i just asked you what your idea was for what made aliens a more quality film than alien. and as for the 80s b movie/ a movie thing that had nothing to do with either of our posts
    Reply
  4. Blacklabel
    Posted
    Quote from: hfeldhaus on Jun 02, 2012, 06:31:23 PM
    Huh?!? You would put aliens over alien I terms of quality? And depending on your idea of quality Prometheus could well be top, of the series it's the most visually stunning

    ...my idea of quality? Oh hello there, mister-i-make-silly-assumptions-about-other-people.

    I felt Aliens was more tense and slightly more paranoid than the first film... and it just has better dialogue and character work.. the 80's action movie vibes may put some off.. but please do consider that these films are essentially Bmovie stories with Aclass moviemaking. They werent made to please pretentious twats. :laugh:

    Prometheus just isnt as tight in it's storytelling as Aliens or Alien.
    Reply
  8. Magegg
    Posted
    Quote from: XenoPuke on Jun 05, 2012, 01:40:22 AM
    I read your review, seems interesting. Although, the ProtoAlien doesn't really make alot of sense.

    AvP has established that Xenomorphs have already existed for thousands of years, meaning that the creatures encountered in Prometheus could not have been ProtoAliens.

    My only theory for these organisms is that, if they originated from this black goop, which obviously must contain genetic material, then perhaps, assuming that the Xenomorphs are a creation of the Space Jockey, these organisms came from leftover genetic material from true ProtoAliens made long ago.

    Yes, my theory would be that xenomorphs were being "recreated" (not created) by the Engineers.
    Reply
  10. psychonaut25
    Posted
    Quote from: DaddyYautja on Jun 08, 2012, 04:54:16 AM
    Quote from: Sgt. Apone on Jun 05, 2012, 05:22:00 AM
    Quote from: XenoPuke on Jun 05, 2012, 01:40:22 AM
    I read your review, seems interesting. Although, the ProtoAlien doesn't really make alot of sense.

    AvP has established that Xenomorphs have already existed for thousands of years, meaning that the creatures encountered in Prometheus could not have been ProtoAliens.

    My only theory for these organisms is that, if they originated from this black goop, which obviously must contain genetic material, then perhaps, assuming that the Xenomorphs are a creation of the Space Jockey, these organisms came from leftover genetic material from true ProtoAliens made long ago.

    They're ignoring AVP.

    Ridley lost his chance.
    AVP will always be CANOOOOOOON!


    But please, only AvP 1....AVP:R never happened, right?

    https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.memegenerator.net%2Finstances%2F250x250%2F21744980.jpg&hash=533ef3b77cadaab23a701e49e8f2196f610902b7
    Reply
  13. DaddyYautja
    Posted
    Quote from: Sgt. Apone on Jun 05, 2012, 05:22:00 AM
    Quote from: XenoPuke on Jun 05, 2012, 01:40:22 AM
    I read your review, seems interesting. Although, the ProtoAlien doesn't really make alot of sense.

    AvP has established that Xenomorphs have already existed for thousands of years, meaning that the creatures encountered in Prometheus could not have been ProtoAliens.

    My only theory for these organisms is that, if they originated from this black goop, which obviously must contain genetic material, then perhaps, assuming that the Xenomorphs are a creation of the Space Jockey, these organisms came from leftover genetic material from true ProtoAliens made long ago.

    They're ignoring AVP.

    Ridley lost his chance.
    AVP will always be CANOOOOOOON!
    Reply
  14. psychonaut25
    Posted
    Quote from: Sgt. Apone on Jun 05, 2012, 05:22:00 AM
    Quote from: XenoPuke on Jun 05, 2012, 01:40:22 AM
    I read your review, seems interesting. Although, the ProtoAlien doesn't really make alot of sense.

    AvP has established that Xenomorphs have already existed for thousands of years, meaning that the creatures encountered in Prometheus could not have been ProtoAliens.

    My only theory for these organisms is that, if they originated from this black goop, which obviously must contain genetic material, then perhaps, assuming that the Xenomorphs are a creation of the Space Jockey, these organisms came from leftover genetic material from true ProtoAliens made long ago.

    They're ignoring AVP.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgZIYdFmZqc#
    Reply
  16. Sgt. Apone
    Posted
    Quote from: XenoPuke on Jun 05, 2012, 01:40:22 AM
    I read your review, seems interesting. Although, the ProtoAlien doesn't really make alot of sense.

    AvP has established that Xenomorphs have already existed for thousands of years, meaning that the creatures encountered in Prometheus could not have been ProtoAliens.

    My only theory for these organisms is that, if they originated from this black goop, which obviously must contain genetic material, then perhaps, assuming that the Xenomorphs are a creation of the Space Jockey, these organisms came from leftover genetic material from true ProtoAliens made long ago.

    They're ignoring AVP.
    Reply
  19. XenoPuke
    Posted
    I read your review, seems interesting. Although, the ProtoAlien doesn't really make alot of sense.

    AvP has established that Xenomorphs have already existed for thousands of years, meaning that the creatures encountered in Prometheus could not have been ProtoAliens.

    My only theory for these organisms is that, if they originated from this black goop, which obviously must contain genetic material, then perhaps, assuming that the Xenomorphs are a creation of the Space Jockey, these organisms came from leftover genetic material from true ProtoAliens made long ago.
    Reply
  20. jonnystash
    Posted
    I enjoyed it, won tickets to the midnight screening locally :D, Awesome 3D, beutifully shot, Nice nods to the series with little scene variations, and nods to the orignal alien score but some things were left out, didnt ridley say in an interview there was a 2 hour 40 min version of the film? ... scenes missing/ things not explained

    Spoiler
    From the trailers the shot of weylan and his entourage entering a room on the promethues with the head of secruity shooting?  When the mowhaw guy returns to the ship, a bunch of the guys jump into the people carrier thing and drive off never to be seen or spoken off again, in the trailer the captain shouting, why is that door open and shoot anything that moves? Shaw just not telling anyone bout the thing she just cut out of her self or NO one taking on the incission. The shot of shaw driving the people carrier? Vickers death felt like a huge cop out
    [close]

    Still enjoyed it alot, the ending felt like force sequel bait, and people bitched bout gestation time in the avp films lol hide for cover.
    Reply
  24. Pete Script
    Posted
    I know I haven't posted much on this excellent forum but I have been enjoying it for a long while now. I think this site is perfect in terms of debate on something we are all clearly very passionate about and for that I would like to thank each and every one of you for keeping me so entertained.  :)

    I got to see Prometheus at a midnight showing, after thinking about it for a couple of days I have decided as flawed as it was in places that...

    I loved it

    Nothing in this world is perfect and we all had expectations of what this film should be, but at the end of the day this film entertained the s**t out of me.
    Reply
  25. Xenomorphine
    Posted
    People really need to learn to use spoiler warnings around here...

    I've edited some of the replies in this thread, accordingly. Please remember to use them. It's the nuclear warning-looking symbol in the reply panel.

    Quote from: AVP1974 on Jun 01, 2012, 03:14:02 PM
    Spoiler
    Why is no one referring to the fact that the proto-Alien "born" in the very end of the movie is a "queen".......
    [close]

    Spoiler
    Because there's nothing to prove that it is. There's nothing to state it is or isn't. It doesn't even have a tail and the head is completely different to any Alien we've seen, so far.
    [close]

    As for the review, now that I've seen the film, I'd disagree with at least one point of it: It very much is an 'Alien' movie. Certainly far more so, in terms of atmosphere and style, than 'Alien Resurrection' was.
    Reply
  26. Gash
    Posted
    Quote from: Max Powers on Jun 02, 2012, 02:59:49 AM
    A lot of people have complained about the editing in this movie and it makes me think of the 'landing sequence' that was released a few weeks ago. The editing in that 1 minute video was complete crap. So I'm wondering, is that actually how it was in the movie? Or was there a lot more than was in that short clip?

    here's the clip for reference http://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/index.php?topic=43438.0

    No it's not like that in the movie. I didn't have a problem with the editing. It has its flaws, but for me those were to do with a couple of set pieces that could have cranked up the suspense a lot more. That and the fact that the trailers were too revealing after all. Oh and Guy Pearce is a great actor but Ridley should have cast the role as he did with Richard Harris or Joe Turkel for more gravitas and less of a distraction.

    Of other pace/edit issues...

    Spoiler
    The Shaw Caesarian scene seemed to come up very much sooner than expected, and I realised that we must be approaching the final act. The build up (temple search, David's duplicity etc) is great and very engaging but when things start to go awry you do feel like the suspense and horror element is missing as the crew don't really get whittled down and more desperate as you might expect. So Shaw's birth heralds the third act and it just seems too soon. Unlike many an action film that goes on close to three hours and really drags, Prometheus has created intrigue that sustains it and it really could have easily been 30 minutes longer without outstaying its welcome, making better use of the crew being victims of the bio weapons so that the truth of what they were facing dawned on them. ie somewhere in the story it became known that the urns were bio weapons but I'm not sure who drew this conclusion.
    [close]
    Reply
  28. Thomas
    Posted
    Quote from: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2012, 03:01:31 AM
    Quote from: Ooze on First on Jun 02, 2012, 02:34:47 AM
    I'm probably going to like this movie al lot.
    Mostly every movie that hadcore fanboys hate, I enjoy...mostly.
    Guess that means the AVP films must have a proud position on your shelf.

    Yes he will....... and so will i....... not everyone is and mindless drone whos afraind to like what everyone else says you are supposed to hate.......

    An absolute buy on DVD/BluRay for me at least........

    Only very few things i didnt like about it........

    Spoiler
    But i REALLLLY like that they expanded the alien life cycle and showed that the engineeres of "bioweapons" are just that "Plural".......

    A nice little nod to the Alien fans in the end with a proto-alien queen breaking out of the engineers chest at the very end.......

    Yes a queen despite what others say....... ::)
    [close]

    Ohhh did i mention this was my very first 3D movie ever.......

    Nice way to start.......
    Reply
  29. Valaquen
    Posted
    I'm curious to see it again but only to drink it in, visually, as well as the sound. I know that the same editing problems will still be there when I go back. I need a new cut of the film, an empty dark room, and some time alone to view it.
    Reply
  30. Corporal Hicks
    Posted
    So I got into job #2 yesterday (cinema job) and literally all the staff were talking about it. They were theorizing and asking me questions and they were excited about it. Ridley obviously did what he set out to do. And being round my friends, being asked those questions and them being excited about it...It's really got me pumped to see it again.

    I didn't go to the midnight showing but I'm going again today and I'm excited for it again. I keep thinking of those questions, keep thinking of answers...keep wondering if there's anything I missed. It's all mystery and I'm excited about it.

    How strange.
    Reply
  35. MR EL1M1NATOR
    Posted
    Ok, I have just got back from seeing it, and I think it was bloody awful. I won't spoil plot, but I will say if you have seen the trailer then there is nothing left to see.

    Acting was awful, plot was mediocre and the movie just felt rushed. I am so angry.
    Reply
  39. Gash
    Posted
    Quote from: chupacabras acheronsis on Jun 02, 2012, 12:02:11 AM
    the movie was definitely flawed. no denying to that. characters that were barely present and not even properly introduced play bigger parts than some which occupy a bigger deal of run time, there are things happening without a reason, decisions made without a reason, what was the point of hiding the presence of Wayland and his mercs? what was the point of the snake creature? what was the point of Fifields mutation? all of these things point somewhere, but the movie utterly fails to make them matter, and to cover it it keeps trowing more and more stuff until it can almost overwhelm you and make you forget just what the f**k is going on.

    Spoiler
    Fifield's mutation occurs after seeing him fall face first into the black goo, and the black goo has already been established as something that can change and mutate things as I believe that moment is intercut with David choosing to spike Holloway's drink. It becomes clearer later that the urns are a DNA altering bio weapon. The snake is just one of the many consequences of the goo, possibly altered from a tiny grub. I think more could have been made of Fifield being missing so that his eventual return had more impact but I wouldn't say these things were set up pointlessly or lead nowhere.
    [close]
    Reply
  40. chupacabras acheronsis
    Posted
    the movie was definitely flawed. no denying to that. characters that were barely present and not even properly introduced play bigger parts than some which occupy a bigger deal of run time, there are things happening without a reason, decisions made without a reason, what was the point of hiding the presence of Wayland and his mercs? what was the point of the snake creature? what was the point of Fifields mutation? all of these things point somewhere, but the movie utterly fails to make them matter, and to cover it it keeps trowing more and more stuff until it can almost overwhelm you and make you forget just what the f**k is going on. visuals were nice but the quick editing and soundtrack made it impossible to immerse in them. there wasn't a single pan, time lapse, walking, flying or exploring sequence to build tension. luckily Ridley still managed without, but it didn't feel like it was comfortable with showing you more.

    and i get the feel like every single one of those things had a strong and solid reason idea behind them, but they just forgot to implement it, and instead of ditching it entirely, they kept it because they were afraid they wouldn't get a second shot at it.

    i pray that when the movie is released there's enough footage ready to be added in to make this mess make sense, because when it does, i can actually start loving it. so far i feel like i watched a movie that hasn't finished filming yet. this needs like two whole extra hours.

    still nice. i missed the oppressive dark exteriors of LV-426 but movies like red planet proved that empty alien deserts can be frightening too. i wish there was more to that planet though. it seemed unbelievably opportune for them to land and end up so close to these temples right away. wonder if there were more Gigerian, creepy structures around the planet that they just didn't see. that's another point, we never knew the real nature of this place. even in alien we knew the Derelict crashed there, it was very solidly established. word-dropping "military base" here was as close as we got, and i got the impression that it wasn't accurate to the situation at all.
    Reply
  43. Gash
    Posted
    Thoroughly enjoyed it. Negatives were few and far between. I sorta wish Weyland had been an older actor, but plotwise I had no problem with the film. You do have to join the dots but everything that needs to be said is there to do that - in regards to what they find set up on LV-223 anyway. I don't really feel that there were any questions left unanswered that particularly need an answer, and to be honest I don't even think the ending is a certain link to a sequel. Though it could be.

    But yeah, I do think there's a longer edit of this film itching to get out. And I guess I was geared up for some nasty death scenes that didn't transpire.

    I'll write a review with positives and negatives tomorrow, but immediate reaction - happy to have watched a Sci-Fi film that isn't all about visual effects and one that was thoroughly engaging.
    Reply
  45. mastermoon
    Posted
    Quote from: RAD_RAT on Jun 01, 2012, 09:35:29 PM
    Quote from: szkoki on Jun 01, 2012, 08:45:54 PM
    i have read a lot of reviews by now and the main problem imo that every review is startin with this: "comparing to alien"

    -.- oh my , why??? so many dumb people out there....you cant compare these two movies why dont they compare it to blade runner? why at all??? ofcourse alien is a milestone i scifi history but i know why ridley said that this has nothing to do with alien

    This movie is poorly made by any standards (accept visual), compared to Alien or not. It's made of cardboard. Cardboard characters, cardboard decorations, cardboard story... It has great idea in it's core, but narrative goes nowhere with it. Overall impression - disappointment. Disappointment.... Disappointment.... Disappointment....


    But I heard Elizabeth Shaw & David 8 were the most developed characters and were also praised.
    Reply
  46. RAD_RAT
    Posted
    Quote from: szkoki on Jun 01, 2012, 08:45:54 PM
    i have read a lot of reviews by now and the main problem imo that every review is startin with this: "comparing to alien"

    -.- oh my , why??? so many dumb people out there....you cant compare these two movies why dont they compare it to blade runner? why at all??? ofcourse alien is a milestone i scifi history but i know why ridley said that this has nothing to do with alien

    This movie is poorly made by any standards (accept visual), compared to Alien or not. It's made of cardboard. Cardboard characters, cardboard decorations, cardboard story... It has great idea in it's core, but narrative goes nowhere with it. Overall impression - disappointment. Disappointment.... Disappointment.... Disappointment....
    Reply
  47. szkoki
    Posted
    i have read a lot of reviews by now and the main problem imo that every review is startin with this: "comparing to alien"

    -.- oh my , why??? so many dumb people out there....you cant compare these two movies why dont they compare it to blade runner? why at all??? ofcourse alien is a milestone i scifi history but i know why ridley said that this has nothing to do with alien
    Reply
  50. MrLee
    Posted
    Quote from: shinigami on Jun 01, 2012, 05:21:24 PM
    I personally really liked this movie. Sure it left a lot of questions unanswered and some moments were rather confusing but all in all I was satisfied. This was my most waited movie this year and I am pretty happy with the result. And with a possible sequel (if lucky) makes me wanna say that I do not regret today's visit to the cinema. :)

    Can you refund the £8.30 this film cost me to watch :p haha

    But seriously...
    You were happy with all those questions unanswered, created and the tremendous plot holes?
    Reply
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