Prometheus Fan Reviews

[Novak 1334]

Not so much hatred for the film, but it's still the worst movie I've seen this year

[Nightmare Asylum]

After watching Prometheus for the second time yesterday, I felt as though I should revise my review as well. I think the first time I was a bit too caught up in the hype to review it honestly, and this one (I hope) reads as being a bit more honest:

Prometheus

This is my first time watching Prometheus since June in the theater, actually. In my original review six months ago, I claimed to love the film, though I most certainly had a few gripes about it as well. Over the past half a year, AVPGalaxy and the Internet in general has been flooded with numerous reviews, analyses, discussions, and interpretations of the film, citing and elaborating on the many positive and negative aspects of the movie. I myself partook in many of these discussions (for as long as I could stand being in the Prometheus board, at least) and, over the course of the six months, found my opinion swayed a bit as I listened to and contemplated the many arguments against the film. But now, after spending all this time reflecting on the movie and discussing it with you guys, I think I can finally give a completely honest representation of my opinion.

It is no secret that I absolutely adore Alien and consider the near-perfect film to be one of the best ever made, so I think that it is safe to say that I may have been a bit biased going into the movie. That being said, I do find myself a bit disappointed that Prometheus altered one of the core core elements in Alien; that element being the 'alien'ness of the film, of course. Gone is the horror discovered in the form of the Space Jockey and it's mysterious cargo in the Derelict spacecraft and the dark and claustrophobic hallways of the Nostromo. Instead, this movie presents an elaborate story encompassing much grander themes and asking much more intimate questions; who are we, where do we come from, and why are we here? It is in these themes that Alien and Prometheus are so jarringly different that they can not be compared, and thankfully during this viewing of the film Alien was kept as far out of my mind as possible.

Because Prometheus differs so fundamentally from Alien, it is obvious that the movie will meet some criticism based on that fact alone. Clearing my head from those thoughts, I went into Prometheus tonight with nothing more than hope that maybe the criticisms that I allowed myself to believe over the past six months were just figments of my imagination, and that Prometheus would indeed be the beautiful film I left the theater believing it was. For the first hour or so of the movie, Prometheus was just that; a visually stunning, engrossing, and beautiful film that swept me up in it's presentation of the concept of 'Gods and Engineers', as Ridley Scott described it. I found myself in love with the world of the film and the themes that it centered around, and even found myself genuinely questioning not just the complaints that I have read online, but also the ones that had arisen in my head in the long gap of time since I had last seen the movie.

Then I reached the second half of the movie. I will say now that I was not exactly disappointed by this half of the film, but when watching it I certainly had some familiar criticisms pop into my mind. The pacing, unfortunately, is all over the place, and there are numerous spots where it felt like important sequences were missing. The time between Shaw learning of her pregnancy and her self-applied surgery was simply too short to become invested in that particular plot point. Also, the fact that Shaw did not mention her 'child' to anyone afterwards was ridiculous. It's unfortunate, because the med pod sequence was easily one of the film's best, but it did not have a proper set up or resolution. From that point on, the sequences involving Weyland and the zombified Fifield are just too choppy, probably ad a result of them being shifted out of order. The first time I watched Prometheus I had no problem with Shaw's confrontation with the Engineer in Vickers' shuttle, but this time around it was painfully obvious that a great deal of it had been cut out and the sequence simply played out too fast. Speaking of too fast, the birth of the Deacon seemed a bit jarring this time around; I was emotionally invested in Shaw's story and found myself in love with the excellent homage to Alien as she left her log at the end of the film, and was taken a back a bit when the Deacon emerged from the Engineer's dead body. While I do really like that scene, I think it would have worked better with a few more seconds of black screen before the scene played out, or maybe even by moving it to the end of the credits.

While the previous paragraph seems to give the impression that I did not like Prometheus this time around, I would like to reiterate that I did indeed very much enjoy the film, and that I am very glad that I now have it as a part of my collection. Unfortunately the later half of the movie suffers from a plethora of avoidable pacing and editing problems that should never have made it into the final cut. Still, as a whole, Prometheus is a very intricate and satisfying film that I will be pleased to watch again and again, and hopefully I will pick up on more of the elaborate visual and thematic elements that are present throughout the entirety of the film. Flaws aside, Prometheus laid down a very solid and captivating foundation for further stories set in the Alien universe, and I eagerly await the potential Prometheus 2 that Ridley has talked about.

[Deuterium]

After watching Prometheus for the second time yesterday, I felt as though I should revise my review as well. I think the first time I was a bit too caught up in the hype to review it honestly, and this one (I hope) reads as being a bit more honest:

Prometheus

This is my first time watching Prometheus since June in the theater, actually. In my original review six months ago, I claimed to love the film, though I most certainly had a few gripes about it as well. Over the past half a year, AVPGalaxy and the Internet in general has been flooded with numerous reviews, analyses, discussions, and interpretations of the film, citing and elaborating on the many positive and negative aspects of the movie. I myself partook in many of these discussions (for as long as I could stand being in the Prometheus board, at least) and, over the course of the six months, found my opinion swayed a bit as I listened to and contemplated the many arguments against the film. But now, after spending all this time reflecting on the movie and discussing it with you guys, I think I can finally give a completely honest representation of my opinion.

It is no secret that I absolutely adore Alien and consider the near-perfect film to be one of the best ever made, so I think that it is safe to say that I may have been a bit biased going into the movie. That being said, I do find myself a bit disappointed that Prometheus altered one of the core core elements in Alien; that element being the 'alien'ness of the film, of course. Gone is the horror discovered in the form of the Space Jockey and it's mysterious cargo in the Derelict spacecraft and the dark and claustrophobic hallways of the Nostromo. Instead, this movie presents an elaborate story encompassing much grander themes and asking much more intimate questions; who are we, where do we come from, and why are we here? It is in these themes that Alien and Prometheus are so jarringly different that they can not be compared, and thankfully during this viewing of the film Alien was kept as far out of my mind as possible.

Because Prometheus differs so fundamentally from Alien, it is obvious that the movie will meet some criticism based on that fact alone. Clearing my head from those thoughts, I went into Prometheus tonight with nothing more than hope that maybe the criticisms that I allowed myself to believe over the past six months were just figments of my imagination, and that Prometheus would indeed be the beautiful film I left the theater believing it was. For the first hour or so of the movie, Prometheus was just that; a visually stunning, engrossing, and beautiful film that swept me up in it's presentation of the concept of 'Gods and Engineers', as Ridley Scott described it. I found myself in love with the world of the film and the themes that it centered around, and even found myself genuinely questioning not just the complaints that I have read online, but also the ones that had arisen in my head in the long gap of time since I had last seen the movie.

Then I reached the second half of the movie. I will say now that I was not exactly disappointed by this half of the film, but when watching it I certainly had some familiar criticisms pop into my mind. The pacing, unfortunately, is all over the place, and there are numerous spots where it felt like important sequences were missing. The time between Shaw learning of her pregnancy and her self-applied surgery was simply too short to become invested in that particular plot point. Also, the fact that Shaw did not mention her 'child' to anyone afterwards was ridiculous. It's unfortunate, because the med pod sequence was easily one of the film's best, but it did not have a proper set up or resolution. From that point on, the sequences involving Weyland and the zombified Fifield are just too choppy, probably ad a result of them being shifted out of order. The first time I watched Prometheus I had no problem with Shaw's confrontation with the Engineer in Vickers' shuttle, but this time around it was painfully obvious that a great deal of it had been cut out and the sequence simply played out too fast. Speaking of too fast, the birth of the Deacon seemed a bit jarring this time around; I was emotionally invested in Shaw's story and found myself in love with the excellent homage to Alien as she left her log at the end of the film, and was taken a back a bit when the Deacon emerged from the Engineer's dead body. While I do really like that scene, I think it would have worked better with a few more seconds of black screen before the scene played out, or maybe even by moving it to the end of the credits.

While the previous paragraph seems to give the impression that I did not like Prometheus this time around, I would like to reiterate that I did indeed very much enjoy the film, and that I am very glad that I now have it as a part of my collection. Unfortunately the later half of the movie suffers from a plethora of avoidable pacing and editing problems that should never have made it into the final cut. Still, as a whole, Prometheus is a very intricate and satisfying film that I will be pleased to watch again and again, and hopefully I will pick up on more of the elaborate visual and thematic elements that are present throughout the entirety of the film. Flaws aside, Prometheus laid down a very solid and captivating foundation for further stories set in the Alien universe, and I eagerly await the potential Prometheus 2 that Ridley has talked about.

Very nice write-up and thoughtful review, Nightmare.  While we may be on the opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of our feelings on Prometheus, I am glad you can find enjoyment with the film.  Cheers, mate.

[Alien³]

I still love it. Now and forever more!

[DoomRulz]

Does anyone feel as though Prometheus 2 isn't going to happen?

[Nightmare Asylum]

Does anyone feel as though Prometheus 2 isn't going to happen?

Right now I'm thinking there's still hope.

Hoping that there's hope, at least.

[ChrisPachi]

I think it will happen, but in some ways I was expecting to of heard something more solid about it by now, especially considering all the trilogy/multi-part talk from Ridley early on in the production.

[SM]

Riddles has a bunch of things on the go in varying stages of development.

[Blacklabel]

He finished The Counsellor.. now he has to do a tv show i think.. after that.. maybe?

[DoomRulz]

Riddles has a bunch of things on the go in varying stages of development.

Isn't his focus on the Blade Runner sequel right now?

[Nightmare Asylum]

I'd much rather he followed up on Prometheus than Blade Runner, personally. Blade Runner is an excellent film, and while I would love to see more of that universe, I think Prometheus is more in need of a continuation.

[Virgil]

I'd much rather he followed up on Prometheus than Blade Runner, personally. Blade Runner is an excellent film, and while I would love to see more of that universe, I think Prometheus is more in need of a continuation.

100% this. Bladerunner never needed a sequel.

[Bjørn Half-hand]

I agree; I'd ratehr he left the Blade Runner universe alone and finished his Prometheus story arc.

[BAD_ASS_MOFO]

Well for the sequel you have to look at how long development, pre-production, production and post-production takes.
My guess on the sequel:

2013 will see the development of the script.
first 4 months of 2014 will see pre-production (set construction, casting, location scouting and other stuff)
Mid to llate 2014 will be production (filming)
late 2014 to early 2015 will be post-production.
My guess is the film will have a summer release in 2015

[UDA]

Does anyone feel as though Prometheus 2 isn't going to happen?

Scott's getting old, and honestly, I don't want to see another director pick up the sequel. I expect rumors about it for a while, an occasional mention, but I'm sort of expecting this thing to dissapear over time.