Prometheus Fan Reviews

[SpeedyMaxx]

Of course they knew.  She froze it in the medpod, then books it out.  She finds Weyland.  There is a time cut on both that scene and the following one with Janek - more than enough time for the narrative ellipses in which she explains that the squid is contained.  Happens a lot in movies.  They didn't need to dot the I for me at that point - the movie is moving fast enough, as are the characters towards their goal (awaken the Engineer); I thought it was clear it had been addressed and tabled til they made first contact.

[Valaquen]

Honest to Christ, they fumbled on the creature-in-the-medpod thing. Having the audience just assume everyone knows and are unperturbed is ridiculous. It's the one beef that everyone I've seen the movie with all managed to agree on. An alien infection aboard the ship is something we need to see addressed, otherwise it's damn lazy.

[Alienseseses]

Honest to Christ, they fumbled on the creature-in-the-medpod thing. Having the audience just assume everyone knows and are unperturbed is ridiculous. It's the one beef that everyone I've seen the movie with all managed to agree on. An alien infection aboard the ship is something we need to see addressed, otherwise it's damn lazy.

We don't need everything spelled out for us. Explaining it would be redunant and mess up the pacing. It's enough to infer. Less is more.

[SpeedyMaxx]

And I expected to get that complaint from the audiences I've seen it with, but no one I know offline (or elsewhere online) who's seen the film has ever noticed it - except me, because I'd heard the complaining on the Internet beforehand.

I expected a massive gap in the film when I saw it on this particular point, but when I saw it myself I didn't see an issue at all.  Because of the way the story clicks along and the specific insert of her freezing the baby trilobite, I just didn't see an issue at all, and then they cut for time in spots and it gives her plenty of room to have told them.  By the time David talks to her in the locker area it's clear everyone knows what she did.  The film has some issues, but I personally don't consider that one of them.  Honestly, those kind of narrative ellipses happen all the time in movies; time passes between scenes and we accept that people have been informed of a certain event because of prior choices made (like Shaw freezing it) and their next move (leaving the ship).

[Valaquen]

Honest to Christ, they fumbled on the creature-in-the-medpod thing. Having the audience just assume everyone knows and are unperturbed is ridiculous. It's the one beef that everyone I've seen the movie with all managed to agree on. An alien infection aboard the ship is something we need to see addressed, otherwise it's damn lazy.

We don't need everything spelled out for us. Explaining it would be redunant and mess up the pacing. It's enough to infer. Less is more.

I liked the film but damn, saying that the movie showing us the aftermath of Shaw beating on two crewmates and her subsequent surgery will be spelling it out, redundant, and will mess up the pacing is bald-faced apologism. And it wasn't a case of less, it was a case of nothing at all, leading to a massive clusterf**k in motivation. I seriously had to question the character's judgment and intelligence after that. But if you liked it, cool. I haven't met anyone personally who was fine with it (people were laughing about it after both of my viewings, strangers and friends alike) but diff'rent strokes and all.

And I expected to get that complaint from the audiences I've seen it with, but no one I know offline (or elsewhere online) who's seen the film has ever noticed it - except me, because I'd heard the complaining on the Internet beforehand.

I expected a massive gap in the film when I saw it on this particular point, but when I saw it myself I didn't see an issue at all.  Because of the way the story clicks along and the specific insert of her freezing the baby trilobite, I just didn't see an issue at all, and then they cut for time in spots and it gives her plenty of room to have told them.  By the time David talks to her in the locker area it's clear everyone knows what she did.  The film has some issues, but I personally don't consider that one of them.  Honestly, those kind of narrative ellipses happen all the time in movies; time passes between scenes and we accept that people have been informed of a certain event because of prior choices made (like Shaw freezing it) and their next move (leaving the ship).

See above, different audience experience here, didn't work for me, etc.

[SpeedyMaxx]

I don't think it is apologism.  I'm not sure what we should've gotten - a scene of Shaw being dressed down for clobbering Ford and the other dude?  Who cares?  You could've put a line or two in, perhaps, but at that point in the third act, they're off to see the Wizard, she's gotten the squid out of her belly, it's frozen inside the pod and they all clearly consider it contained.  All Weyland cares about is seeing the Engineer and grasping the secrets of the universe - human life, whether it's his daughter's or Shaw's, means nothing to him, and he's certainly not going to give a shit that Shaw brained an employee while extracting a specimen.  It's clear where his priorities have been all along - with himself.  And sometimes movies move that fast, even with big stuff atop big stuff.  But Shaw facing consequences for knocking those dudes around and removing the alien wasn't high on their priority list, nor was it on mine.  JMO.

[Valaquen]

I don't think it is apologism.

It's apologism to me because it's a declarative statement with no explanation in sight. I don't mean to infer that anyone is dumb, or beneath me, etc., however.

I'm not sure what we should've gotten - a scene of Shaw being dressed down for clobbering Ford and the other dude?  Who cares?

Me. For me, that would've shown that there's some tangible hierarchy aboard, that there are repercussions, and some sense of a real internecine struggle going on. That feeling of there being divisions in the crew classes ... wasn't in this movie, though you can see that it wanted to be (Vickers vs Shaw/Holloway, Vickers vs Weyland, Weyland vs everyone else, Weyland's mercenaries, etc) Ford gets a beating and doesn't give Shaw so much as a dirty look.

You could've put a line or two in, perhaps, but at that point in the third act, they're off to see the Wizard, she's gotten the squid out of her belly, it's frozen inside the pod and they all clearly consider it contained.

Who's "they all"? There wasn't even a line of dialogue to suggest anyone knew about it. It was a glaring and egregious omission, especially considering the power of the medpod scene. I don't think I can convince you otherwise but if you're happy with it then that's fine.

All Weyland cares about is seeing the Engineer and grasping the secrets of the universe - human life, whether it's his daughter's or Shaw's, means nothing to him, and he's certainly not going to give a shit that Shaw brained an employee while extracting a specimen.  It's clear where his priorities have been all along - with himself.  And sometimes movies move that fast, even with big stuff atop big stuff.  But Shaw facing consequences for knocking those dudes around and removing the alien wasn't high on their priority list, nor was it on mine.  JMO.

That's fine, that's thematics. But a bloody alien creature was pulled from a woman's torso aboard the ship. It begged for attention. It was thrilling ... for a moment, and then forgotten. The film's in a rush. It trips and stumbles.

Bugger this, I'm off to watch Rome 

[Alien³]

Who's "they all"? There wasn't even a line of dialogue to suggest anyone knew about it.

David knew.

"I didn't know you had it in you. Sorry poor choice of words."

[Valaquen]

Who's "they all"? There wasn't even a line of dialogue to suggest anyone knew about it.

David knew.

"I didn't know you had it in you. Sorry poor choice of words."

David and Shaw don't constitute "they all". I know he knew, he broke the news in the first place. I actually don't mind David keeping his silence because he seems mischievous and even a little destructive towards the humans.

[SpeedyMaxx]

I'm not sure what we should've gotten - a scene of Shaw being dressed down for clobbering Ford and the other dude?  Who cares?

Me. For me, that would've shown that there's some tangible hierarchy aboard, that there are repercussions, and some sense of a real internecine struggle going on. That feeling of there being divisions in the crew classes ... wasn't in this movie, though you can see that it wanted to be (Vickers vs Shaw/Holloway, Vickers vs Weyland, Weyland vs everyone else, Weyland's mercenaries, etc) Ford gets a beating and doesn't give Shaw so much as a dirty look.

The thing is, Weyland is a covert stowaway.  To the public, and everyone aboard Prometheus not on a need-to-know basis, he is dead.  He is awoken only upon discovery of something that could meet his needs.  For everyone else's eyes, Vickers is mission control and Janek is captain.  When Weyland is awakened, as head of the company he commandeers the ship and its crew for his needs.  There is no hierarchy, because Weyland has declared himself the hierarchy.  He cares nothing for his people on the ship - he only cares about himself and his quest, and it's clear Meredith has no will to stop him from doing as he likes.  I think any kind of tut-tutting about Shaw's choice would've betrayed his character; it's clear when we see him that he has long since put all that bureaucracy aside in favor of his single-minded obsession.

Who's "they all"? There wasn't even a line of dialogue to suggest anyone knew about it. It was a glaring and egregious omission, especially considering the power of the medpod scene. I don't think I can convince you otherwise but if you're happy with it then that's fine.

I am because after some time cuts, they all left without a further word.  Shaw froze the monster and it was clearly a very public act.  I figured they'd seen what she had done, seen it was contained and had bigger fish to fry.

That's fine, that's thematics. But a bloody alien creature was pulled from a woman's torso aboard the ship. It begged for attention. It was thrilling ... for a moment, and then forgotten. The film's in a rush. It trips and stumbles.

Perhaps, but I think by then Weyland and the crew have seen all sorts of monsters (Holloway, Fifield, the hammerpede, etc) that the Engineers and their technology can produce.  A squid is "just" a squid to them, at first glance; what he's after is the progenitors.  And David has found them.  So the squid can wait.

Bugger this, I'm off to watch Rome 

And I need to watch...something.

[Alien³]

Who's "they all"? There wasn't even a line of dialogue to suggest anyone knew about it.

David knew.

"I didn't know you had it in you. Sorry poor choice of words."

David and Shaw don't constitute "they all". I know he knew, he broke the news in the first place. I actually don't mind David keeping his silence because he seems mischievous and even a little destructive towards the humans.

Why would Shaw tell anyone about it?

[Alienseseses]

I also got the sense that no one cared about it, either. She ran into the room, with a scar on her, all bloody and worn, and all anyone does for her is give her a coat. David has that exchange with her, as Alien3 said. And it's pretty clear that everyone gets it.
The one thing we don't really get a reaction to that maybe we should have is the Fitfield attack. It was clearly shot to take place with Weyland and Shaw involved, which means they clearly got it. But in the final version, it's not really referenced. I don't mind that it isn't, but all the same, there's plenty of room for that.

[Valaquen]

I am because after some time cuts, they all left without a further word.  Shaw froze the monster and it was clearly a very public act.  I figured they'd seen what she had done, seen it was contained and had bigger fish to fry.

To me, and everyone else I saw it with, the time cut was silly, because there wasn't a hint of addressing this creature. The film forgot about it. I don't have the faculty to forgive and patch this up myself, I wanted the scene to have more payoff than serving as a way to get rid of the Engineer at the end.

Perhaps, but I think by then Weyland and the crew have seen all sorts of monsters (Holloway, Fifield, the hammerpede, etc) that the Engineers and their technology can produce.  A squid is "just" a squid to them, at first glance; what he's after is the progenitors.  And David has found them.  So the squid can wait.

Dealing with such extreme life-forms, especially ones that incubate inside human beings, it's ridiculous for me to accept this.

And I need to watch...something.

Try Rome? 

I also got the sense that no one cared about it, either. She ran into the room, with a scar on her, all bloody and worn, and all anyone does for her is give her a coat. David has that exchange with her, as Alien3 said. And it's pretty clear that everyone gets it.

So it was clear to a handful of board members  The Weyland reveal was quite obvious earlier in the film, so unlike Shaw, I wasn't able to forget about the bloody beastie she just removed from her guts.

But yeah, off now. Behave 

[SpeedyMaxx]

The thing is, the general audience has no idea Weyland is alive.

Yes, savvy fans frequenting fan boards dissecting the trailers would know - we figured it out.  But the film isn't made for just us.  To the regular public, it's not a foregone conclusion that Weyland is alive and not worth the time.

[Nightmare Asylum]

Yes, savvy fans frequenting fan boards dissecting the trailers would know - we figured it out.  But the film isn't made for just us.  To the regular public, it's not a foregone conclusion that Weyland is alive and not worth the time.

Not entirely true. I frequent the forums, and when I saw the hologram at the beginning, I honestly believe that Weyland was dead. It wasn't until David started talking to a mysterious person and Vickers questioned him that I realized he must still be alive. Also, I didn't know that David would become a sort of antagonist, either. Then again, I avoided the Prometheus section for a good week and a half before the movie came out in America.