“There is very little involvement with the characters themselves…a generally good cast in cardboard roles.” – Variety
“An overblown B-movie…technically impressive but awfully portentous and as difficult to sit through as a Black Mass sung in Latin.” – Los Angeles Herald Examiner
“An empty bag of tricks whose production values and expensive trickers cannot disguise imaginative poverty.” – Time Out
“There's not enough writing for proper characterisation, not enough plot development for the mind as well as the senses to bite on” - The Guardian
These are not Prometheus reviews but those for Alien (1979) also directed by Ridley Scott. I’m a huge fan of Alien and a fan of Prometheus, both have their flaws. Like it or not Ridley returned to the universe and the vision he created. If he had made it prequel like The Thing (2011) that lead right up to the events of the first film, it no doubt would have been dubbed a rehash and/or met criticism as did The Thing. Certain effects aside, I thought The Thing was a worthy prequel and complemented the original it was like watching the Titanic, you were watching ghosts. While it had surprises it was made by deconstruction of the original Thing and its events which as a fan I warmed to.
Prometheus is set in the same universe, the same world as the Aliens series but as it also stands alone. Prometheus is under discussion, dissection and criticism arguably more so than Alien ever was on its release possibly due to hype, anticipation and interest. But 'Space truckers' investigating an Alien ship, Kane examining an egg, the search for Jones while a dangerous little critter on the loose. It's all science fiction, fiction the key word and entertaining imaginary tale to. Alien was also mocked for characterisation and lack of plot development and is now hailed as a classic. Prometheus is what it is. It’s no use comparing the two. Both films could have opened with the lines “you know what, let’s not go down to that moon it could be dangerous.” They both have debatable flaws without which there wouldn't be a story.
Prometheus raises questions but this adds to a tantalisingly unknown direction for Prometheus. It raised a lot of the debate and has a marmite effect. I’ve put together a Q and A to make the film palatable for some, dot some i’s and cross some t’s so to speak. Be warned there are spoilers.
When is Prometheus and Alien set?
Prometheus - Undisclosed date (opening) 2089 and 2093, Alien takes place in 2122.
Does this take place on LV-426, the planet from Alien and Aliens?
No, this is set on the moon LV-223.
Where in Prometheus did they say that this was LV-223?
The holographic pictogram shows a planetary system containing LV-223.
Was the ship from this film the one found in Alien?
No this ship is docked, again it is set on a different planet. The ship in Prometheus only crashes when it collides with the Prometheus, 30 years before the events in Alien. The ship in Alien landed on LV-223 and had been there enough time for the jockey to fossilize (thousands of years).
Is the Space Jockey from Alien in this?
No, the fossilized Jockey is not, but an ancient Space Jockey/ Engineer does (in the opening), in addition a living Jockey (awoken by the Prometheus crew) and 2000 year old fossilized remains.
Do the Alien or Face Hugger seen in Alien and Aliens appear?
No, but a variation which shares similarities do.
Is Meredith Vickers an android?
While her demeanour may suggest otherwise Vickers is not an android. She is no more android than Janek, Chance and Ravel could be. It has been stated by the creators she is not. It as ambiguous as Blade Runner’s Deckard . Even though Scott stated Deckard was a replicant, fan folk still debate the matter.
Why do Janek, Chance and Ravel crash the ship?
Janek tells Elizabeth Shaw that he will do anything to stop the Engineers. The pilots have nothing to lose from the time they left Earth, effectively on borrowed time. This is hinted when Meredith Vickers asks David if anyone died during the hyper sleep, substantiating that the crew knew they may not even reach LV-223 alive. Given Shaw's convincing reasoning with Janek and their services background sacrifice for the greater good of mankind was not beyond possibility.
How old was Peter Weyland?
103, born in 1990 according to the viral videos.
How do Fifield and Milburn get lost?
Fifield being panicked, intoxicated and because “it all looks the same” he/they get lost because of the static electrical storm that Janek references is interfering with the equipment.
Why did the Engineers decide to destroy humans?
According to Sir Ridley Scott: "If you look at it as an 'our children are misbehaving down there' scenario, there are moments where it looks like we've gone out of control, running around with armour and skirts, which of course would be the Roman Empire. And they were given a long run. A thousand years before their disintegration actually started to happen. And you can say, Lets send down one more of our emissaries to see if he can stop it. Guess what? They crucified him."
Why does Milburn occupy himself with the Alien?
Milburn is a botanist, he’s just getting stuck in herpetologist Steve Irwin style.
How does David know there are more ships?
Other structures, the same as where the Space Jockey/ Engineer's ship is concealed can been seen as they land in the Prometheus on LV-223.
What Did David Say to the Engineer?
Scott removed translation (it works better dramatically). Apparently the line that David speaks to the Engineer is from a longer sequence that didn’t make the final edit. Dr. Anil Biltoo (who appears onscreen as the holographic linguistics teacher) of London's SOAS Language Centre and taught Fassbender (David) how to speak in Proto-Indo-European (PIE) language. Says: ‘This man is here because he does not want to die. He believes you can give him more life’
David did as directed by Weyland. The Engineer is infuriated.
Is that first planet in the prologue Earth?
Ridley Scott says: No, it doesn't have to be. That could be anywhere. That could be a planet anywhere. All he's doing is acting as a gardener in space. And the plant life, in fact, is the disintegration of himself.
Was David's basketball toss a nod to Alien Resurrection?
Writer Lindelof says: Nothing is an accident in Prometheus. Every single decision that is made by Ridley Scott is made for a very specific reason and purpose.
What are the different effects of the Black Goo/Bio-Former?
Is Peter Weyland related to Charles Weyland and Bishop II, is there a link with Bishop?
If you have any questionsgive me a shout and I'll try to track down the answers. in the mean time my thoughs on Prometheus...
How does David know there are more ships?
Other structures, the same as where the Space Jockey/ Engineer's ship is concealed can been seen as they land in the Prometheus on LV-223.
What Did David Say to the Engineer?
Scott removed translation (it works better dramatically). Apparently the line that David speaks to the Engineer is from a longer sequence that didn’t make the final edit. Dr. Anil Biltoo (who appears onscreen as the holographic linguistics teacher) of London's SOAS Language Centre and taught Fassbender (David) how to speak in Proto-Indo-European (PIE) language. Says: ‘This man is here because he does not want to die. He believes you can give him more life’
David did as directed by Weyland. The Engineer is infuriated.
Is that first planet in the prologue Earth?
Ridley Scott says: No, it doesn't have to be. That could be anywhere. That could be a planet anywhere. All he's doing is acting as a gardener in space. And the plant life, in fact, is the disintegration of himself.
Was David's basketball toss a nod to Alien Resurrection?
Writer Lindelof says: Nothing is an accident in Prometheus. Every single decision that is made by Ridley Scott is made for a very specific reason and purpose.
What are the different effects of the Black Goo/Bio-Former?
- Engineer + Goo + Water = Human life
- Goo + Human = Human Mutant
- Goo (ingested) + Intercourse = Giant squid/face hugger-like Trilobite
- Trilobite + Engineer = Alien form (similar to that in the Alien Series)
- Goo + Animal(worm)/Insect = Animal/Insect Mutant
Is Peter Weyland related to Charles Weyland and Bishop II, is there a link with Bishop?
- Peter Weyland (Prometheus)is the founder and CEO of Weyland Corporation and is not related to Bishop II.
- Bishop (Aliens/ Alien 3) is an android built by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.
- Bishop II (Alien 3) is the man who designed the Bishop Android.
- Charles Weyland (AvP) is not linked in any way to Peter. The Alien Versus Predator film series is considered a spin-off and not canon to the Alien or Predator franchises.
If you have any questionsgive me a shout and I'll try to track down the answers. in the mean time my thoughs on Prometheus...
The near future 2089 Earths historical artifact's and ancient paintings prompt an expedition into space to find our makers but puts the crew of the Prometheus in grave danger when they land on LV-223 in 2093.Veteran director Ridley Scott gives Prometheus its own unique look and rightly so as the action, suspense takes place on LV-223 not LV- 426 as in Alien(s). Without getting bogged down with Alien (2122A.D) comparisons, this is a science expedition not a mining vessel. This change in location allows Prometheus to sit as a stand alone film.
Questioning our origins in a reasonable intelligent way the story written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof is intriguing and makes this film stand above your average sci-fi. That said, Prometheus does raise more questions than it answers yet it's ambiguity is what makes this film special and allows set-ups for future instalments.
It's excellently cast and includes international actors Guy Pearce (who is sorely underused) Idris Elba as everyday man Janek and Logan Marshall-Green to name a few. Charlize Theron is astounding as Meredith Vickers, a hard nosed corporate mission director. Notably is Michael Fassbender as David who is every bit as interesting as Bishop and Ash with added a quirky 'fondness' for Peter O'Tool. Main protagonist Elizabeth Shaw played by Noomi Rapace is not your typical Ripley clone and carries much of the emotion for the film.
The effects are first rate, with the Space Jockeys, scenery, ships and Aliens wonderfully realised and rendered. Some of the effects are practical and look organic for the most part. The location and environment feels real and makes everything more palatable. A nod should go to Dariusz Wolski's cinematography and Pietro Scalia's editing.
Scott delivers a few standout creepy scenes some particularly gut turning, notably the arm breaking, infection and decontamination scenes- it captures some xenomorph magic.
Marc Streitenfeld's music score is an effective mixed bag although is a little over used. Both writers and Scott ensure to include a few character twists and wisely incorporate some elements from the Aliens series (in keeping with that world) whether it be a vehicle, a line or setup to possibly appease die-hard fans but for the most part it feels fresh. That said, some character motivations need to be teased out by the viewer for clarification, not all the t’s are crossed and the i’s dotted.
The film took the Alien series in a direction I was not expecting. As a long-time fan of the Alien series, and with this new Prometheus course I can say I'm satisfied, it’s edge of your seat, gory-suspense - director Ridley Scott is on pretty good form.
Prometheus tackles themes of origin, mortality and biological warfare to name a few and although it feels a little rushed it's a grower just like the spores themselves.
Promethus Continues...
A viral campaign has become part and parcel to accompany a film these days. A rule of thumb though is that its viral campaign ends when a film opens. However, this is not the case with Prometheus...
Ridley Scott‘s started in advertising and he's obviously played a big part in this little spin. After the end of the credits of Prometheus it features the Weyland logo with the date 11th October 2012. Then there popped up a website called What Is 10-11-12? This featured another viral video of Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce, who was sorely underused in the film) after this short vid directed by Scott's son a link appears to http://www.weylandindustries.com/timeline
which seems to be the first part of several chronicling the history of the Weyland company.
Is this date setting up an announcement at Comic Con or just a novel way to plug the DVD/Blu-ray release? Only time will tell, but with Prometheus being a financial success and rousing lots of debate amongst fans, a sequel seems somewhat inevitable.
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