**** The Official Prometheus Spoiler Discussion Thread ****

[Somnambulist]

Nothing wrong with the ending of Battlestar or with Sunshine for that matter, if you don't like sci-fi just go and get yourselves a copy of Sex in the city and watch that instead.

Nothing wrong with the ending of Battlestar or with Sunshine for that matter, if you don't like sci-fi just go and get yourselves a copy of Sex in the city and watch that instead.

Nice presumption, I'm a massive sci-fi fan, it's my favourite genre by far, at least with books. I just finished re-reading Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy again (I hope they don't make a terrible Neuromancer film).

Sunshine is compromised by a lazy decision to change into a slasher film half-way through when the movie was doing just fine without any need to go all Event Horizon. Pretty much everything about the film is great apart from that and it's still a decent SF flick, one of the better ones in recent years.

Galatica's ending was universally panned - some called it the worst ending in the history of on-screen science fiction! It was such a shame because most of the rest of show up to that point had been more solidly written than most of the stuff in recent years.

Anyway, this lazy/dumb writing isn't limited to SF by any means, it's just SF usually has some high-stakes stuff going on and it makes dumb writing easier to spot, e.g. Terminator Salvation - epic, epic fail.

Prometheus isn't as bad as those, and was certainly one of the better films I've seen in terms of cinematography lately, but the writing/characterisation was still typical modern Hollywood in a lot of places, which is what makes it frustrating.

 

[Neil79]

Nothing wrong with the ending of Battlestar or with Sunshine for that matter, if you don't like sci-fi just go and get yourselves a copy of Sex in the city and watch that instead.

Wait what... So if you don't like the ending of Sunshine or Battlestair you don't like sci-fi?

Give over

 

[THMRK]

Galatica's ending was universally panned - some called it the worst ending in the history of on-screen science fiction! It was such a shame because most of the rest of show up to that point had been more solidly written than most of the stuff in recent years.

The universe you live in must be wholly different from mine, because the reception for the ending of BSG was mixed at best.

 

[Meridian]

Sunshine is compromised by a lazy decision to change into a slasher film half-way through when the movie was doing just fine without any need to go all Event Horizon. Pretty much everything about the film is great apart from that and it's still a decent SF flick, one of the better ones in recent years.

I'm sorry, but it got bad long before then. Let's start with the fact the crew, who are supposed to be the cream of human society, behave like a bunch of teenagers. Not only that, but they behave like an inconsistent bunch of teenagers who exist for no other reason but to provide some of the set-pieces. Everyone seems to be out-doing each other in the stupidity and selfishness stakes. The result is a group of people who not only do you not care about, but which you actively wish would die in the earnest hope that they get replaced by someone who you might care about. Even science fiction can't disobey the normal rules of fiction: you need proper, human, characters, who behave in ways consistent with that character.

Next, lets move to some of the most stupid science in a science fiction film. I'm sorry, but freezing in seconds when exposed to vacuum? It actually manages to be even more mind-bogglingly daft than the usual "explode-when-exposed-to-vacuum" used in every other rubbish science fiction film when they want cheap thrills. It's even more annoying when 2001 showed right back in 1969 what happens when a person is exposed to vacuum,and got it completely correct. I'll gloss over the absurd design of the space ship which seems to be like that for no other reason but for a silly part of the plot.

All in all, a classic example of what happens when someone who isn't a science fiction writer writes science fiction - a mess. As someone once said: no director would dream of writing a period piece without getting an expert in, so why does every person who ever wrote a bit of hack-work think that they can write science fiction? Hell, a large number of actual science fiction writers are pretty poor at it.


M

 

[Demoniser]

I'm sorry, but it got bad long before then. Let's start with the fact the crew, who are supposed to be the cream of human society, behave like a bunch of teenagers. Not only that, but they behave like an inconsistent bunch of teenagers who exist for no other reason but to provide some of the set-pieces. Everyone seems to be out-doing each other in the stupidity and selfishness stakes. The result is a group of people who not only do you not care about, but which you actively wish would die in the earnest hope that they get replaced by someone who you might care about. Even science fiction can't disobey the normal rules of fiction: you need proper, human, characters, who behave in ways consistent with that character.

Next, lets move to some of the most stupid science in a science fiction film. I'm sorry, but freezing in seconds when exposed to vacuum? It actually manages to be even more mind-bogglingly daft than the usual "explode-when-exposed-to-vacuum" used in every other rubbish science fiction film when they want cheap thrills. It's even more annoying when 2001 showed right back in 1969 what happens when a person is exposed to vacuum,and got it completely correct. I'll gloss over the absurd design of the space ship which seems to be like that for no other reason but for a silly part of the plot.

All in all, a classic example of what happens when someone who isn't a science fiction writer writes science fiction - a mess. As someone once said: no director would dream of writing a period piece without getting an expert in, so why does every person who ever wrote a bit of hack-work think that they can write science fiction? Hell, a large number of actual science fiction writers are pretty poor at it.
M

I thought Brian Cox was there as a science advisor on Sunshine?

I thought the Icarus/Icarus 2 was much more believable than some of the other designs you see in sci fi.

I agree that the characters were pretty poor and forgettable, which isn't a thing you want when you're meant to care about them.

 

[Meridian]

I thought Brian Cox was there as a science advisor on Sunshine?

Advice doesn't need to be followed... I remember when the BBC filmed the very first series of Waking the Dead. At least one forensic scientist from the London Lab spent about four days with the film team giving advice. Every bit of that advice was ignored.


M

 

[shipinabottle]

The problem with that helmet idea though is that an alien came out of the "pilot" in the original alien film and he still had what we now know as a helmet on. This really confuses what actually happened in the original film instead of just being cut and dry like it use to be.

THIS IS NOT THE STORY OF LV426!

This is LV233.

People seriously need to understand that there is no continuity between Alien and Prometheus. The only connection is the Xenomorph DNA being the base threat.

 

[iamtheoneneo]

Galatica's ending was universally panned - some called it the worst ending in the history of on-screen science fiction! It was such a shame because most of the rest of show up to that point had been more solidly written than most of the stuff in recent years.

No it was not ,please don't make stuff up.
Go watch the ending to SGA and then come here and say that.

 

[stoofa]

Galatica's ending was universally panned - some called it the worst ending in the history of on-screen science fiction! It was such a shame because most of the rest of show up to that point had been more solidly written than most of the stuff in recent years.

I think you are very much mistaken. Maybe "hated by some" would be better, maybe "hated by vocal minority" could well be closer to the mark.
To say "universally hated" is basically wrong - and to me making such a bold, obviously incorrect statement just means the rest of your pst loses weight too.

 

[scamartist]

Terrible movie.

Story had more holes than a Swiss cheese.

Possibly the worst soundtrack I've ever heard as well.

 

[shipinabottle]

Possibly the worst soundtrack I've ever heard as well.

the soundtrack was indeed complete pants, why was that daft piece used during the star Map scene, felt completely out of place.

The American trailers had that striking piece that immediately hit home, then for the theatrical release they used the daft superman style international trailer piece.

I'm pretty sure they couldn't decide what tone they wanted to go with adventure or horror and instead kind of had a seizure in the middle.

 

[cm1179]

T

People seriously need to understand that there is no continuity between Alien and Prometheus. The only connection is the Xenomorph DNA being the base threat.

well i could've sworn i saw an engraving of a queen in the chamber with the worms

 

[shipinabottle]

well i could've sworn i saw an engraving of a queen in the chamber with the worms

Only 2 pictures that seem to be mentioned from what I've seen, and these are the xenomorph in a crucifix position and the engineer with his hand on a creature clearly derived from xenomorph DNA. Never seen any mention of a queen on the murial.

Even then, my point still remains, this has no bearing on the events and what is seen in the original Alien film. 2 different worlds, 2 different stories, revolving around a common threat.

It is definitely clear that the xenomorph had already been created prior to the event in Prometheus, as the murial has a picture of the xenomorph, so they have created or seeN the effect of the xenomorph DNA on a humanoid, or the xenomorph is a species either created by the engineer, and then reversed to base dna, or a species they have come across in the universe replicated and reversed to the base parasitic form.

Feels like we are running in circles every time somebody knew comes into this thread :/

 

[Jimz]

Only 2 pictures that seem to be mentioned from what I've seen, and these are the xenomorph in a crucifix position and the engineer with his hand on a creature clearly derived from xenomorph DNA. Never seen any mention of a queen on the murial.

Even then, my point still remains, this has no bearing on the events and what is seen in the original Alien film. 2 different worlds, 2 different stories, revolving around a common threat.

It is definitely clear that the xenomorph had already been created prior to the event in Prometheus, as the murial has a picture of the xenomorph, so they have created or seeN the effect of the xenomorph DNA on a humanoid, or the xenomorph is a species either created by the engineer, and then reversed to base dna, or a species they have come across in the universe replicated and reversed to the base parasitic form.

Feels like we are running in circles every time somebody knew comes into this thread :/

True however I guess you missed that there was a green vase in front of that Xenomorph on the wall. It seemed and looked like it was special DNA used to create the species or something.

 

[aardvark]

True however I guess you missed that there was a green vase in front of that Xenomorph on the wall. It seemed and looked like it was special DNA used to create the species or something.

one of the many many things inserted and not explained in any way, not even in a throwaway line like 'this looks different, we should investigate, oh no, no time lets get out of here'
no acknowledgement that it even exists despite showing it - ridiculous.

 

[NathanE]

Terrible movie.

Story had more holes than a Swiss cheese.

Possibly the worst soundtrack I've ever heard as well.

/join #bandwagon

 

[Jimz]

one of the many many things inserted and not explained in any way, not even in a throwaway line like 'this looks different, we should investigate, oh no, no time lets get out of here'
no acknowledgement that it even exists despite showing it - ridiculous.

All they needed was 1 small line as you said and that would have answered so many questions. I don't understand.. maybe its a deleted scene which might shed more light. However when they was designing the set and they added it there must be a REASON why its there in front of the Xeno..

 

[Sankari]

I'm also curious, not being massively up on the Alien films and having not watched them in a while, where do predators fit into all of this? I thought in AvP that they said the predators created the aliens to test themselves in battle?

The AvP movies belong to a completely different franchise. They are not part of Alien canon and have no relevance whatsoever to the Alien movies.

Should we just forget that was ever said in that film?

Yes. It's not part of the Alien universe.

 

[markweatherill]

I just watched Prometheus a second time and it resolved at least one apparent plot hole. (How does Dr Shaw know the engineer is planning a course to Earth? She couldn't possibly know that! In fact David tells her. I missed that first time round)
And I didn't notice Holloway calling David 'Boy' just like he's in the Deep South! And other casual 'racism' and David's reactions, even if just facial expressions, that would explain him going a bit 'HAL9000' on them.

 

[NathanE]

David was annoyed by it but he didn't go HAL9000 on them. He only spiked the drink at the point Holloway said he'd do anything and everything to get his answers.

But yes it's so much better on second vIewing. Even the so-called worst scene of the biologist amazed by the snake seems more believable.