Prometheus (I) (2012) User Reviews

Good special effects, poor, poor writing

[michal-dudek · 6/10 · 3 June 2012]

I must admit that the special effects and overall scale of the film is epic. But for crying out loud the plot is thin as paper and the writing is very very bad. None of the characters are acting in a logical way. There is no explainable motivations behind their actions and the story behind the alien race contradicts itself. After watching it I have a feeling it's just a collection of cool ideas put together without any logic to link them. The film pretends to raise some philosophical questions but it's done in a very childish way and in the end you can "choose to believe" whatever you want despite the evidence to the contrary.

**************************SPOILER*****************************

They come to this alien planet (not Alien alien, just extraterrestrial) and decide to land immediately without any surveillance from the orbit. Luckily out of the whole planet the place they happened to fly over had alien structures so they land there. Only then the scientists learn from the mission director what they are allowed to do. They go to this alien structure with their hi-tech equipment and an android. The android presses all the buttons he can find like 5 year old and nobody's surprised that he doesn't explain anything. Apparently he mastered a couple of ancient earth languages but that's no explanation to why he understands alien writings. The guy operating the hi-tech probes that map the structure suddenly flips out when he sees an alien corpse while everyone else is cool, decides to go back to the ship and gets lost in the tunnels. In the structure they decide that the air is breathable on the basis of it's chemical composition and take off their helmets. Who in their right mind exposes oneself to an alien environment. You don't know what can be in this air especially that you're looking for alien life. Then out of nowhere a sand storm appears as if triggered by their actions. So they retreat and they take the alien head with them to the ship while the geo-expert most competent on finding his way back gets lost in the structure. In the ship they do decontamination of the alien head but they fail to decontaminate their own heads after the exposure to the alien environment. And now the best happens: The paleontologist/archaeologist suddenly becomes an expert on alien physiology and just by looking at the head decides that there are some new cell outgrowths on the forehead. They decide to reanimate a 2000(?) year old head by using electroshocks after which the head explodes. (What was the point of that scene? To show their incompetence?) Then they examine the alien DNA under the microscope(!) and the analysis tells them it matches human DNA. (Wow really? After millions of years of evolution of human species it's still the same? Oh wait, you can "choose to believe" so. Yet the opening scene of the alien committing suicide and dispersing in the water with cool particle effects suggests that he initiated all the life on the planet. But then again the ancient cultures worshipped the solar system the alien structures were on. So maybe we are their direct descendants. But it's not where the alien race comes from. It's just a storage place for biological weapon. Why would the aliens leave an "invitation" to their military base?) Meanwhile the android opens one of the vases they found in the structure like he knew exactly what he's doing. All in his room without any secure containment. He brakes open a vial of unidentified liquid which for all he knows could be kryptonite or cool-aid and decides to roofie one of the scientist with it. Meanwhile the guys that were afraid of the alien corpse and got lost in the structure decide to make friends with a snakelike life form that emerged from a puddle and get raped by it. The roofied scientist gets sick but before that he manages to have sex with his colleague (Elizabeth) and impregnate her with an alien life form. Then the android scans the Elizabeth on the next day like he knew what he was looking for and tries to restrain her so she will give birth to an alien. (Why would he want to do that???) She escapes and uses automated surgical chamber to remove the alien from her belly. The procedure cuts through her whole abdomen and then staples it back together. From now on she runs around in all action scenes with her severed abdominal muscles. (The least they could do is show some hi-tech quick healing procedure or something.) She escapes and finds Wayland to be on the ship and he's looking for cure to old age. No one is surprised she has a gushing wound across her abdomen and they embark on another trip to the alien structure which turned out to be a spaceship. They revive one of the alien crew members which goes on a killing rampage after a chat with the android (no explanation why) and decides to fly the spaceship to eradicate life on earth. Fortunately after a quick chat with the female protagonist the pilots enthusiastically decide to go kamikaze on the alien spaceship and die with smiles on their faces. Then there is the nerve wrecking scene of the doughnut spaceship rolling and chasing Elizabeth and Meredith in a straight line when all they had to do to avoid it was to step aside. The alien pilot somehow survives the crash and comes back with a revenge on his mind. It is defeated by the foetus Elizabeth gave birth to which grew to a gigantic size on absolutely nothing in a matter of hours closed in the operation chamber. In the end Elizabeth joins forces with the android who poisoned her lover and tried to kill her as well and they fly off to find the home planet of the alien race.

A vast, epic, underrated, and ORIGINAL sci-fi film.

[OverThereDB · 7/10 · 5 July 2015]

Prometheus is one of the most underrated and misunderstood science fiction movies in recent memory. Do NOT view this as a prequel to Alien. It is part of the same universe, but while the first 4 are action/horror films, Prometheus is a sci-fi adventure that explores the origins of mankind. This concept is something I've always wanted to see put to screen, and Prometheus delivers so well that I'm enthralled by it no matter how many times I watch it. The cinematography and score are Oscar worthy, and the direction and visuals are near perfect. I believe Prometheus would be much higher rated if more people went into it with an open mind. The first Alien did have mixed reviews upon initial release, and now it is an all time classic. I really think that one day Prometheus will have the same status, and I hope the sequels are more appreciated.

Prometheus (2012)

[SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain · 7/10 · 13 September 2012]

Prometheus seems to have disappointed many viewers. Luckily for me I had no expectations, despite being a Scott film set in the same universe as the Alien franchise. The ship Prometheus goes looking for the beginning of mankind and what created us. It's a rather ambitious idea and the film should be given credit for trying to have some kind of theological and scientific debate. Unfortunately, the script also feels as though it has to give us the scares and frights that we associate with the Alien films. The majority of the film is intriguing but for every positive there is a negative. We get fascinating characters such as David, Vickers, and Janek. But they are mostly pushed aside to focus on the stupid scientist characters. Did the writers not realise how bad their work was? Rapace refuses to let one character take weapons on an expedition because it is a "scientific" mission. I call BS on that. No scientist would be so stupid as to explore a new planet, with no information on said planet, without a bit of protection. Characters decide to do stupid stuff, such as approach viscous looking new species etc. and it is here where the film annoyed me. The set design was beautiful, and I enjoyed the quieter moments the film had to offer, such as David's trying to understand emotions etc. The most interesting ideas the film has are delivered in single lines of dialogue, but are never explored. It's head and shoulders above many science fiction films of late, but it also needs a few sequels to clear things up. Unfortunately, that means it wasn't so great as a stand alone film.

REVISITING PROMETHEUS

[gogoschka-1 · 11 March 2018]

It appears many film fans - particularly fans of the ALIEN franchise - dislike PROMETHEUS with a passion, and some of the criticism the film gets is certainly justified. My own issues with PROMETHEUS are mostly script related; several characters seem surprisingly bland or underwritten, which could be due to the many rewrites the script went through, or because some scenes and dialogue that would have been important for the audience to understand the characters' motivations were cut from the final film for time. So PROMETHEUS undoubtedly has its share of problems, but I'm not interested in listing those; there are already whole blogs and even websites dedicated to PROMETHEUS' flaws. Instead, I would like to try to make a case for the things the film does well, because I believe there are some really nice ideas and concepts in PROMETHEUS that deserve to be appreciated. Once you disregard the science aspects (which are presented in such an annoyingly over-simplified way that they appear laughable), and instead approach PROMETHEUS as a sci-fi/mystery/monster movie - which, by the way, is how I view all ALIEN films - with some smarter than average twists, it delivers. Now before you start yelling at me, please hear me out.

The first thing I would like to talk about - also because it's the aspect I love the most about PROMETHEUS - is how the ancient Greek saga about the creation and evolution of humankind is woven into the story. I've often wondered why so many people who dislike the film claim to do so on the grounds of it not giving any answers, when it so clearly does: they may not be spelled out in detail, but in broad strokes, they are (nearly) all there in the title. In Greek mythology, Prometheus was the titan who created (or "engineered") mankind. But he did much more than that; he became mankind's greatest benefactor and protector; he visited his creation again and again and helped the humans evolve by bringing them knowledge (which he did against the will of the gods) - and he ultimately even stole the secret of fire from the gods and gave it to humankind, which is the moment in their mythology/history that the ancient Greeks saw as the dawn of civilization.

In the ancient tale, Zeus was so enraged by Prometheus' betrayal - and mankind's greatest gain in knowledge - that he subsequently wanted to wipe Prometheus' creation from the face of the earth. His elaborate plan on how to achieve that goal involved sending a certain box to the humans - the infamous Pandora's Box - which, once opened, would unleash hell upon humankind. In the film PROMETHEUS it is implied that the creation of humankind is something the "engineers" (aka the gods) also regret - most likely because in a similar story beat as in the Prometheus saga, the engineer "monks" we witness at the beginning of the film help mankind attain too much knowledge (which, as our species' shockingly violent history proves, we humans ultimately always end up using to build weapons to murder one another in ever greater numbers). So consequently, for reasons Zeus would probably understand, the engineers end up declaring humankind as a failed experiment that needs to be terminated: and what better way to do that than with bio-weapons sent to Earth that function like little "Pandora's boxes"?

Another strong similarity between PROMETHEUS' engineers and the ancient Greek gods - in addition to the fact that the engineers obviously look very much like Greek statues of Greek gods - is that both are portrayed as being just as flawed as the humans. The gods in Greek mythology have all the character traits of ordinary people: they fight, they lust, they hate - and they make mistakes. What I absolutely loved in PROMETHEUS (because I found it darkly funny too) is that the engineers ultimately are no better than we are. They create bio-weapons they don't really know how to control: and they eff up big time before they get to destroy the humans, and they get wiped out by their own weapons. Their technology may be very advanced, but they haven't exactly reached a state of wisdom and transcendence, and the big question doctors Shaw and Holloway want to ask them will not get a satisfying answer for that very reason. This is something the android David instantly understands (which is another smart idea in the film), because he was created by humankind, and HE certainly never got a satisfying answer from us why HE was created, which is something he remarks upon to Holloway.

And David is also very aware that the humans don't treat him, their creation, as their equal; they are either condescending towards him or treat him with contempt: so why should the engineers feel and behave any different towards the humans? And knowing his human creators doesn't seem to have inspired a lot of respect for them in David, and he clearly isn't in awe of them - on the contrary; David actually sees himself as the superior being. This is hinted at when Holloway insensitively remarks: "They're making you guys pretty close (to humans), huh?" to which David responds with an icy smile: "Not too close, I hope." And yet, because David was created in the image of the humans (just like the humans were created in the image of the gods aka "the engineers"), he is so very much like them. David may lack human empathy and a conscience, but we learn early in the film that he is every bit as curious in his own way as Shaw and Holloway are. Only where Shaw is naive, he is reckless; like a child exploring the world around him, he wants to know how everything functions, but his quest for knowledge is not hindered by ethics or a strong moral compass. So it shouldn't surprise us that in the next darkly ironic twist, David, very much like the humans who created him and the engineers who created the humans, conducts his own little experiment. He too wants to create something new "just because he can".

And in the last (and perhaps meanest) twist of the film, we learn how right David was in his assessment of the engineers' probable mindset regarding humankind, when the last surviving engineer is revealed to have nothing but contempt for the "things" his kind has created. Instead of giving them answers, he just swipes them away like bothersome flies. So, upon closer inspection, the film is actually almost beat for beat a retelling (or darkly funny modern continuation) of the Prometheus saga, - as well as a clever exploration of the dynamics between creator and creation - and in that regard the film works surprisingly well.

On a side note, there's another story element in the film that is worth mentioning (although it will probably only be appreciated by film geeks and sci-fi nerds such as myself), because it's one that's virtually identical to a very important part of the narrative in another sci-fi film by Ridley Scott. In PROMETHEUS, Peter Weyland's life-span is nearing its end, and so he's travelling through space in a desperate attempt to find his creator and ask him for more life. Sound familiar? Of course it does: in Ridley Scott's BLADE RUNNER (1982), a group of androids (in the film they are called "replicants") who are used as slaves off-world, manage to escape to Earth. They're led by Roy Batty (played by Rutger Hauer) whose life is about to end. By design, the life-span of replicants is limited to only a couple of years, so Roy Batty is desperate to find his creator, Eldon Tyrell, to ask him for more life. Now in PROMETHEUS, Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof cleverly reverse the situation and put the human character in the unfortunate position the replicants from BLADE RUNNER find themselves in. And it's not just any human character who has to share the fate of the androids from the earlier film: Weyland is a creator of artificial life much in the same way Eldon Tyrell is in BLADE RUNNER: he is his exact counterpart in the ALIEN franchise. That story element seems to be a clear nod to Scott's cyberpunk classic, which is another little detail I liked in the film.

So, to conclude my musings in defense of this often derided film: the way I see it, PROMETHEUS' biggest mistake (apart from the uneven character work in the script) is pretending to be straight "hard" sci-fi, which it clearly isn't. What it is, though, is a beautiful looking sci-fi/mystery movie which plays with some very clever concepts, but remembers a little late in the story that it also wants to be a monster movie. And while it may be a flawed film, it's full of interesting ideas and certainly more original than 95% of the sci-fi/mystery/monster films that came out over the last 25 years - plus on a purely visual level, it's a feast. As far as I'm concerned, it deserves another look.

P.S. For those who are interested, this review was a much abbreviated version of an in-depth look at the film (which also provides answers to its most prominent questions), and you can find the full piece here: reelhounds.com/prometheus-revisited

More reviews and lists:

Favorite films: IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

Lesser-Known Masterpieces: imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Prometheus extended version

[danielcereto · 8/10 · 7 May 2020]

I just rewatched Prometheus after watching previously the four Alien movies and I enjoyed more than the first time. The reason is because the extended version of 2 hours 31 minutes it's far better that the theatrical cut. More answers are shown and overall the movie script is better. So, if you want to give it a second chance to this, go for it. You won't regret.

Plot Spoiler review. I tell you why....I think.

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 27 February 2018]

The writers intended this to be an "Alien" prequel by incorporating "Chariots of Gods" into the film, although some might question the timeline. They concentrated on creating a special effects film, putting science facts on the back burner. It's basically 60's science fiction with great special effects.

Earth has been visited by aliens who created us, and leave a calling card. Instead of traveling to a moon of Jupiter like in 2001, we travel to a distant "galactic system" to a moon of a planet that looks like Saturn. The year is 2091, the crew is placed in suspended animation for a trip that takes 3 years, nearest star is 4.5 light years away. Sirius is the star frequently indicated as that "ancient" alien connection. It is 11 light years away. The writers needed to do the math.

In this "2091: A Space Odyssey" tale, HAL is replaced by an android named David (Michael Fassbender) who like HAL has his own orders. When they get to the planet it turns into a special effects sci-fi horror as man tries to find his "creator." Noomi Rapace provides us the only decent human performance in this film. In fact she was so good at one point they called her character, Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, "Noomi" in the film. They are either paying tribute to the famous Carrie Fischer "Star Wars" blooper, or their film editor is Ed Wood.

The dialogue was written in such a way that it lacked entertainment value. It needed to be lighter. The theme of creating life, so that it is not special, bogged down the film. In case you are unaware, the earliest common human language was believed to be a form of "click" language. I waited for Fassbender to start clicking when he spoke the alien language to show me the extensive research the writers did. It didn't happen.

Why is there always some idiot who takes off his helmet to test the air in these films? It's not the oxygen, its the foreign microbes, stupid!

Great movie to let the teens go see. Yes, I liked the film, but the writers were a let down. The good news is we can gut part of the voice track and do over the text and make it science fiction presentable without any re-shooting. Heck we might even add a joke or two... "These two earthlings, one an android, land on this alien planet and say, "Why did you create us?"....

SPOILER: And if you haven't figured it out from watching 3 movies...the reason why we were created is to generate a species genetically similar to the "creators" so they could test their biological weapons out on us, i.e. those alien critters.

Parental Guide: 1 f-bomb, 2 people in bed, near sex, no nudity, brief hot chicks. This would easy have been a 5 star movie had the writers did their homework. BTW, I just removed my own appendix, I am going out now to do some dirt biking.

IMDb members – you're such a jaded lot!

[j-mparkin · 10/10 · 15 September 2013]

Where's your sense of wonder,adventure, excitement, innocence?? I feel I have to respond the deluge of haters on IMDb for this film, and no, I'm not trolling, I genuinely LOVED this film – and find no fault with it whatsoever! I can't believe such negative opinion and vitriol for this film! I've read and re-read the same criticisms over and over again, and for me they don't hold water.

It looks like 99.9% of people have made their minds up, but he's my thoughts on the film, and if you'll indulge me, I'd like to try and change the world.

The Prometheus mission is classified TOP SECRET. Even the development of the ship would be done without publicity of any kind. Potentially, they are onto the discovery of a lifetime – like Howard Carter didn't broadcast to his competitors that he was going to go looking for Tutankhamun and where he was going to go looking for it. Weyland would not risk allowing their main rival Yutani to get there first. The "Magic Eye" viral posted prior to the film's release supports this, and suggests that Yutani, are constantly using covert means to spy on their competitor, stealing secrets, poaching technology – so as well as this mission being secret, the crew of scientists would NOT be briefed on mission specifics beforehand, or introduced to each other prior to the mission in order to maintain secrecy. Consequently, Weyland would probably not go directly to the scientific community, but rather hire people who could be sworn to secrecy, and their silence bought. Fifield's attitude confirms this, remember the 'scientific mission' is only a smoke screen. This mission is primarily to extend Weyland's life. Period. Science is secondary, it's just that Shaw and Holloway don't know that. That's why the 'scientists' are such a motley crew. Even beyond Weyland's motives, this is a commercial venture, first and foremost – Vickers pretty much spells this out to Shaw and Holloway.

In no particular order… The nature of panic. When Vickers and Shaw are fleeing the Juggernaut, they are in BLIND PANIC – like when you are running away from a foe and likely run straight towards it. They don't have time to look at the orientation, they see the thing falling, see the huge shadow (remember the Jugernaut is B I G! and blindly run. Even if they ran to the side, that thing is falling heavily, they still might not get out of the way cos it's the size of two football fields!

Modern instrumentation in the 21st century When everyone takes their helmets off, they have A LOT of correlating info to support the absence of pathogens, and the presence of oxygen. That's how airline pilots don't need to see out of the window to fly planes. YOU RELY ON YOUR INSTRUMENTS!! So they know they can safely remove their helmets, because the area has been terraformed using engineer technology. Same thing with the head – the instruments indicate no pathogens, and the re-animating procedure would have been successful, but unbeknown to Shaw and Ford, it's the presence of the mutation that causes the head to be in distress and the molecular implosion is the result.

And the Pauling Medi Pod is expensive for a reason – don't compare it to a human surgeon, as well as the cutting being ultra fine and precise, besides the staples the machine sprays several fast-healing/flesh-bonding chemicals into the wound, Shaw does stagger for a few hours, but you're up and walking in a matter of hours.

Ridley decided to use Guy Pierce in old man makeup rather than hire an old actor in order to maintain continuity with the TED Talk Viral. Everyone says how terrible the makeup is, but I think it's because Weyland is VERY old so his appearance will be that more exaggerated.

When Milburn 'pets the snake' he's frightened to death – an analogy would be like when you chance upon a Doberman – you might say outstretch your hands, say "nice doggy" – fruitless, but you're trying to handle a difficult situation under extreme duress.

And this business with accelerated growth. In the original A L I E N –accelerated growth is shown right from the alien birthing from John Hurt, a few hours later it's "the size of a man", so it follows that the Progenitor(s) have this same characteristic. It's also possible that the black goo causes this acceleration/mutation.

And David's motives are for the most part not ambiguous, but rather pretty clear – he is first and foremost programmed to work towards the objective of Peter Weyland, all other considerations are secondary. His deliberate poisoning of Holloway is to use him as a guinea pig to observe the effects of the black goo before he advises Weyland on whether to ingest it or not, what exposure to it does etc.

And the Pauling Med Pod is programmed for the one person on the ship who might need a heart op bypass, this person is likely to be old - there is only one person who fits the bill, (and he's male!), so it's OBVIOUS the unit is set up for Weyland - the notion that it's for Vickers is laughable – she's shown to be tip-top fit with the push ups. It's just happens to be located in her room.

I think Weyland is on Prometheus in secret because no-one would insure a man of his age and condition to go into space, in fact the shareholders would probably forbid it, he would never pass the medical, so the only solution would be to go there in secret.

99.9% of people wanted a retread of Alien or Aliens – I didn't, so I wasn't disappointed.

And for those of you who want to bash Lindelof – read Jon Spaight's original script – everything that you blame Lindleof for is in Spaight's original script!

It's official....scientists of the future are stupid!

[Rob_Taylor · 7/10 · 4 June 2012]

I had high hopes for this movie. Ridley Scott, Alien, yada yada. It all seemed so promising. Perhaps the highlight of the scifi movie calender this year.

Oh well, more hopes dashed.

First, the good things. The cinematography, acting, special effects and everything to do with the film-making process are all better than average or excellent.

The writing, however, is entirely another matter. Those who have read even a few of my reviews know I hate one thing above all else. Insulting the intelligence of the audience.

Prometheus, sadly, does this again and again.

Having been sent off into space on an expedition (which most of the crew and scientists don't even know the purpose of - how did they sell that to them? Sign on for this expedition without knowing what you're getting into!) our heroes are briefed on arrival in a scene that was almost a copy of the marines briefing from Aliens, right down to the barracking and disbelief of the listeners.

I don't know about you, but being told I might find the creators of our own species would get me excited, not lead to pour scorn on the speaker. But anyway, our scientist heroes duly land on the planet and find an alien structure. On going in and finding the air breathable, the first thing a supposed intelligent scientist does (on an alien world, remember.) is take their helmet off. FAIL!

After having mapped the majority of the structure remotely, two scientists then get lost on their way back to the ship and never once think to ask for directions, or call out for assistance, even though their comms devices are working just fine. EPIC FAIL!

Later on these two discover a small alien creature. Their first reaction. To go up and prod at it with their hands. DARWIN AWARD FAIL!

You see where I'm going with this? All of the above takes place within forty minutes or so. And it doesn't get much better for the rest of the film.

Remember, these aren't clueless freighter jocks as in Alien. They aren't dumb grunts as in Aliens. They aren't dumb-enough-to-get-caught criminals as in Alien 3 and they aren't gung-ho pseudo-mercs as in Alien Resurrection. They are supposed to be intelligent scientists.

I'm not saying the writing is bad. I'm saying it is pitiful! It's like when you watch a horror movie of the slasher variety. You know the characters are going to do dumb-ass stuff like this. But you don't expect it in a scifi movie to this extent. Especially not one helmed by Ridley Scott.

It's a shame, because everything else about the film is beautifully done. But the writing is inept and insulting, forcing characters to do ridiculous actions for the sake of the plot. Here's an idea Damon Lindelof.... how about you write the plot around the actions of the characters, and not the other way around! Thanks for taking a somewhat off-the-wall franchise and tarring it mercilessly with the Hollywood action-blockbuster brush of sloppiness! As far as the franchise goes, I'd actually rate this below both Alien 3 AND AVP, though not below AVP2, which remains the shitty mud at the bottom of the celluloid rain-barrel.

In short then, a wasted opportunity ruined by abysmal writing and characterization. Watch it for the pretties and try REALLY hard not to think about it too much.

eminently rewatchable film that provides new layers of meaning with each repeat visit

[tarekali-19909 · 9/10 · 28 February 2021]

Prometheus is an eminently rewatchable film that provides new layers of meaning with each repeat visit. How often does a master filmmaker get to revisit their original oeuvre and recreate an even bigger world around and about it? The myth of the engineers and their world changing experimentation is absolutely romantic, compelling and terrifying at the same time. It hurts even more to see how badly utilized this new mythos was in the follow up Covenant. The true mark of success that Ridley Scott achieved was igniting years of debate around the origin and nature of the engineers and their creations. Deep connections to established historical finds on earth make this origin story even more personal - the myth of alien astronauts, benevolent or cruel giants from the stars with incredible, magical technology - creators and destroyers of worlds. Getting back to the film itself - such gorgeous cinematography and production values. I recently rewatched in 4k format and developed a greater appreciation for small clues hitherto unseen - for example navigation hologram destinations in a reactivated ship of mass destruction. David is himself a conundrum and a polarizing figure. Was his programming to blame, or the algorithmic output of his treatment at the hand of cruel masters. The android is a central theme in the alien mythos, an expression of creation and self awareness. The only criticism I have of Prometheus and the sequel Covenant is the proliferation of human stupidity. Predecessor films did not showcase human hubris and blundering to such a great extent - protagonists always took calculated risks. If anything the buffoonery of crews almost seems to justify their fate and reduces sympathy accordingly. Ridley Scott may still have time to catapult his mythos to legendarium, if his subsequent sequels after Covenant retain purity of spirit with his expanded universe. I for one look forward to seeing more of this wondrous unravelling and exposition.

Not in the same league as 'Alien' and 'Aliens', while heavily flawed it was still better than expected

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 10 June 2017]

'Alien' is still to this day a tense, shocking suspenseful and frightening masterpiece, one of my favourites of the genre. The bigger and bolder 'Aliens' is one of those rare sequels that is every bit as good as its predecessor. Both are two of my favourite films and the character of Ripley is one of the most iconic female characters in film.

To be honest, there were initial doubts about 'Prometheus'. Ridley Scott, as especially proved with 'Alien', 'Blade Runner' and 'Thelma and Louise' has shown that he has a lot of talent as a director, though his filmography is hit and miss. So that he was back on board as director and that there is a great cast promised much. There were worries however as well, due to some negative reception amongst audiences who criticised the script, story and notorious "plot holes".

Watching 'Prometheus' finally, it was a better film than expected though nowhere near in the same league as 'Alien' and 'Aliens'. That said, it was heavily flawed and there are criticised personally agreed with, though it doesn't deserve the 1/2/10 ratings which indicate that the film had no redeeming qualities at all which is not the case.

'Prometheus' best asset is the visuals. The settings look tremendous, of sheer beauty and with a real eeriness, the cinematography complements it perfectly and often powerfully arresting and the special effects are a feast for the eye. Scott's direction has moments where it is superb, if more in the visuals and spectacle than the narrative.

More than up to the level of the quality of the visuals is the cast. Noomi Rapace is an authoritative lead, and Michael Fassbender is even better in one of his best performances to date. Charlize Theron and Idris Elba also prove how talented they are as performers. Most of the rest are more than up to their level.

While the story is very problematic, it does have its moments. There is some tension, especially in the last act, parts are thought-provoking and there are some thrills. The music is suitably haunting.

However, there is a good deal that doesn't work. The script is often very weak, often rambling, clichéd and not very logical with some stupid decision making. The story does suffer from too many concepts not explored enough, some leaden pacing and at times a lack of cohesiveness.

Characters are also not particularly well-written, they seemed underdeveloped and there are too many of them, the decision making of some are a cause for extreme frustration. Not to mention lapses in logic, ridiculous science and parts that don't make as much sense as ought.

In conclusion, better than expected but heavily flawed and one may question the point of it. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Ridley Scott forgot everything about great movies except for the craft

[michael-albertsen · 3/10 · 31 May 2012]

I'm really sorry, but this a major disappointment.

No, I didn't expect miracles or something close to the original Alien. I've been following Scott for 30 years - and it's clear that he has been on the decline since Gladiator and Black Hawk Down.

I liked a few of his later movies like A Good Year - but most have been rather flat and uninspired.

One thing I've noticed, is that he's gotten increasingly complacent with his own "point of view" in terms of historical facts and how things work in reality. It's like he has a complete disregard for plausible motivations or factual information about how things work.

Case in point - there's a scene in the movie where a certain character has to have an operation performed on her body - and it involves slicing directly through the skin and muscle-tissue of her abdomen. After the procedure, she's simply "stitched together" by metal clips in like 3 seconds - and with a bit of local anesthetic, she continues to move and jump about with some moaning. Ehm, you CAN'T have any kind of normal movement with your muscle tissue completely severed - and there was absolutely no healing involved. Just one of a series of ridiculous events.

The plot is entirely juvenile and cliché stuff with "profound" questions like who created us. For some reason, the beings who created us also want to kill us - and it seems to involve incredibly elaborate genetic engineering that also happened to kill most of them in their remote "lab facility". They're CLEARLY much more powerful than we are - and they could just bomb the hell out of us, or do it in a thousand simpler ways. But no, they seem to want to utilize excessively elaborate and dangerous genetic modification or infestation - that they can't even control.

They also like to record recent events with some kind of holographic recorder device that is unable to render clear images, only some cool ghostly images that I bet Scott loved to play with. But they're quite flexible in how they let you play recordings of their security procedure - so you can access their systems without effort.

Characters are void of personality and growth, they're REALLY stupid - and they like to freak out for no reason, and they like to stay calm and playful when there IS a reason - like when encountering a nasty looking cobra-worm - an alien - for the first time in history.

Among these faceless people - we have some willing to gleefully commit suicide by ramming an alien ship, because they like their captain, and they're required to do so because he "can't fly worth a damn" - despite him being the primary pilot hired by a billionaire to do nothing but fly the ship.

We have a religious scientist who concludes that she's found our creators, based on: "It's what I choose to believe".

Then we have the very same religious scientist look at an alien "head" they brought back - and she notices some strange growth on it. She then spends 2 seconds thinking and concludes that this is obviously some kind of "foreign cells" (impressive deduction, I must say) - and she decides to stimulate the cells with electricity - just to see what happens. No research - no caution - no nothing.

We have people who decide to open the door to their ship, seemingly with no thought process, despite having just faced complete chaos by extremely hostile alien forces - because one of their crew mates seems to be lying in front of the door. This while other crew mates have just been taken over by some kind of alien infestation.

Then we have the boyfriend of said religious scientist (a douche) who decides that the air in an alien environment is safe to breathe because his device tells him it is - and he immediately removes his helmet. A classic Hollywood scientist moment, and clearly there's no need to worry about biological contaminants in a place like that.

This movie is FULL of this kind of utterly implausible behavior and random decisions.

It has a couple of "for effect" gore scenes - but Scott manages to include ZERO tension along with them. As a result, they're mildly disgusting - but they have no lasting effect whatsoever.

The "aliens" that are a part of this movie all look like plastic - because of overly smooth and pale skin. They look like Lovecraft creatures without a much-needed paint-job.

We have a horribly predictable, pointless and wasted twist involving Guy Pearce and a certain other cast member.

We have an android, well-acted by Fassbender, who seems to be fully random in his decisions and motivations. Few actions made sense in any context - not to me anyway.

The music was overwrought and didn't fit with the mood of the film, and it seemed like one theme being repeated endlessly. A surprise, given Scott's usual flair for good music.

I think Lindelof is a complete and total hack - who only got the job because he was the "yes-man" who could match Scott's ego. This is pretty obvious in interviews - where Lindelof always manages to publicly kiss Scott's behind.

1 Star for Fassbender's performance.

1 Star for the amazingly detailed visuals.

1 Star for how the above combine to form the excellent beginning.

Now, it's just a matter of leaning back - musing over a thousand different people coming up with a thousand different explanations - each being the "correct" interpretation of this deep and thought-provoking masterpiece.

Going by the IMDb rating, I can do nothing but stay mesmerized by how efficient it is to rely on the "Emperor's New Clothes" effect and let hype do the rest. Stay real Scott, Lindelof and Hollywood.

Perfect Movie - Bad Reviews Are Result of Flawed Expectations

[shaunmichaelgreene · 10/10 · 10 June 2012]

I found this movie to be completely perfect. The acting was top notch, the visuals and effects were stunning, the plot was smartly developed and kept the tension at an all time high, and even the score was brilliant.

Of course, I had done my homework on the movie leading up to it. I had read several times that this movie was not intended to be a direct prequel to Alien, although would take place in the same universe. Ridley Scott had already come forward and said that traditional xenomorph would not be a part of this film, but that one would begin to notice the "DNA" so to speak. I've seen a lot of discussion from upset fans regarding the absence of the xenomorph and the loose connection to the alien franchise.

The entire movie is about origins (hence not showing facehuggers, classic xenomorphs, etc), and does a great job exploring the concept. It asks the questions that people don't like to hear, and leaves the most jarring and ambiguous unanswered. It was also set up wonderfully for a sequel, which I highly anticipate.

If you wanted to see a movie with the same old aliens, action, and every question getting answered and every loose end tied up - go see an action movie. Or better yet, stay home and re-watch Aliens! Scott did a wonderful job with this movie. He gave the fans what they wanted to see without rolling over and catering to their every demand. He kept Prometheus' integrity and allowed it to stand on its own 2 feet alone, while at the same time expanding the alien universe. I can't think of any changes that could make the movie better (while still keeping in mind that this is a Hollywood production and a business - they have to protect their best interests and maximize profit and thus make a sequel). 10/10 stars, perfect.

Watchout for the director's cut

[majd_selbi · 7/10 · 9 June 2012]

Prometheus has several on its side and several against it, but above all, Prometheus suffers from the ridiculously high-set expectations, being a film that was perceived as both (the long awaited prequel/spin off to "Alien") and (the long awaited return to Sci/Fi of Ridley Scott), add to that the breath-taking trailers, footage and viral videos, and there is no way anyone could walk out of that theater pleased.

Prometheus puts you on the edge of your seat from its first scene, where we see a humanoid looking alien creature disintegrating into nature of planet earth, and thereby its DNA starts off the chain-reactions that inevitably lead up with the creation of the man kind. And then it swiftly jumps into the future to introduce our characters and keeps building on that mystery in a perfectly paced manner, and there is so much mystery in the air that you feel it in your stomach. Add to that the overwhelming art design, scenery and VFX of the film, and the straight to the bone performances by our the cast, and especially, Michael Fassbender as "David", which is by far the most established and interesting character and the most outstanding performance in the film.

That being said, Prometheus is far from being perfect, as it was after all, a movie designed (and edited) more as a "summer block buster" than than a movie to tangle with your intellect. Just as soon as our team reaches their destination planet to uncover the truth about our creators, you start feeling the film maker loosing his grip over the film to the studio execs, the film starts jumping off from one story element to the other with no warning, paying little-to-no attention to details to the point that you cannot not notice it anymore, and the pace starts picking up so quickly that it leads to a no-more than a standard Hollywood ending :(

The film tone changes noticeably right about the third act, from the focused, mysterious character-driven plot, to something that is random, broad and grand in scale and does not give enough attention to its character's stories, most events start serving as plot devices (with more gaps between them than solid grounds) to an ending that looks to be decided by the studio board. Oh and I almost forgot, throwing in 3-D into that blend and in a movie that has a rather-dark color pallet just to sell tickets with a higher price was, as always, more annoying than anything else.

There definitely will be a director's cut release that will give us a more settled version and give the franchise fans much more of what they deserve, but this is a review of the theatrical release, and I have to say, in the end, as good as it is, was rather disappointing.

Where no idiot has gone before

[BJBatimdb · 1/10 · 5 June 2012]

Prometheus is the story of a trillion-dollar mission to discover the origins of human life on a distant planet. Basically, this is supposed to be the greatest exploration undertaken in the history of mankind.

So who do they send? A gaggle of fractious goons whose collective scientific nous is rivalled only by that of the Three Stooges. Within minutes of touching down (conveniently beside the only 'man-made' structures on the planet, a'la 1960s Star Trek) the 'scientists' are yanking off their helmets, on the basis of 'it seems fine to me', dipping their fingers into strange organic ooze, and lugging a severed alien head back to an unquarantined spaceship in a sandwich bag.

Once there, they speedily discover the meaning of life. Then, while one of them gets a bit drunk, his two female companions decide it would be useful to stimulate the head electrically to reanimate it. They don't say why. They give it a bit too much juice, then too little,then dither over too much or too little like a couple of schoolgirls fiddling with a dicky bunsen burner, while the most important scientific discovery in human history waggles its ears and rolls its eyes - before eventually blowing up like a frog in a microwave.

Are the scientists abashed? Is the man angry? Do they all calm down and remember they have degrees in clever things, not diplomas in macramé? Do they heck.

The WHOLE MOVIE is a litany of ludicrous so-called science, schoolboy errors, and pseudo-profundity about the origin of species. Ironic really, when none of the crew would have a chance in hell in any sort of contest governed by Darwinian rules.

Crass stupidity is rampant in every department. Hi-tech helmets record every heartbeat - apparently until anything worth recording happens; stranded crewmates are abandoned to their fate in favour of a quick shag, and the spaceship door is opened to anyone who comes a-knocking. Although, after hitting the 'welcome' button, Idris Elba does do a double take and go 'Hold on a second!' but that might have just been an involuntary ad lib at his own character's baffling idiocy.

There is spectacular cinematography and effects, but not one iota of originality has been squandered on plot, subtext, tension or characters - which are as shallow as the Prometheus's muddy little gene pool.

Ridley Scott is a hero of mine, but Prometheus is not the intelligent, emotionally satisfying prequel that Alien deserves. It's a derisory, empty experience - and anyone who loved Alien is surely too old and too smart to be fobbed off with something this bad just because it's shiny.

Not what I was hoping for

[wordclock · 17 June 2012]

It's good to see that Ridley Scott still has the same vision for stylistic sets and atmospheric lighting.Lots of dripping water and eery shadows as one might expect from the old master. The special effects are impressive, the CGI is great, the technology is plausible for the turn of the next century. But - and I'm afraid it's a big but - the plot is disjointed, the characters two dimensional and the script is, well, not the best. Far too many things happen which simply make no sense at all, or just don't tally with "what we know already" about the Alien universe. Far too many plot mechanisms, bits of tech and even shots and scenes are borrowed from other films - Serenity, independence day, The Mummy, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, Pitch Black, X- Files. I won't go into detail because I can't do that without using spoilers, but try it yourself. Watch the film and see how many ripped off bits you can spot. Spectacular, yes. A great film? No. sadly not.

Masterpiece

[piribweraz · 10/10 · 27 July 2020]

I have watched this one many times now. I also had many unanswered questions like why scientists/astronauts would do some very dumb stuff? Viewers need to realise a few things, and the whole movie falls into place.

1 The entire purpose of the trip was to find the Aliens that made life on earth. Weyland did not want to die (old age). " If they made us surely they can save us" Only a few were aware of this (David, Vickers & perhaps other Weyland Corporation crew on board)

2 Old man Weyland was prepared to do anything, sacrifice the others to get what he wanted. This he did through David, whose primary objective was to Weylands agenda.

3 Vickers, Weylands daughter, wanted Weyland dead. He was old. Him dying was the natural order of things. She would then be Head of Weyland Corporation. But Weyland didn't want to die, and didn't want a daughter to be heir to his empire. He wanted a son, but didn't have one, and he made robot David yo be his right hand man. Much to the disgust of Vickers.

The hired scientists were really just a bunch of naive ones, each chasing their own agenda eg Money, getting paid at end of mission. They were not astraunots. Non of them knew why they were travelling in space ship for 2 years, or where they were going (except the archaeologists) That's why they made and acted on very stupid decisions in space. Eg drinking alcohol, taking off helmets, walking in sandals, smoking weed, trying to be friendly to an alien snake...

4 Weyland was willing to sacrifice all these scientists people to get what he wanted eg by allowing David to experiment on Charlie, allowing an alien fetus to grow in Elizabeth. He basically authorized David to do as he saw necessary to get the results.

5 Unfortunately the level headed people were also killed off, eg Vickers and the ship's captain and assistants. The rest of the crew deserved to die imo.

Please let there be a director's cut...

[xenomorph_uk · 6/10 · 2 June 2012]

I'm pretty sure there's at least 30-60 minutes worth of missing footage. It's the only explanation I have for Scott making such an average sci-fi. Look, I know there's debate, is it a prequel or not. That doesn't matter, what does is the quality of this movie versus the rest of the Alien genre.

I remember the sheer thrill of Alien 1979 version. The highly original Xenomorph stalking its human prey throughout the dark confines of the Nostromo. The incredible sequence as Ripley sets the vessel on self-destruct only to find her path to the escape boat blocked by the vicious alien. Then the mad terrifying scramble to deactivate the fusion plant followed by an even more intense attempt to reach the lifeboat for a second time. Then after all that, the Xenomorph had sneaked on-board anyway! Weaver's utterly convincing terror as she slips into the spacesuit and blows the airlock. Just incredible! Horror/Sci-fi at its very finest and best. True "On the edge of your seat", stuff.

My point... Prometheus had none of this... not a shred! Sure, Prometheus was beautifully shot and visually stunning, but the movie was full of poor editing, plot holes and flawed acting. I just can't imagine Scott allowing the film to be created this way and I'm convinced the Editing Room and writers are responsible for the disjointed nature of the movie. I won't delve into the many plot holes or describe the childish nature of the script/plot devices as you've no doubt read many other reviews by now.

Despite its flaws it's still a worthwhile sci-fi and deserves the price of a cinema ticket. You'll be blown away by Fassbender's performance and also Raprace's to a point. The CGI really is beautiful and there's some pretty neat ideas about how the Xenomorph evolved. It's definitely a movie that'll find its way into my blu-ray collection in a few months time.

Prophetic & Visionary...

[Xstal · 8/10 · 29 December 2023]

Prometheus (2012)...

Allegorically and quite unintentionally a tale of a virus, ignorantly released its only aim is to destroy us, the wheels set in motion, a search begins for a new potion, but perpetuation has begun, and there's absolutely nowhere you can run - from the evolutionary transformations, variations and mutations, the prequels, sequels and un-equals yet to come.

Just like all great frighteners, there are links to the real world horror of what the world of science mixed with mother nature might have in store for us in the not too distant future, or indeed may well be incubating in a laboratory nearby already.

Prometheus (2012).

So much of this movie could have been easily fixed...

[sandy-462 · 7/10 · 6 June 2012]

Don't get me wrong. It's gorgeous to look at, and I'm definitely going to go and see it again. It's really impressive.

But... It's stuffed with scenes without any payoff. Again and again it sets stuff up and then just... walks away from it.

In at least one unforgivably stupid scene, someone *literally* just walks away from an antagonist and leaves it there. And then doesn't tell anyone about it. Some of it's really effective. There are some scenes that are absolutely gripping. But so much of it doesn't make any sense...

Having said all that I think it's very clear that what I just saw was Prometheus part 1. It's very definitely supposed to have a sequel and I will certainly go to see the sequel. I think both movies taken together might score a 10.

But this movie by itself doesn't.

Piece of Art

[yannreckless · 10/10 · 10 January 2021]

All about this movie is genius and excellence. Special effects, casting, acting, sound, atmosphere, realness, second-to-none sense for details. With Prometheus, Ridley Scott didn't make a movie, he made an intemporal gift : intense, sharp, generous, dreamy piece of art. Thank you.

Beautiful film, but I couldn't get past how dumb these characters are.

[curlyq818 · 6/10 · 10 October 2021]

Visually, this is beautiful. The SFX, the suits, the technology, the absolutely massive ship, the gorgeous scene when Android, David, is surrounded by a holographic map of the universe, even the engineers and aliens themselves. Everything is visually well-done, and unlike most, I'm actually not at all disappointed that it's not the same as Alien because I didn't expect it to be. That said, it's full of very smart people making very stupid decisions. Seriously, why are these smart characters so painfully dumb? It honestly killed the movie for me, but while this movie wasn't for me, the visuals alone make it worth watching and honestly, if you're not a writer in the entertainment industry like I am, then you probably won't be bothered at all, so please don't let me scare you away!!!! I really wanted to enjoy this movie, and thankfully there are people out there who are able to do that for me. If that's something you have the gift of being able to ignore, or not even notice to begin with, you don't even need to keep reading, just watch the film, and enjoy. If, however, you were also bothered by just how dumb these people are, keep reading to find out why I only gave this beautiful movie a six.

Elizabeth stupidly falls into the trope of saying "it's a scientific exploration, so we don't need weapons" when they're on an unknown planet looking for other life forms, and they have no idea how friendly those life forms are, let alone if there are any other unexpected dangers. Minutes later, it backfires, and a character even remarks that it was dumb that they didn't bring weapons. Two throw-away characters then stupidly run off because they get scared, and after they separate from the main group, they end up getting lost and, inevitably, left behind. It felt like watching Scooby-Doo. Captain, Janer, then stupidly leaves his post to go have sex with boss Vickers, and doesn't even bother telling anyone to stay and keep radio contact with the two people who are now stuck, and this is AFTER a censor reported another living thing in there with them. Of course, these throw-aways are killed (after several more stupid decisions on their part).

Scientist Charlie stupidly removes his helmet because there's air on the ship even though he has no way of knowing what types of viruses, spores, bacteria, etc could be in the air, and everyone else follows suit. It ends up being a dose of black goo David slips him that makes him sick, however. Even though he is aware he is sick, he still goes back again and doesn't let anyone know. He just watches as they all remove their helmets once again. He starts feeling sick but repeatedly tells everyone he's "okay" while simultaneously asking Elizabeth to figure out what's wrong with him, and they still don't have helmets on! Charlie also decides to stupidly get drunk immediately after returning to the ship the first time because he's upset that all of the engineers are dead even though not minutes before, Elizabeth discusses with another character that they've only been there a couple hours, so they have no way of knowing if they're all gone, and spoiler alert, they're not. While the other characters are examining a head that they found, he's practically laying on a pool table. He's meant to be a scientist, but after two hours on a completely new planet, he is getting drunk and throwing a tantrum because he didn't immediately find what he wanted. Elizabeth and Charlie stupidly decide to have sex the second they're alone (that's now four characters who go off to have sex in the middle of something important) instead of examining their finds, and one another, to make sure nothing dangerous made it back, which of course it did. On a third return to the ship, Elizabeth tells everyone that they need their helmets because it could've been something in the air that infected Charlie. The other characters stupidly refuse to listen, and for some reason, TWO MINUTES LATER, Elizabeth takes hers off too!

Elizabeth is extremely intelligent and manages to program the med chamber to give her a make-shift c-section, after it is tells her it is only programmed for males, by telling it to cut out a foreign body on her abdomen. You heard that right, in the year 2091, a ship that is run by a female has an extremely expensive med chamber in her room, but it's only designed to do procedures regarding reproductive organs on men......... wut? Seven decades in the future (8 since the film came out), there are medical devices on space ships that can travel across the universe run and crewed by women that aren't programmed for any female-specific medical needs. It's an excellent chance to show off Elizabeth's intelligence and quick-thinking, sure, but it is still a silly plot point because there's no logical reason that machine wouldn't be able to do a cesarean, and once again, it makes it even more confusing when Elizabeth herself then begins making more stupid decisions, which is a disservice to her character.

David brings back an object from the ship and doesn't sterilize it. He also begins pressing buttons and opening doors any time he is near them and touches every wet and/or goopy thing he sees. This is all in a ploy to make him seem overtly suspicious, but we're practically beaten over the head with it, which makes it fairly obvious that he isn't the main villain, so it's obnoxious watching this very obvious misdirect for an hour and a half instead of having a realistically intelligent robot who isn't rude, sometimes sadistically so, to the other characters for no reason while claiming to be emotionless.

When the characters realize the only way to save earth is to destroy the engineers' ship with their own, Janer gives Vickers a chance to run and disconnects the escape pos for her. She jettisons herself from the ship, and Janer disconnects the escape pod, which crashes because there's no pilot. She then makes a critical mistake while running from the engineers ship as it falls. Her character was shown to be intelligent, calculated, and self-interested on multiple occasions, so it makes no sense for her to do this. Once again, a disservice to a smart character. There's clearly no reason for this stupid decision other than plot purposes, which is obvious about four minutes later. The characters do the same thing we see in every other film when something large is about to fall on them. Instead of running to the side, Vickers and Elizabeth stupidly try to outrun the giant ship in the same direction that it's falling. The film seems to have zero self awareness of how dumb this decision is because moments later, Elizabeth falls and is able to roll out of the way and avoid being crushed by moving LITERALLY THREE FEET to the side, while Vickers keeps running straight and is crushed. Elizabeth makes the same mistake when the ship begins falling the other direction moments later, but thankfully isn't killed when the ship nearly lands on her because she's wedged against a rock.

These are some of the dumbest smart characters I've seen in a long time...

Amateur hour

[jhem_m · 4/10 · 2 June 2012]

Lindelhoffed /'LinDelHôfd/

Verb:

1 a : Similar to a "Rick Roll", when one is conned into viewing a series of moving pictures with no conclusive finale, despite the viewer investing a lot of emotion and time in the story.

b (1) : a bottom feeder (2) : to Lindelhoff, much like a cock tease, when a sexual partner brings the other to the point of climax but then bails just before reaching orgasm.

PROMETHEUS Plot holes AND IRRITATIONS ***SPOILERS***

1. The dreams sequence. David can watch Shaw's dreams. Amazingly this technology also cuts from scene to scene like a movie camera...Please. No one dreams like that.

2. How did they randomly find the temple so quick? This is an entire planet surface!

3. Why was the landing so soft and easy?

4. Why does Fifield start screaming at Shaw like that? Calm down mate..jeez..And later on with an Alien cobra he is cool as ice.

5. Why does that moron Buddy Holly scientist try and touch the cobra alien? not once....not twice...but 3 TIMES!!!

6. Why on earth would a scientist remove their helmets in a possibly infected temple? I am just a civilian and even I understand the concept of VIRUS CONTAMINATION ON AN ALIEN FRIGGIN PLANET. They then have the cheek to talk about Shaw's strict quarantine fail-safe procedures...please

7. What does this Black Goo do exactly? Accelerate worm growth? Infect crew members? Cause pregnancies? Create life? Pick one and stick to it please

8. Why does Ford straight away start giving the head electricity for kicks? Do they not have procedures? What is this fun with Frankenstein?

9. Why does the head explode?

10. Why are the medical staff so damn careless with a possibly disease ridden and bacteria infested decapitated head? I swear they didn't even wear plastic gloves.

11. How did Shaw know the Jockey was heading to Earth to destroy it? Pretty big assumption from a couple of punches thrown.

12. How does David know the Space Jockey is heading to kill Shaw on the Medical Bay?

13. How does Shaw know her baby will attack the Jockey?

14. i was really amazed that Shaw has this 'baby' but fails to mention the horrific and super extraordinary situation she had just been through. ''oh hey guys, ha ha, nearly forgot. FYI, you won't believe what just happened to me on the way here''....''i just gave birth to an alien..'' ''yeah, i know CRAZY right, considering i had sex only 10 BLOODY HRS AGO!!''

15. -The whole Vickers' Star Wars 'Father' line...

16. -The 'bet' between the co-pilots was cringe-worthy

17. HUGE ONE…How the hell does Shaw walk after abdominal surgery? If abdominal muscle is cut you can NOT walk, the muscle needs to be sewn back…But no, a few staples and she is good to go…

18. Why does the tentacle creature have tentacles from the evil Planet X?

19. Why do the space jockeys allow any old tramp to walk in an use their security systems?

20. Why does the space jockey want to kill, kill and kill…You'd think an advanced race would be a little civilised?

21. What was the point of Guy Pearce as Weyland? Why was he even there? So he just assumed this temple would contain a fountain of life…..right….I guess he 'chose to believe' too…f**k me…

Honestly there are so many more I can't even write them all…But this movie has more plot-holes than the Iraqi Navy

An Intriguing Incomplete Story

[billygoat1071 · 8/10 · 6 June 2012]

Prometheus was meant to be another great Sci-Fi film by Ridley Scott, but this one is trying to be grander than Alien. It does succeed to be grand, but it doesn't reach its greatness. There is a good concept in this film. Everything looks beautiful and the world is quite fascinating. But it stumbles when we go to the script, storyline, and the characters. It's still worth watching and quite intriguing, but I don't think it will be as classic as his other Sci-Fi film.

There is an interesting story behind Prometheus. The plot is indeed intriguing. The visuals look beautiful and it will spellbind you. Unfortunately, the script is not as fascinating as the visuals and the expected plot. It's disappointing because instead of answering the film's main question, it rather ends with a ridiculous climax and opened it for a sequel. It also suffers with weak character development. It looks like the soulless character of the film, Android David, has more soul than the human characters.

It may not be a classic, but it still had some great memorable moments. Like the scenes with David. Michael Fassbender once again shines in a splendid role. All of his scenes made the film much more interesting. The violence can be somewhat fun and completely terrifying. Also the planet that is set in looks magnificent. These are the element that keeps the viewers entertained. It helps the film for being worth a watch.

Prometheus can still be pretty good, but it could have been much more than great visuals and ridiculous suspense. It ends questionable. The characters are not that appealing, except David. It's definitely not as superior as Ridley Scott's classic Alien movie. Scott sure did a well job directing this but he's muddled with this script and this incomplete story. But like I said, it's worth watching for the visuals and the interesting concept, but in the end, it will make you wait for the possible sequels. It's still fascinating and recommendable.

There was a Spark, but no fuel

[nflovesgday · 6/10 · 15 January 2014]

OK here is the thing, i personally liked the movie just because it was decently thought provoking. that being said i honestly think the concept as a whole had amazing potential, this movie could have been very good. if someone told me: " its in the future, when a group of scientists travel to a distant planet in hopes to find the origin of the human race." i would honestly be pretty intrigued. but somehow the movie is demoted for a lot of things, : its very ambiguous, which isn't always a bad thing, but in this movie they leave out a lot of ( in my opinion ) very important story building parts.

this isn't even my main concern, my main concern is the ending/transition to the second movie. SPOILER ALERT! for example the end scene when they actually meet the engineers, they make him seem like a crazy psychopath who kills everyone with out any motive. and if you've seen one of the deleted scenes which is very crucial in understanding the engineers motives, we will all kind of assume that his reaction is prompted by the completely stupid question weyland asks him, which is pretty much how can i live forever?

all in all i still think this movie is enjoyable but still could have gone a lot farther, like light years away. worth watching? i would say yes for two reasons, 1: because if they make an amazing second movie which i hope they do, then you would want to watch this one as a preface and just for the information leading up to it. And 2: just because Michael Fassbender is such a boss who in my opinion lifted the whole movie up past the point of sucking.

Ridiculous nonsense.

[contact-387-790891 · 1/10 · 3 June 2012]

WARNING: LOTS OF SPOILERS.

Synopsis: Two archaeologists find some old drawings of an alien and a star map. They "choose to believe" that the aliens created human life. So they travel to the planet identified in the drawings. When they arrive at the planet, the members of the expedition all work against each other even though they all want the same thing. Each member then repeated does really stupid things until most of them are dead. The film ends before we see the final stupid decision actually kill the last surviving members.

Nothing the characters did made any sense:

> The robot without feelings falls in love with a woman.

> The robot then risks her life because he wants to preserve the parasite inside her. Why? No reason.

> The expedition is searching for life, but the biologist wants to return to the ship when they find a 2000 year old corpse.

> The geologist also wants to return to the ship rather than look at rocks.

> The geologist then gets lost despite being in charge of the mapping device.

> The top boss pays for the expedition, but pretends he's dead and hides on the ship. Why? No reason.

> The leader of the expedition refuses to cooperate with either the robot or the archaeologists - even though they all want the same thing.

> The alien tries to kill everyone, so the surviving characters decide to go to the alien's home planet to talk to them.

Another issue that kept annoying me was the inaccurate terminology used. There was no reason for it - it was just wrong. For example, at one point the archaeologists talk about abiogenesis and the biologist weirdly starts talking about evolution. Later on, a head exploded (like in Scanners) and the scientist says "Why did that head combust?". I don't expect screenwriters to have degrees, but they should at least look up words in the dictionary.

The CGI is good and the acting would be fine if the actors had been given something worthwhile to do. But every other aspect of the film was a disappointing waste of time.

1/10