While I don't think the score was that bad, I really didn't like the theme that continuously used. It just sounded like something that belonged in a Star Trek'ish movie and not a horror/thriller.

Quoted from sniper While I don't think the score was that bad, I really didn't like the theme that continuously used. It just sounded like something that belonged in a Star Trek'ish movie and not a horror/thriller.

Agreed. It was stuff that belonged in Braveheart. :/

E.D.

SPOILERS

I dunno if I was just in the wrong mood, but Prometheus made me very angry.  Endless squandered potential.  Cool premise, cool visuals, terrible script, terrible editing, total lack of cohesion on all fronts.

My compliments to the premise and visuals I assume need not be expanded upon, so I'll simply commence complaining.

Spaihts and Lindelof turned in a script populated with characters that at best rival TV characters.  The arcs are pathetic and uninteresting, the motivations largely unclear, the characters woefully underdeveloped and strangely immature.

We're informed in the triumphant ending VO that Noomi's faith has been challenged and that she has overcome these challenges and continues to faithfully search for answers.  It's lucky they told me, because I must have missed those "challenges" during the film.  The Engineers are going to destroy us -- who cares?  She still proved that we came from them.  They're all dead -- who cares?  As Noomi comments without missing a beat, someone created them, so the search continues.  There's some thematic irony to Noomi -- barren and obsessed with the origin of creation, finally "gifted" with an unwelcome pregnancy -- but there's no punchline.  The alien inside her is immediately banished to the position of minor logistical payoff, leaving us with nothing to make of its effect on her character; but for some groans of pain through the third act, she might well not have undergone the experience at all.  

Theron's a friggin' joke.  We're introduced to her already out of cryo doing pushups like the ultimate badass, only to learn that she's a coward.  Then we see that she's a ruthless businesswoman, only to learn that she's not above a giggly little f*** now and then.  Ho ho ho.  What a gift to women (and originality) -- the spinster and the whore rolled into one.

Would it have been too much work to just cast an old man as Weyland?  What the hell?

Elba doesn't really have a character...he just sort of fills in the blanks where needed.  Theron's arbitrary sex interest?  Sure.  Guy to watch monitors?  Yep.  Dude for cheese-ass third-act Randy-Quaid heroicism?  Perfect.  This sort of logistical malleability within the script is much easier to achieve if the character has no defining traits whatsoever.

Other good options include having exactly one defining trait -- being a loud incompetent coward -- like good master Fairfield.  Bonus points if your shrill caricature manages to sabotage his single characteristic by immediately returning to the exact room that his refusal to enter was used to establish his cowardice in the first place.  

Marshall-Green's a goof-ass teenager, the worst scientist since Fairfield.  They spent a trillion dollars and they got these assholes?  We've found no signs of life in one single bunker after half a day of looking...I think I'll sink into depression and drink my life away, maybe get laid.  How are we supposed to sympathize with jokers like these?

Fassbender's David, though of course excellently performed, is the worst-written robot I've seen in a good long time.  It's so relentlessly illogical that I though it was going to turn out to be a human.  It randomly drops hints of things that it wouldn't want characters to know, it infects Marshall-Green and then walks off on its own so it's unable to observe him, it talks to itself out loud.  The mostly-aborted attempt at tying the ideas of robots, souls, and human acts of creation in through David's character is one of the best examples of the squandered potential of the film's setup, as the seeds of interesting ideas spill out of David's mouth in the final form of uninspiring inanities.  (What if God said it made us just because it can?  "Ooooh," the stoned couple behind me sighs).  

I've spent so long complaining about the characters I think I should just wrap up (but the rest suck too).  There's not enough wonderment for a sci-fi film, not enough scares for a horror film, and not enough splatter or goo for an alien flick.  Most importantly, there's not enough of a character arc for a film at all.  What there is is some completely unexplored but fun and interesting ideas, some nostalgic production design, and some absolutely gorgeous imagery undercut by the editor's tendency to cut away from the best shot's the quickest.  Okay fine, the editing was totally okay except for that.  

And some moments are just baffling.

--
Fassbender cuts off transmission to Theron.  She speaks out loud to herself.

THERON
He cut me off.
--
--
The screen lights up.  It reads "Abdominal Surgery".

NOOMI
Abdominal surgery.
--

...what the hell?  That other similar moment during the inject-the-decapitated-head-with-some-bullshit scene played like an outright GalaxyQuest gag, but I can't remember the line.  

Anyway.  A major thumbs down from me, with the possibly contradictory qualification that the film is probably one well worth watching.

Quoted from sniper I couldn’t help but feel that scenes had been cut out here and there and there’s probably gonna be a special edition when it comes out on dvd/blu-ray.

Here's some skinny on that deal...

http://collider.com/ridley-scott-prometheus-deleted-scenes-interview/172202/?_r=true

E.D.

WARNING: This might have minor spoilers in it. Nothing to shatter your experience if you haven't seen the film yet, but still, you've been warned.

I actually really enjoyed this film, and it met my expectations.  It was a little bit hindered by the fact that it was under the pressure of being a "summer blockbuster," but I thought it was a solidly entertaining and at times genuinely unsettling sci-fi film with good Action when it wanted it and good Horror when it wanted it.

What I didn't like about it, though, was that the scope of the film might be too big for its own good. It tries so hard to show so many different monsters, creatures, and imagery detailing the background of its mythology that as a result most of the characters are pretty much one-dimensional tools of exposition at best, and at worst they're just fodder for the nasties on the planet. What few characters don't fall into either of these categories are weakened by vague motivations throughout the film due to not enough attention being paid to any single one of them.

I still remember some of the characters in Alien and Aliens, or even Alien 3. Hell, I still refuse to believe that Hudson, Vasquez, Apone, Clemens, Bishop, and even Lambert bought it in their respective films, and those came out decades ago! I never got that feeling with Prometheus; I cared nothing for any of the characters except Dr. Holloway, and even she was too obnoxious (in a bad non-Hudson way) for my liking. Still, the film made it hard for you not to sympathize--or at least empathize--with her.

I agree with what others have said about the score music; it was very out-of-place and it became irritating when the same musical cue would play over and over again (I think I'd really had enough of it by the time the Engineer activated his ship.)

I loved the visuals and the overall mood of the movie.  I even thought the Engineers looked good and did evoke some type of wonder in me, although I'm not particularly impressed with the design they went with for them (with their "space jockey heads" turning out to be just helmets) Again, the music was my only real complaint in this aspect.

Overall, I liked it. Hell, I'd watch it again, but I don't think it is a masterpiece, nor do I think my opinion of it would change with a re-watch.

--Julio

P.S. Regarding those weird snakes others have mentioned, I thought they were the result of worms coming into contact with the black goo on the ruins. There is a close-up of regular worms creeping about as the team is  first exploring the cave that I see no use for other than showing us that there are at least still some simple life-forms on the planet. Later on, when we see what happens to a certain character that was exposed to the goo, I can see how those snakes might have once been regular worms. I definitely don't think they're related to the Aliens we know besides the fact that they live in similar environments (which might explain why both have acidic blood.)

So, in the future nobody wears underwear anymore?  They all run around with surgical gauze wrapped around their privates?  And how long does it take to put that on, anyway -- I mean, so that it stays put during battle and stuff?

Maybe that isn't the biggest WTF in this movie, but it sure bugged me.

Quoted from Sniper I had a hard time deciding whether to give this movie a thumbs up or a thumbs down. I finally decided on the thumbs up.

Seems most viewers are in this middle-ground camp.  I liked it, but I did not like it as much as I hoped I would.

After this and her turn as Lisbeth Salander, I am really starting to like Noomi Rapace.  She is not even that attractive to me, really, but she clearly has chops, and there is just something about her that the camera loves.

Also very good work from Fassbender, though his motivations remained murky and often seemed more calculated to drive the plot than anything else.  Theron was wasted here, let down by a script that really gave her little to do.

Quoted from Electric Dreamer The soundtrack detracted from many scenes for me.

I am not a big soundtrack guy, and seldom notice the music, actually.  But yeah, there was a patch of music they used several times that was supposed to be triumphant (I guess), but it had a cheesy Star Trek vibe to it that seemed out of place.  So I did occasionally notice the music, and it took me out of the film.

Quoted from Basket Case Considering the final image in 'Prometheus'...it wets the appetite for more.

I felt a bit pandered to, myself.

They were obviously crossing their fingers for a sequel -- and I would even go to see a sequel set in this world -- but something about it felt perfunctory.

I am not the guy to speculate on the differences between green goo and black goo and what the various mutations might represent in the larger "Aliens" universe -- but that final shot felt like the filmmakers were just saying, "OK, fans, here you go."

Quoted from James McClung ...a highly entertaining sci-fi/adventure with some horror elements thrown in for good measure...virtuosic filmmaking...

Quoted from Cornetto ...while it wasn't a great movie, it was definitely a very good sci-fi flick.  Ridley and Co are skilled filmmakers and it shows.

And all of this is correct.  Make no mistake -- this is top-drawer filmmaking going on here that should be experienced in a theater.

I guess it is so good that its flaws are all the more maddening -- all of that "what-could-have-been" second-guessing that comes so naturally to us film-types here on these boards -- that may be why so many viewers are frustrated with this film.

I'm starting to think audiences invest too many hopes into films like this. Just like The Dark Knight, Avatar and Inception before it, Prometheus got put on a pedestal before it even came out and ended up an insanely polarizing affair. All the press and viral marketing didn't help either. It all just serves to raise expectations that the film can never meet, even it didn't have the things that turned people off to it. But even so, I think it's important to keep in mind that they're all Hollywood blockbusters and tentpole releases at that. They're almost guaranteed to have issues. I'm talking big ones like plotholes and pretty much anything else that can ruin an otherwise decent movie for certain people. You kinda just have to go with them.

Face it. Nobody's ever going to make another Alien. Quite frankly, I don't think people know how to make those kinds of films with that level of quality anymore (or would be able to if they did). But even without that kind of cynicism... nobody's ever going to make another Alien. What Hollywood did instead was bring back the original director and basically made an Alien tribute for a $200+ budget. That's a damn good deal and we probably won't get another like it in a long time.

Quoted from James McClung Face it. Nobody's ever going to make another Alien.

While I am not one of those "huge" fans, it is my understanding that "Alien" and "Aliens" are generally regarded as kings of the franchise.

It was with "3" and "4" that they took their marvelous Alien template and started to make it (I think) a little bigger than it was ever really intended to be  -- with larger questions that the original films never even bothered to ask.

1 & 2 were, like, "Oh f*ck!  Aliens!" -- while 3 & 4 were more thoughtful in nature.

Those movies were not "bad" movies, per se, but the fan-base as a whole was not entirely satisfied.

"Promethius" will go on the bookshelf alongside 3 & 4 -- while 1 & 2 are still lonely, waiting for their true, kindred sequel.

For my money, if they really want to blow people's minds, they need to try and get back to the mentality of the earlier films.  They are crazy if they cannot see the dollars rolling through their front door in wheelbarrows.

Quoted from bert ...there was a patch of music they used several times that was supposed to be triumphant (I guess), but it had a cheesy Star Trek vibe to it that seemed out of place.  So I did occasionally notice the music, and it took me out of the film.

SPOILERS maybe a bit?

I found that recurring theme (this one, right?) to be distracting (and Star Trekky) as well; to me, though, this was the feeling that the film so desperately wanted to have, and failed to achieve.  This is the story of an ancient mystery, of gods and creation, after all...it should be nothing if not wondrous and perhaps awe-inducing.  For me, the film's inability to achieve this was what was by far most disappointing.  This also hurt the film quite significantly character-wise, I thought, because without managing to inspire us in the first third, the shock of the film's first disillusioning twist failed to hit home emotionally, which was a big part of what made that mid-second-act reappraisal so frustrating; it was hard to believe that Holloway was so dejected, that Shaw's faith had been so challenged, etc.  

Quoted from Heretic I found that recurring theme (this one, right?) to be distracting (and Star Trekky) as well....

Haha...yeah, Chris, that is the one.  It just screams TNG to me for some reason.

And first time through the comments, I missed that Sniper thought so, too.

Quoted from Sniper While I don't think the score was that bad, I really didn't like the theme that continuously used. It just sounded like something that belonged in a Star Trek'ish movie...

And if Rob says it, it must be true...

the movie plays a like a Pilot to a TV series. way too much mythology being jammed into 2 hours.

this movie could have been 3 hours long and they still would have needed more tiem to tie everything up.

its basically 1 giant plot hole..and the characters are underdeveloped....

absolutely shocking giving Ridley's attention to detail

Quoted from Heretic SPOILERS maybe a bit? I found that recurring theme (this one, right?) to be distracting (and Star Trekky) as well; to me, though, this was the feeling that the film so desperately wanted to have, and failed to achieve.

Oh yeah, that's the one.
Word has it that Streitenfeld bollocksed it up so bad...
They hired big gun Harry Gregson-Williams for some last minute mojo.
I think THAT was misguided.

Regards,
E.D.

Quoted from James McClung I'm starting to think audiences invest too many hopes into films like this. Just like The Dark Knight, Avatar and Inception before it, Prometheus got put on a pedestal before it even came out and ended up an insanely polarizing affair. All the press and viral marketing didn't help either. It all just serves to raise expectations that the film can never meet.

Agreed.
I started tuning out Prometheus marketing in April.
The humanity message stuff is all cool...
But couldn't you have given us a taste of the old genre goodness?

The trailer overtly suggested buckets of space terror the movie didn't deliver.
All the cool viral stuff in the world can't fix this...

If your trailer promises something the film does not deliver, you're in trouble.

I'm glad the film got made and I hope Fox doesn't get burned for it.
But I needed some visceral emotion in the climax and I didn't get it.

I even felt Shaw was a tad douchey and egotistical at the end.
Shouldn't someone give Earth a heads up before you get all WTF with your creators?

Regards,
E.D.

expectations were going to hurt this movie reguardless...and im a big  Alien/aliens fan myself..

but i'm by no means an overzealous fan boy. i can keep it perspective.

this movie is a mess.

not that i didnt enjoy, because i did.

This was underwhelming, to say the least.  And, it's not like I had huge expectations going into the film.  At 75 years old, I don't expect Ridley Scott to be at the peak of his powers.  But, there was really nothing new or original about this story.  I've seen it before in sci-fi many, many times.  In fact, the plot really reminded me of a Star Trek TNG episode where they find clues on various planets which form a star map and leads them to a remote, uninhabited world, where they discover that humans, klingons, vulcans, etc are all descendants of a single, long forgotten civilization.  Yup.

The directing was slick, but it couldn't overcome the staleness of the material.  Aside from Fassy, the rest of the cast ranged from mediocre to "just takin' up space."  Logan Marshall-Green in particular I found to be a charisma-free presence.  

I'm still trying to figure out exactly why Charlize Theron was needed in this story.  Her character did essentially nothing but annoy up until her final scene.  And in that final scene, I kept wanting to shout "make a left!"

Without its Alien pedigree, this script would just be another vague, unfocused origin of man story with unmemorable characters. The original Alien's strengths were the brutal simplicity of the plot and groundbreaking visuals.  And then Aliens had that relentless, breakneck pace and furious intensity.  But Prometheus felt like a wanna-be space opera that, lacking a great concept, tried to cover its banality with special effects and snarky characters.