They're Remaking 'Alien' -- the 'Prometheus' thread

what

I guess I'll be watching all of them soon, haven't seen Aliens 2 since it came out, and only remember there being a little girl hiding, and military type men.

I feel like I should mention PREDATORS again so there it is

goole idgi can you unpack yr science faction scenario

plenty of alien movies are like this:

1. humans encounter aliens (accidentally, whatev)
2. mutual incomprehension = potential for violence
3. humans are divided on question: try to comprehend or opt for violence quickly

most alien movies solve this problem by making the aliens malevolent. i'm saying, add 4. the aliens are divided by that exact question themselves

aliens are ppl too

there was an alien comic where the android wasn't a humanoid but built in the shape of an alien so it could observe their behavior, but it was still basically the servant to the human scientists so they had scenes with this alienbot serving the science crew tea and wearing a baseball cap -- i think the alienbot got stockholm syndrome or something and started mauling the scientists. does that qualify?

it's p curious that in alien/monster stories it's generally only humans that have any politics

i guess the big trend of werewolf/vampire hidden society shit cuts against this

maybe this could be a sequel for "to serve man", detailing the burgeoning movement of vegetarian aliens, they listen to black metal, argue with the ones advocating for free range humans, etc

nothing to do w/ this movie (haven't seen) but, i'd love to see a movie about aliens that flips the usual comment on human militarism (do we try to talk to them or do we fight them) -- make the aliens factional in that way.

― there is no dana, only (goole), Friday, October 12, 2012 3:40 PM (13 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

not "aliens" per se but battlestar galactica had a ton of this

the newer one

oh right. i never wanted to soldier through that cos i kept hearing the final season was so terrible

Countdown to renting the DVD this weekend! Will be the third time watching it.

Totally understand and respect why people can't get over this film's misfires, but... the film I can't forgive myself for not walking out on this summer was that Batman movie -- for me, that is the definition of meaningless, uninspired, rote journeyman direction and autopilot acting. Give me unpredictable batshit insanity over competence any fucking day of the week.

& I agree with EdIII -- everything that's important about this film, the science fiction under the hood, strikes the right balance between consistent and mysterious

That would be great if Ridley could go back to the original Alien and reconstruct the scene of Ash going "I admire their purity", then cut to Ash watching xenomorph version of C-SPAN where Alien congress is debating the human question with half of the chairs absent and one particularly elderly Alien congressman visibly falling asleep and drooling from his second mouth, then Ash just closing his eyes and shaking his head.

I want another Alien film and the big reveal is that there's only one human on board

there was an alien comic where the android wasn't a humanoid but built in the shape of an alien so it could observe their behavior, but it was still basically the servant to the human scientists so they had scenes with this alienbot serving the science crew tea and wearing a baseball cap -- i think the alienbot got stockholm syndrome or something and started mauling the scientists. does that qualify?

this sounds amazing

everything that's important about this film, the science fiction under the hood, strikes the right balance between consistent and mysterious

― Milton Parker, Friday, October 12, 2012 5:00 PM (12 minutes ago)

plus there's some iconic imagery, the sequence w/ david and the starmap is something I really started digging, thinking about the implications of a robot experiencing wonder at the creation of the creators of his creator

http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/articles/arts/movies/2012/06/120607_MOVIES_PROMETHEUS.jpg.CROP.rectangle3-large.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y176/edwardiii/prometheus_ipad_3.png

Alien resurrection's band of Gauls does indeed disrupt the thematic and aesthetic unity of the series oh wait no, I read that wrong, turns out there's no such fkn thing.

the sequence w/ david and the starmap is something I really started digging, thinking about the implications of a robot experiencing wonder at the creation of the creators of his creator

pretty much. the first time I saw this, they'd already run the 'wonderous' musical theme into the ground so when they went for broke with it again during this sequence, it was John Williamsesque overload and I just clocked out and checked out the CGI. the second time through, the film really seemed to build to that scene and it emotionally worked me over. the CGI wasn't just beautiful anymore, it was meaningful.

at least as meaningful as the recovered aliens in Quatermass and the Pit anyway

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gQH4RWKsuzg/TYYfMjHym2I/AAAAAAAAAEw/JmffIFIJFXI/s1600/hob.jpg

I'm very excited about buying the Blu of this tonight. Can totally watch this thing over and over.

Wow, this thread really went in some goofy directions in this last couple hours. Would rather watch Alien Resurrection or renegade android xenomorph: the movie than this acceptable but totally lifeless blah junk any day... 'balls to the wall action movie??? There were no balls and no wall! Zzzzz

Er, zzzz. Basically, if you liked it, cool, but do you really think you are actually RIGHT?

The posters on this thread who liked this film are much less self-righteous about their opinions of it than the ones who are invested in having their dislike of it validated by 'reality'

i don't feel this movie was offensive or problematic enough to be graded on a right/wrong scale, but i do feel like there's some hidden reasons for liking this movie that haven't surfaced, because the reasons given so far don't seem to hold up when applied to other movies (e.g. alien v predator, etc...)

Ha dr c otm emphatically

and i really don't wake up in the morning trying to be a zinging dick-guy poster...I do sort of get the movie's supporters because here I am still talking about it after several months. It definitely sticks with you in certain ways, it's memorable, it's just that a lot of what sticks with me is disappointment and confusion, and a lot of what's in between the disappointing/confusing aspects is pretty but totally impossible to invest in, for me. What an unlikable cast, for one thing! Some serious attention to giving them some life and making the leading couple less whiny and shrill could have kept me in the frame for more of the running time...

I agree the cast didn't seem very invested in their characters, but original alien cast wasn't very likable either except for jonesy.

are you serious

"character" is what made alien great and what made aliens great and what makes basically every great movie great. i dont care if it's a talky drama or an outer space xenomorph movie. w/o it you have NOTHING.

original alien cast brought the characters to life for sure, but they didn't make them likable is alls i'm saying.

if you're telling me yaphet kotto and harry dean stanton's characters weren't likeable i might have to blow you out of the airlock

This movie does have a great character in David (imo) -- even if I don't agree that "character" is required for greatness.

kotto and stanton are likable to each other, but they're total dicks. you saw their whole "what i can't hear you, ripley" routine

agree that fassbender made david compelling but it's like no one else was even trying.

besides beyond some (correct) complaints about character motivation a great deal of the complaints seem to boil down to claims about intentionality--in which case who cares what was intended?

look, if you are trying to make a movie featuring an elite group of highly-trained scientists, and the scientists barely seem able to tie your shoes, there is just a fundamental problem with the movie. really, stop trying to drill down deeper than that.

honestly though, it's really gonna come down to a matter of opinion and taste. either you have the correct opinion and think this movie was a dirty dog turd, or you have the wrong opinion and like it. different strokes for different folks!

In light of character behaviour, who fuckin *knows* what was intended?

psssh I merely wave my hand at this notion that scientists can't be utter buffoons in areas outside their extremely narrow expertise. Hell, even within them!

To me it's obvious this film has a very pessimistic view of the human race, with a crew of randomly assembled incompetents always doing the worst possible thing. In abstract, fine -- I work at a corporation too -- I get it. But the dialog, characterizations and acting were all 9th rate television grade, so watching those sections of the film absolutely comes across like having a conversation with a misinformed drunken person telling you that you are really very stupid

However, as the evening progresses, he turns out to be a completely unpredictable and highly entertaining drunken person, and he clearly doesn't think you're -that- stupid because he's actually setting up some fairly interesting stories for you. The saving grace of the film for me is the depiction of the hulkamaniac Engineers, who've moved on from hotrodding their own DNA to ritualistically sacrificing themselves in the service of creating new races, and who end up accidentally taking themselves out while designing the next iteration of their previous creation, i.e. us. What is a bioweapon to us is simply another genesis to them, except the Engineers weren't exempt, or careful, and that next iteration took them out.

Perfectly acceptible science fiction concept! With generous helpings of jellyfish c-sections, eyeworms and starmap CGI and trilobite facesex while all of this is being broken down for you. I dunno, for me, the real films insulting us where every last thing is clearly set up, spelled out, and wrapped up for you, but in this film everything important is actually airtight

i liked how people were smoking and pouring each other cocktails like it was 1958 or something.

i loved the "WY" etched into david's fingerprint whorl.

look slocki a couple of the scientists were really dumm about practical matters and fearless when they should not have been but that describes a lot of scientists tbh, in any case i am truly sorry that it affected your enjoyment of this amazing fuckin movie

looks like we're on the same page, milton parker.

I'll keep repeating that a second viewing is much more rewarding, but if you were grinding teeth through yr first then maybe it's not for you. to address some caps lock egregiousness:

Er, zzzz. Basically, if you liked it, cool, but do you really think you are actually RIGHT?

― Doctor Casino, Friday, October 12, 2012 6:17 PM (56 minutes ago)

MP already responded and you walked this back yourself, but yeah, my opinion is right, as is the opinion of the ppl who thought it sucked, this is science fiction, not science. the ppl who like prometheus itt seem to be aware of the movie's deficiencies, it's not like everybody saw a different movie. it is kind of a bummer for folks trying to talk about what they liked about it having to fend off it sucked u rong on every other post but eh the internet.

"character" is what made alien great and what made aliens great and what makes basically every great movie great. i dont care if it's a talky drama or an outer space xenomorph movie. w/o it you have NOTHING.

― Author ~ Coach ~ Goddess (s1ocki), Friday, October 12, 2012 6:45 PM (28 minutes ago)

if that works for you ok, but it leaves behind a sizable chunk of great movies, especially scifi ones - 2001, solaris, phase IV, scanners, crash. maybe I'm reading into yr definition of "character" but unlikable, nondescript, and poorly drawn lead characters are not unheard of in good sci-fi. these ain't romcoms.

ha, I like the drunk person metaphor. hey that drunk stole my $10! ah well all in the name of a good time

i loved the "WY" etched into david's fingerprint whorl.

my son pointed this out to me on my 2nd viewing, I prolly wouldn't have noticed otherwise, another example of the little details I appreciate here

i haven't seen phase IV, but 2001, solaris, scanners, crash all had pretty compelling if laconic characters (some of them probably due more to the actors than writing)

idk, acting in scanners is p terrible across the board except for mcgoohan, and I'm not sure there are actually actors in 2001, they're more like floor models, the most compelling characters are non-human (by design obv)

I'll launch a more spirited defense later... even if i only c&p the novella I've already posted itt

yeah mcgoohan's great! the main guy wasn't a great actor in scanners but he projected a credible sense of being haunted.
spader and holly hunter also great in crash (though it feels like they invented the characters themselves). i get the floor-model complaint for 2001 but there's something super-naturalistic and compelling about it (i guess it's like a robt bresson movie where you forget they are actors).

First observation from second viewing:

The "snakes" are the result of what looked like earthworm-type critters being doused with the organic weapon from the canisters

i don't buy that because it's sci-fi we're supposed to let everything slide. some of my favourite characters ever have been from scifi movies! the good alien movies, robocop, 2001 (hal!!!), even star wars! han solo! r2d2!

i think you guys are misunderstanding me, i love genre shit, i just want it to be well-done for what it is and satisfying to me on its own level.

i dig that you like the big concepts in this movie but i kinda hate that ancient aliens shit, its like the oldest scifi trope in the book... "and the two aliens were named ADAM and EVE"

also i feel like prometheus is like ideologically (not ideologically, but you know what i mean) opposed to what i loved about the first alien movie. i'll spare you linking to my lengthy blog post about the subject but the gist of it is, alien = horrifying lovecraftian unknowable terror that humans just happened to wander into by accident, prometheus = it was all about us all along! tv writing hackery.

To me one of the more salient themes of the original is this idea of contamination--it's the closeness of the alien that represents its greatest terror--that in some fundamental sense its mechanical/mindless nature is ours, or something we risk succumbing to. That's why the androids keep recurring, that's why the alien in its voraciousness is so fascinating and repellent. Its this otherness to ourselves. To me Prometheus stays pretty true to those themes (we have the same creator, etc) and even calls into question the kind of humanist naïveté of the two archeologists. That's my read anyway.