Prometheus

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i feel the same way now, tho i loved the movie it left to many questions that no one seems to know the answers to. My head has been working the rounds trying to make sense of a few things that i think just dont add up and my rating of the movie has dropped now.

WARNING: "Prometheus" spoilers below
If the drawings where a warning from the Engineer's then why would they warn us about a plan they have??

Why does the Engineer plan on coming to earth to destroy us still even after there creation has wiped them all out??

Why create us then try to destroy us??

What actually destroyed the Engineer's, because all we see is that snake thing untill the squid is born?
WARNING: "Prometheus" spoilers below

Why warn a civilization of something that they had no technology of possibly reaching at the time?

Why did the engineers all run to a holdall containing bio weapons?

Why did Rapace think if one engineer killed everyone and ran off to wipe out Earth, going to the a planet full of them would be more successful?
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Ok I have some thoughts on the various niggles people are having...

WARNING: "Prometheus spoilers" spoilers below

I believe the engineers created 'us' i.e. humans on the planet/moon Shaw and co visit, and that the cave paintings are simply pointing to the gods. Not a warning or invitation, just the true knowledge of where we come from.

Interestingly the events of Prometheus do not take place on LV426 (we see this on a star map in the film), but a sister moon probably in a neighboring system. I assume this system is were the engineers conduct all of their 'experiments' as it's mentioned that the base Shaw and co visit is one of a few similar installations. I have a theory that whatever the engineers were running from is either their own creators who have now decided to exterminate them for meddling with the gene pool. Or simply some form of indigenous life that swallowed the black goo and went postal before dying off.

Why create humans to destroy us? Well I guess we're just like lab rats to them, and they figure we've gotten out of hand. One of the best scenes in Prometheus is when the Engineer picks David up and tears him apart on realising what he is - This may also further cement the decision to destroy mankind.

David is a Weyland Enterprises creation and hence a company employee. I believe he spikes the drink to see if the black goo is a possible cure for his decrepit boss - just a theory that one. The more interesting question for me would be - is David bound by Asimov's law of robotics? (something Bishop mentions at the beginning of Aliens when told of how Ash turned murderous in the original film). I believe David is a prototype android and as such is 'a little twitchy' - to quote Bishop again. This may also explain why he is able to potentially harm a human being. Incidentally Fassbender is great in the film, but I think Ian Holm is ten times creepier in Alien.

Why does Shaw decide to go the Engineer's home planet? Yeah, this one's a little goofy considering she just learned a royal lesson in curiosity killed the cat-ness. My only explanation is that she's just a born truth and knowledge seeker who probably wants to find out what created the engineers, and why they in turn created us.

My question is this. If Prometheus is not set on LV426 then is Shaw the space jockey we see in Alien? Or is it just a different engineer from one of the other installations?

The final monster we see at the end of Prometheus is some kind of prototype alien that hasn't yet evolved into what we see in the original films. So how does it become the alien? Perhaps it wanders over to the installation and sucks up some of the black goo. Just a thought.



"Hey Look it's Masterman"
The Alien we see burst out the Engineer at the end is pretty close to the Aliens in the other movie, maybe they just evolve a little (black goop, could be) , Nice thoughts aswell above.



"Hey Look it's Masterman"
Just found these explanations online, some are abit wacky so are good.

WARNING: ""Prometheus" spoilers below




- When the humans (after millions of years of evolution) travel across
space and enter the control room of the alien spaceship and wake up
the pre-human, then guess what? *That's a signal that human life on
earth has evolved to the point that it could then sustain alien life.
In other words Earth is now ripe - brimming with billions of humans
who can now be incubators for the aliens. The control panel lights up
and the 3-d starmap shows Earth in red - Earth is now the next
destination for the alien's progress.

- David is asked by one of the crew what the place is they are
entering and he says "It's a cargo hold". **We are also told and see
that there are thousands of pods. *From previous frames in the film,
it seems to suggest that the pods are full of little worm like
creatures whose intermediate stage is the white thing in the black
soup that got the biologist guy wearing glasses. *If the pods are full
of worms then that's probably enough to take over the whole of Earth.

- David says 'in order to create life you must destroy it first'.
This simply means that most of human life on Earth is now going to
perish when the aliens get there and colonise it, i.e. the aliens will
flourish and multipy, the humans will die. *The alien's plan is to use most of the population as incubators and subjugate the remainder for the next stages.

The confusion in the film, stems from the fact that the captain
thinks that the pre-humans created the aliens as some kind of weapon
or biological experiment. **If you turn this around, i.e. aliens
creating pre-humans, it all makes sense.




Ok I have some thoughts on the various niggles people are having...

WARNING: "Prometheus spoilers" spoilers below

I believe the engineers created 'us' i.e. humans on the planet/moon Shaw and co visit, and that the cave paintings are simply pointing to the gods. Not a warning or invitation, just the true knowledge of where we come from.

Interestingly the events of Prometheus do not take place on LV426 (we see this on a star map in the film), but a sister moon probably in a neighboring system. I assume this system is were the engineers conduct all of their 'experiments' as it's mentioned that the base Shaw and co visit is one of a few similar installations. I have a theory that whatever the engineers were running from is either their own creators who have now decided to exterminate them for meddling with the gene pool. Or simply some form of indigenous life that swallowed the black goo and went postal before dying off.

Why create humans to destroy us? Well I guess we're just like lab rats to them, and they figure we've gotten out of hand. One of the best scenes in Prometheus is when the Engineer picks David up and tears him apart on realising what he is - This may also further cement the decision to destroy mankind.

David is a Weyland Enterprises creation and hence a company employee. I believe he spikes the drink to see if the black goo is a possible cure for his decrepit boss - just a theory that one. The more interesting question for me would be - is David bound by Asimov's law of robotics? (something Bishop mentions at the beginning of Aliens when told of how Ash turned murderous in the original film). I believe David is a prototype android and as such is 'a little twitchy' - to quote Bishop again. This may also explain why he is able to potentially harm a human being. Incidentally Fassbender is great in the film, but I think Ian Holm is ten times creepier in Alien.

Why does Shaw decide to go the Engineer's home planet? Yeah, this one's a little goofy considering she just learned a royal lesson in curiosity killed the cat-ness. My only explanation is that she's just a born truth and knowledge seeker who probably wants to find out what created the engineers, and why they in turn created us.

My question is this. If Prometheus is not set on LV426 then is Shaw the space jockey we see in Alien? Or is it just a different engineer from one of the other installations?

The final monster we see at the end of Prometheus is some kind of prototype alien that hasn't yet evolved into what we see in the original films. So how does it become the alien? Perhaps it wanders over to the installation and sucks up some of the black goo. Just a thought.
WARNING: "Prometheus" spoilers below

I thought the whole point of the prologue was showing us how life on Earth was created. Either way, my main issue with the maps was how would the primitive societies painting them KNOW of the stars considering it's explained they're not even viewable by eye. And why take pains to even draw them as the societies had no means of reaching them? I'm sure if you try hard there's a reason but it's still contrived for my money. I thought it was explained that the bio-weapon/black goo got out of control and killed the engineers but the storage of it seems odd as there's a cargo hold then the Face Room, not really primed for delivery.

Anyway, it's said the engineers decided to destroy us about 2000 years ago before they were wiped up, which cancels out the we've become too advanced theory, much as that would answer a few questions. Maybe it was the coming of Christ they were worried about

You think that's why David was destroyed? I thought that was pretty open but potentially something he'd said. I'd have liked that scene to play out a bit longer as i'm sure whatever David said to the Engineer would have outlined his true motives a lot more clearly.

I think David spiking the drinking is a lot simpler, just to see what would happen. I like that almost dangerous curiousity about him, though would have liked to have it emphasised a bit more than ambiguity as it remains unclear. What undermines this most though is why he never seems interest in what happens to her and what was growing inside, considering this curious streak. Just another example of all cause and no effect in the script. I think he's not bound by Asimov's laws, yet seems more advanced than Bishop or Ash in his seeming ability to learn and have curiosity and experiment opposed to being bound by restriction or a strict order/mission. There's the scene where Bishop is mesmerised by the facehuggers, yet he never seems to have that childlike obsession of David.

I think the film would have been a lot better if it was the LV-whatever planet the others were set on and neatly dovetailed, i.e. that was a Queen born who layed the eggs. The only thing about that alien evolving into the one we know is that there was a muriel on the wall which seemed to depict the typical xenomorph, so it seems they were originally aware of the species. I suppose, considering Alien, the spaceship with the eggs on, was a similar ship designed to unload a bio-weapon, only this time it was the organic pods opposed to the Engineer designed jars. So the engineers obviously seem to have a way of producing the eggs and aware of their potential.



WARNING: "not sure if spoilers but just in case" spoilers below
I literally just came out of the theater 2 hours ago and I am slightly disappointed. So many inconsistencies with Alien(I know I shouldn't look at it as an Alien Prequel but it is). When I read the initial synopsis I loved the idea of the whole creators thing as this always had fascinated me but when I watched the film pretty much nothing got answered. They start something good and you say Oo this could be cool and they don't go back to it and then the film finished. All in all very well made in terms of CGI it was placed wisely they don't stick it that much in your face(things like that fascinate me). Michael Fassbender's role was probably the best and he played it very well, he deffintely had the looks and the proper expression of a robot everyone elses performance was rather mediocre but still Noomie Rapace was quite good reminded me of Ripley quite a lot
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I saw this last night and, as a stand-alone movie, it is quite a mess. An entertaining (and often impressive) mess, but a mess just the same. You've been outlining some of the plot puzzles above, and I have little to add to them except for one about Guy Pearce, because it supports a subsequent point:

WARNING: "Spoiler alert" spoilers below
Why have a young man (badly) made up to play an old man if you never get round to showing him as a young man? Are there no elderly male actors around any more? Max von Sydow, anyone? The more I think about it, the more it seems that the only reason is because Pearce will appear in flash-back scenes in subsequent films. This links to my main complaint about Prometheus.


So many themes and plot-points are introduced but then not really dealt with that the only conclusion is: Prometheus cannot be fully understood as a stand-alone movie. It is the first instalment in a series. I don't know about you, but that kind of thing annoys the hell out of me. You pay your money to see a film and then, at the end, realise you're going to have to a) shell out for the "director's cut" DVD and b) shell out for another couple of movies (and DVDs) over the next four or five years. Personally, it makes me feel less like a film-goer and more like the victim of an elaborate marketing scam.




WARNING: "Spoiler alert" spoilers below
Why have a young man (badly) made up to play an old man if you never get round to showing him as a young man? Are there no elderly male actors around any more? Max von Sydow, anyone? The more I think about it, the more it seems that the only reason is because Pearce will appear in flash-back scenes in subsequent films. This links to my main complaint about Prometheus.


WARNING: "Prometheus spoilers" spoilers below
Exactly. Doesn't make sense unless it's for the reasons you stated. But even then it doesn't make sense since most films would just have an older actor play the eldery version and keep the younger one in flashbacks or whatever. Pretty odd stuff. Anyways, Guy was wasted. I liked him in the viral video conference we saw, they should have flashed backed to those scenes or something.


WARNING: "Pyro's Prometheus theories." spoilers below
I think David spiking the drinking is a lot simpler, just to see what would happen. I like that almost dangerous curiousity about him, though would have liked to have it emphasised a bit more than ambiguity as it remains unclear. What undermines this most though is why he never seems interest in what happens to her and what was growing inside, considering this curious streak.
.
WARNING: "Prometheus spoilers" spoilers below
This is why the spiking scene seems redundant. Why spike the guy and not follow up on the consequences? I can only assume he was a bit put off after Hollaway began to break down so thought it wouldn't be useful.




WARNING: "Is Shaw the..spoilers" spoilers below
My question is this. If Prometheus is not set on LV426 then is Shaw the space jockey we see in Alien? Or is it just a different engineer from one of the other installations?
WARNING: "Spoiler" spoilers below
There is almost absolutely nothing to suggest that Shaw is the space jockey the crew in Alien encounter. What made me ask that question???



[quote=The Prestige;817748]
WARNING: "Prometheus spoilers" spoilers below
Exactly. Doesn't make sense unless it's for the reasons you stated. But even then it doesn't make sense since most films would just have an older actor play the eldery version and keep the younger one in flashbacks or whatever. Pretty odd stuff. Anyways, Guy was wasted. I liked him in the viral video conference we saw, they should have flashed backed to those scenes or something.


WARNING: "Guy Pearce" spoilers below
I suspect we'll be seeing the young Pearce when we learn more about David, exactly why he was created and what the hell he was up to during Prometheus. He (David) clearly has a hidden agenda in the movie. But it remains hidden.



WARNING: "Guy Pearce" spoilers below
I suspect we'll be seeing the young Pearce when we learn more about David, exactly why he was created and what the hell he was up to during Prometheus. He (David) clearly has a hidden agenda in the movie. But it remains hidden.
WARNING: "potential spoilers" spoilers below
Problem is, we'll have to wait 2-3 years to learn more. And that's why i'm starting to feel like this film is a little bit of a cheat, too many unanswered questions that we'll have to wait ages for. Still a good film, but some these niggles are winding me up now.



WARNING: "potential spoilers" spoilers below
Problem is, we'll have to wait 2-3 years to learn more. And that's why i'm starting to feel like this film is a little bit of a cheat, too many unanswered questions that we'll have to wait ages for. Still a good film, but some these niggles are winding me up now.
Agreed.



WARNING: "Prometheus" spoilers below
He spiked the drink because he was curious, it wasn't malevolent. Sorry if that was already answered, just started reading



Who's going to believe a talking head?
An awesome movie! It will take years before another marvellous alien movie comes out.



I've never seen any of the "Alien" movies and typically don't like horror movies or movies with a lot of blood and gore. Would I still enjoy this, or should I give it a pass?



Prometheus (2012)

The story centers on a team of explorers who lands their spacecraft on a planet far away from Earth, hoping to discover the answer to the existence of the human race. Of course, that is just an excuse for Scott to re-enter the universe of Alien, in a bid to make a 'prequel' that would hopefully explain the origins of arguably the most feared screen monster ever created.

The result is a befuddled attempt to juggle three narrative threads that not only lack clarity, but don't quite fit well with each other. Is this a story about the origins of the Alien? Or is it a story about the 'Space Jockey' - a large man-like creature whose exoskeleton appeared in Alien? Or is it a story of Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace), whose quest to explore the origins of mankind turns into the kind of nightmare that foreshadows Ripley's traumatic experience in Alien?

There is just too much of travelling back and forth the crew's spacecraft and the mysterious tomb-like cavern that the explorers hope to find answers from. As a result, whatever suspense that could be generated dissipates as both environments, however strange or fascinating, becomes more familiar and less claustrophobic.

And it was claustrophobia and the unfamiliar that made Alien such a nerve-wreckingly horrifying experience.


Verdict: 3.5/5 (Highly entertaining but flawed and a disappointment)



An Auto-Bot that reviews movies....
Just got back from the viewing of this. For those who are interested in another opinion of the film my review can be found HERE.

In short though, I think it was an entertaining film which lacked a lot of what has already been mentioned. Especially the clarity of certain things (in the plot and in character development) which just kept coming up as the movie progressed, promising something that was certainly going to be short of perfect.
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Yeah, way too many promises. Honestly, I don't mind a bit of show and no tell, but Ridley took the piss.



For some reason am balking at seeing this just don't like SiFi movies with saliva dripping monsters whose only motivation is to eat humans
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