PROMETHEUS Thread - PROMETHEUS 2 "Moving Ahead"

[AndyDursin]

Just put up my official review:

http://www.andyfilm.com/6-19-12.html

Also, there's an interesting email interview with Lindelof at MTV:

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/168702 ... elof.jhtml

Among some of the interesting tidbits from the writer:

To answer your burning question that is sort of a joke but not really, allow me to finally put the "Is it a prequel?" issue to rest by saying once and for all, finally and definitively, that the answer is "Maybe."

The script I got was written by Jon Spaihts. He is a wonderful person and a great writer and his script reflected both. However, he had been tasked with executing the very specific task of making the story very "Alieny" (not a word) and it was rife with eggs, facehuggers, chestbursters and the Xenomorphs they grew into. If memory serves, the eggs show up around the end of the first act and the familiar progression of fertilization and gestation begins, at which point, all hell breaks loose.

Although I would be careful to ever use the term "Lindelof-ized" (such a phrase could just as easily be defined as "the process by which an ending is made completely unclear and/or f---ed up all together") my job was to strip out the familiar "Alien" stuff and rebalance the plot mechanics so that stuff felt more like the RESULT of the story as opposed to the catalyst. I also became obsessed with David as the central character of the piece and did everything I could to think of the movie through the robot's point of view. Mostly because robots are awesome, but also because robots are awesome.

[Eric W.]

Just put up my official review:

http://www.andyfilm.com/6-19-12.html

Great write up!

Also, there's an interesting email interview with Lindelof at MTV:

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/168702 ... elof.jhtml

Among some of the interesting tidbits from the writer:

To answer your burning question that is sort of a joke but not really, allow me to finally put the "Is it a prequel?" issue to rest by saying once and for all, finally and definitively, that the answer is "Maybe."

The script I got was written by Jon Spaihts. He is a wonderful person and a great writer and his script reflected both. However, he had been tasked with executing the very specific task of making the story very "Alieny" (not a word) and it was rife with eggs, facehuggers, chestbursters and the Xenomorphs they grew into. If memory serves, the eggs show up around the end of the first act and the familiar progression of fertilization and gestation begins, at which point, all hell breaks loose.

Although I would be careful to ever use the term "Lindelof-ized" (such a phrase could just as easily be defined as "the process by which an ending is made completely unclear and/or f---ed up all together") my job was to strip out the familiar "Alien" stuff and rebalance the plot mechanics so that stuff felt more like the RESULT of the story as opposed to the catalyst. I also became obsessed with David as the central character of the piece and did everything I could to think of the movie through the robot's point of view. Mostly because robots are awesome, but also because robots are awesome.

Interesting.

[mkaroly]

Yes - excellent review. And thank you for mentioning the book as well; I got it the other day and I love it. It makes me appreciate the film even more. Man, I can't wait to get my hands on the Blu-Ray! Lol...

[AndyDursin]

Thanks guys, I spent more time on it than usual because I wanted to make sure I articulated my own read on it. BTW Titan Books sends me review product and I'm very happy to give them a plug when they release something as good as the Art of Prometheus!

[AndyDursin]

Thinking about the movie more -- I think the biggest complaint you can make is that there is never any rationale given for David's decision to infect Rapace's guy with the black goo. That shouldn't have been left as undeveloped/unspoken as it was.

[Eric W.]

Thinking about the movie more -- I think the biggest complaint you can make is that there is never any rationale given for David's decision to infect Rapace's guy with the black goo. That shouldn't have been left as undeveloped/unspoken as it was.

That's a perfect example of the same kind of loopholes we saw in the theaterical version of Kingdom of Heaven that the extended version fixed up nicely.

I'm really hoping for the same thing here again when the Blu hits later this year.

[AndyDursin]

That needs to be streamlined, but it should have been a part of the theatrical version. There was no need not to at least detail that end of things. The rest of the "narrative gaps" a lot of people claim the movie has are just silly nitpicks from what I've seen.

And the movie ISN'T set on the same planet as Alien. Don't know how many times I've seen that too!!

[Eric W.]

That needs to be streamlined, but it should have been a part of the theatrical version. There was no need not to at least detail that end of things. The rest of the "narrative gaps" a lot of people claim the movie has are just silly nitpicks from what I've seen.

And the movie ISN'T set on the same planet as Alien. Don't know how many times I've seen that too!!

Yup.

[Monterey Jack]

That's a perfect example of the same kind of loopholes we saw in the theaterical version of Kingdom of Heaven that the extended version fixed up nicely.

I can never think of watching the theatrical cut of Kingdom Of Heaven again, because it's incoherent compared to the Director's Cut. The studio literally gutted the narrative, leaving all of the expensive "money shot" battle sequences while excising all of the character development and narrative payoffs that made them mean anything. Ever wonder why Eva Green goes inexplicably insane in the last third of the movie? Only the DC tells you.

[Eric W.]

I can never think of watching the theatrical cut of Kingdom Of Heaven again, because it's incoherent compared to the Director's Cut. The studio literally gutted the narrative, leaving all of the expensive "money shot" battle sequences while excising all of the character development and narrative payoffs that made them mean anything. Ever wonder why Eva Green goes inexplicably insane in the last third of the movie? Only the DC tells you.

Exactly.

[mkaroly]

Thinking about the movie more -- I think the biggest complaint you can make is that there is never any rationale given for David's decision to infect Rapace's guy with the black goo. That shouldn't have been left as undeveloped/unspoken as it was.

I rationalized that his animosity towards Charlie (?) was rooted in Charlie's flippancy/hostility towards him. There were a few scenes early on where Charlie exhibited an air of superiority/arrogance over David, and they almost seemed competitive. David took offense towards Charlie's attitude towards him because he was a being that was created by Charlie's race. I think their relationship with each other was a reflection of the relationship/attitudes between humanity and the Engineers in some way. There was that moment late in the film where David told Elizabeth something to the effect that everyone wants to kill their parents (huge paraphrase there).

Anyway, that was how I understood David's actions. And frankly I was happy David did it because Charlie was a major d***head. Lol...good riddance...Charlie was an empty character (IMO) and I wonder if he was ever really pursuing "truth" or if he was not mature or open-minded enough to handle what they discovered. They should have run him over a few more times for good measure.

[AndyDursin]

PROMETHEUS held well in its second weekend, staying at #2 and ahead of the new openers. $89 million domestic in 10 days should put it over the top as far as getting a sequel going.

Michael - that line was the only evidence I could gather as to what David's motivation was, but it wasn't enough because he's there helping Noomi at the end even after basically killing her boyfriend. That part of it is something I hope the longer version explains more.

[Monterey Jack]

Michael - that line was the only evidence I could gather as to what David's motivation was, but it wasn't enough because he's there helping Noomi at the end even after basically killing her boyfriend. That part of it is something I hope the longer version explains more.

Being a severed head with a malfunctioning body, it's not like David had much say in the matter.

[AndyDursin]

Michael - that line was the only evidence I could gather as to what David's motivation was, but it wasn't enough because he's there helping Noomi at the end even after basically killing her boyfriend. That part of it is something I hope the longer version explains more.

Being a severed head with a malfunctioning body, it's not like David had much say in the matter.

Fair enough!

[John Johnson]

In the U.S., 20th Century Fox Entertainment is yet to detail its upcoming Blu-ray release of Ridley Scott's Prometheus, but some preliminary specs for the French Blu-ray release are already available. Prometheus will be available for purchase in France on October 3rd.

The French Blu-ray release will contain approximately fifteen minutes of deleted/alternate scenes, director's commentary, and a lot more. The preliminary specs are listed below:

Disc 1 (Prometheus 2D) (+ approximately 150 minutes of supplemental features):
Deleted and alternate scenes (15 mins)
Audio commentary by director Ridley Scott
The private records of Peter Weyland, four viral videos (18 mins):
The offer of Elizabeth Shaw
Happy Birthday David
Prometheus Transmission (extended version)
The Weyland conference in 2023 (long version)
Outside the disk: Second Screen App - iPad app allowing access to the archives of Peter Weyland (60 mins)
Pre-production:
First and final draft of the script (text)
Sketches (photo gallery)
The Art of Prometheus (photo gallery)
Pre-visualization (30 mins)
Tests of Noomi Rapace (15 mins)
Costume designs (photo gallery)
Cast screen tests (10 mins)
Production:
Graphic Video Dashboard
Photographs of the team
Video of the private pilot
Production and post-release:
Marketing Gallery

Disc 2 (Prometheus 3D):
The 3D version of the film

Disc 3 (Bonus materials):
The Angry Gods: Making of Featurette, 9 videos (120 mins):
At the Conquest of Paradise (scenario)
The engineering (direction & design)
The human manifest (characters & costumes)
A nest of demons (creature design)
A world without green spaces (Pinewood)
Gains of chance (stunts & action)
The beginning and end (Iceland)
The sky on fire (visual effects)
Prometheus without limits (post-production and theatrical release)
Units of improvement (30 mins):
Mini-featurettes
The archives of Peter Weyland (60 mins)


http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=9076