I have to ask... are there any sex scenes in the movie or is the R rating just for violence/language. The reason I ask is because my son really wants to see this (I let him watch Alien, The Fog (original) and the remake of The Thing). I won't let him see gratuitous sex but violence is OK in my book - lolololol. Do I get Mother-of-the-Year award or what??
Wanted: Human skin edition of The Book of the Dead. Will accept PC copy.
becca69 - it's just an R for violence, you'll be glad to know!All sex is briefly implied/talked about, but nothing shown.
As for Prometheus, I enjoyed it for what it was, not what those constant hype machine bastards tried to convince me it was (the greatest scifi film of the 21st century, if you didn't get the subliminal message). It was nice for some scares, and I loved the gradual metamorphosis that lead to the birth of the first alien creature (or an earlier form, anyway). I wish it had been scarier in some places, though. The scary, disgusting, body horror moments were great, but I do think the film was trying too hard at trying to be everything, particularly with the "save the world" plot that crept in near the end. Not terrible, just a film that should've been better, I think.
Never be cruel and never be cowardly. And if you ever are, always make amends.
You are a walking talking Doctor Who encyclopedia to me. - Melike
Originally Posted by TwistedNadine
That's what I thought too, which brings me to my first point of contention : the magical black goo never has a clear defining purpose. It is a biological weapon or is it the creation of human life ? I find it hard to believe it's both.
He seemed to have a hidden agenda which was not on Weyland's list of objectives and which is never explained. Why did he poison Holloway if he had no idea what the goo would do ? What if it endangered everyone on the ship, including Weyland ?I have no idea how David knew as much as he did to behave the way he did, nor do I understand what he hoped to accomplish.
I'm not sure why Vickers was in the movie period. What did she do besides use a flame thrower and get run over ?I'm also not sure why Vickers didn't run perpendicular to the big rolling spaceship instead of trying to outrun it...
And don't get me started on that cliched 'yes ... Father' scene.
There is a strong implication of sex but nothing is shown. It's over before it really begins. The R rating is 99.99999% perect attributed to the violence.
She looked fine. That was enough for me!I'm not sure why Vickers was in the movie period. What did she do besides use a flame thrower and get run over ?
I think it was both, depending on how it's used. Think of the terraforming tool in The Wrath of Khan -- if it is used on a desolate planet, it can create life, but if it's used on a populated planet, it would kill everyone. I think this is similar, in a way, though I don't fully understand it.It is a biological weapon or is it the creation of human life ? I find it hard to believe it's both.
Thanks for the info!
Wanted: Human skin edition of The Book of the Dead. Will accept PC copy.
I haven't seen Wrath of Khan, so I'll just have to take your word for it lol.I think it was both, depending on how it's used. Think of the terraforming tool in The Wrath of Khan -- if it is used on a desolate planet, it can create life, but if it's used on a populated planet, it would kill everyone. I think this is similar, in a way, though I don't fully understand it.It is a biological weapon or is it the creation of human life ? I find it hard to believe it's both.
I wish they would have touched on this in the film. Unfortunately the scientists of this trillion dollar expedition are reduced to little more than panicked teenagers running around Crystal Lake and away from an outer space Jason.
Sorry, I'm trying to be as fair to the film is possible but it felt like a letdown in so many ways.
I think it was both, depending on how it's used. Think of the terraforming tool in The Wrath of Khan -- if it is used on a desolate planet, it can create life, but if it's used on a populated planet, it would kill everyone. I think this is similar, in a way, though I don't fully understand it.[/QUOTE]It is a biological weapon or is it the creation of human life ? I find it hard to believe it's both.
Hmm it didnt click with me that he was creating life by drinking it but that does make sense of the opening scene. So we are to assume some other life form ingested the black stuff and it morphed into a killing creature and wiped out all but one of the Big Guys?
"And don't get me started on that cliched 'yes ... Father' scene."
I burst out laughing at that one. Bad enough it was predictable and cliche but her FATHER?? I was expecting GRANDFATHER or GREAT GRANDFATHER. Or even GREAT GREAT grandfather. But Daddy?
I'm not sure -- I think the engineers created the technology that caused the alien creatures and it got loose on them, which is why they were conducting these experiments on a moon rather than on their home planet.So we are to assume some other life form ingested the black stuff and it morphed into a killing creature and wiped out all but one of the Big Guys?
"Not terrible, just a film that should've been better, I think"
I think they tried to hard to set us up for a part 2. I was expecting revelations and questions answered for the original Alien. Instead I have even more questions, unanswered plot maneuvers (like Davids ulterior motives; why the Big Guys created us then were so intent on destroying us etc etc).
Were they still experimenting? I understood that they were keeping it away from their home planet but also understood that they were packed and prepared to ship it off to Earth - meaning it was perfected and ready to deliver.
Yes, I think the Engineer in the opening scene is this story's equivalent of Prometheus. He defies the Gods (Engineers), brings fire (black goo) stolen from the Gods and suffers for it (is ripped apart at a molecular level).
I think the Engineers are the ones that created the black goo and it came back to bite them in the ass. What exactly did they use or mix to create it ? That I don't know.So we are to assume some other life form ingested the black stuff and it morphed into a killing creature and wiped out all but one of the Big Guys?
My thoughts too ... this brings up a question : if the murals on Earth are indeed an 'invitation', why did the Engineers leave an invitation to their desolate military base and NOT their home planet ?I think the engineers created the technology that caused the alien creatures and it got loose on them, which is why they were conducting these experiments on a moon rather than on their home planet.
I'm 100% sure that's the case. Hopefully we get someone other than Lindelof to write the sequel.
I don't think the engineer in the beginning defied his people -- I think he sacrificed himself on behalf of his people in the name of creation. Some people discussing the film compared him to the people who were sacrificed by the Mayans and other groups. He was treated like a hero in the days and weeks beforehand -- it was an honor to be the sacrifice.
The fact that the Engineers kept coming back (five different civilizations) indicates they maintained a renewed interest in their creation. I don't know why they used the moon as the "return address" -- maybe it's something like having a PO Box. The communication gets through, but you can filter it a little.
Ooohh, good point! I completely forgot that they made a point to emphasize that the murals were from completely different eras.
But if they cared about their creations so much, why did they go to pain staking lengths to destroy us ?
How about this : maybe they left the roadmap to that moon after deciding that if humanity ever became advanced enough to make that voyage, we would be too smart for our own good and would need to be destroyed ?
Our thoughts were that the Engineers were the original good guys - the guys who created us - and then a revolt or perhaps just rogue militia type group created the bio-weapon and were on a mission to destroy the various creations scattered across the universe (we got the idea that earth was not the only planet they had started life on). Perhaps a Nazi type group who thought we were a bad representation of their civilization and wanted to "purify"
And yeah, we also noticed the murals gave an invitation to the Outpost and not the home planet. If I recall correctly the most recent mural was about 2000 years earlier. And thats about the same time the outpost Big Guys were killed off based on her carbon dating.
Interview with Damon Lindelof shedding the barest of light on certain plot points and the (surprise!) potential of a sequel.
The Secrets of Prometheus with Damon Lindelof
Screenwriter Damon Lindelof talks Alien and Engineers.
by Chris TillyJune 11, 2012
Last week we posted an interview with writer Damon Lindelof concerning his plans for the Star Trek franchise. And this week we’ve got him talking Prometheus, describing how he got the gig in the first place, and letting us in on some of the secrets of the Engineers. Just BEWARE OF SPOILERS AHEAD.
IGN: When did you first see Alien?
Damon Lindelof: I was probably eight or nine and I was watching HBO and had no idea what it was. It was the scene where Harry Dean Stanton and Yaphet Koto were talking to each other and they were cursing, and I knew that it was for grown-ups, so it was cool. My Dad caught me watching it and said “This is not for you, it’s way too scary for kids.” And at that moment I couldn’t wait to see it. And so the first opportunity I got I started watching it again a couple of days later. And right around the part where the face-hugger leaps out of the egg and attaches itself to John Hurt’s face I turned it off and said “You know what, my Dad was probably right.” I had nightmares for about a month. And then a couple of years later I finally saw Alien from start-to-finish at a friend’s house, and I thought it was amazing and terrifying and unlike anything that I’d ever seen before. And I just completely and totally wanted to see it over and over again. That’s my memory of it.
IGN: How did you come to be writing a film set in that universe?
Lindelof: I was driving my car and my agent called me up and said “Ridley Scott’s going to call you in five minutes.” And I slammed on my brakes because that’s what you do. And sure enough five minutes later Ridley called and said “Hey man, I’m going to send you a script.” And I thought he must think that I’m someone else, because he’s acting like he knows me. A couple of hours later a guy showed up at my house with the screenplay. And he said “Read this, I’ll be out in the car, and you can bring it out to me when you’re finished.” It was then that I realised that this was some top secret operation, and I really hoped it was the Alien prequel script that I’d been hearing about. I cracked the script, which was by John Spaihts, and sure enough, it was the Alien prequel. I thought it was really cool. I hadn’t been given any instructions as to what to do, or what it was that they wanted. So I just sent an email saying “These are all the things that I loved about it, here are the things that you might want to think about changing.” But who am I to say that?
IGN: So what did you suggest?
Lindelof: Essentially what I proposed to them was that the movie didn’t need to lean as heavily on the Alien tropes that we were all familiar with. Eggs, face-huggers, chest bursters, acid blood, xenomorphs. I said that stuff can be a part of this movie, but I don’t think it needs to be what the movie’s about. There are some other really cool ideas in here that you can flesh out and grow. And that’s what I would do. The next morning they said “Do you want to come in and talk more?” And that was the beginning of the next year of my life!
IGN: Did you feel the pressure of working on such a hugely popular franchise?
Lindelof: When you stop and you think about the pressure and the anxiety of what it would mean if you screwed up, you would never take the job in the first place. I think that one of the exciting things about this era of filmmaking is that people like me - who are essentially fanboys growing up on the stuff - can essentially cross culture and generation and work with Ridley who made it in the first place… Because at the end of the day, this movie isn’t about what John Spaits wanted it to be, or what I wanted it to be, it’s about what Ridley wanted it to be. And when you’re a screenwriter working for an iconic or visionary director, you’re just doing your best to ask them about a billion questions, in the same way that you’re talking to me right now. And you write down what they say and try to synthesise that into a screenplay. And then you try again and try again and try again and try not to get fired in the process. But ultimately, Ridley Scott hasn’t made a science-fiction movie in over 30 years, so if he wants to come back and do one there’s got to be something very special gnawing at him. A story that he wants to tell. And it was getting that on the page that was my job. This franchise is so much bigger than me. The biggest mistake I could have made would have been to try and infuse it with my sense of “This is what Damon Lindelof wants Alien to be.” It’s “Why is Ridley coming back? What does he want this movie to be about? What’s the story that he hasn’t told before. What are the things that he wants to revisit from the original Alien?" Let’s put those all in a pot together, throw them in the oven and see what happens.
IGN: Let’s get specific then – in your opinion, do these aliens want us to visit them?
Lindelof: That’s an excellent question and one that I’m not going to answer. But I will say that there’s something fascinating about humanity where we perceive it as an invitation. You look at a cave wall, there’s somebody pointing at some distant planets, and one interpretation is “This is where we come from” another is “We want you to come here.” Where are we drawing that from? I think another thing that’s interesting about the system that they visit is that the moon the land on in Prometheus is LV 223. And we know LV 426 is where the action takes place in Alien, so are they even in the right place? And how close are they to the place that these aliens on cave walls were directing them. Were they just extrapolating “This is the system that has the sun with the sustainable life.” So there’s a lot of guesswork. There’s a small line in the movie where David and Holloway are talking about David’s deconstruction of the language based on Holloway’s thesis, and he says “If your thesis is correct” and Holloway says “If it’s correct?” and David says “That’s why they call it a thesis Doctor.” And the reason we threw that in there is that we’re dealing with a highly hypothetical area in terms of who these beings are, what, if any invitation they issued, and who is responsible for making those cave paintings. And did something happen in between when those cave paintings were made - tens of thousands of years ago - and our arrival now, in 2093, 2,000 years after these things have perished. Did something happen in the intermediate period that we should be thinking about?
IGN: So have you got a plan for potential Prometheus sequels?
Lindelof: Sure, and obviously who knows if that’s’ going to happen. I think you have to design these things to have a certain degree of self-contained-ness. But obviously leave room for more. I think that Proemtheus wanted to have two children. One child grows up to be Alien, the other child grows up to become this other mysterious force where we’re heading off in a different direction and contemplating why it is our creators wanted to destroy us. This is a fundamentally interesting question looked at on a theological level, but also on a sci-fi level as well. In constructing those questions, Ridley wanted to know what the answers were as well, and we talked about those at great length, and then he determined what it was he wanted to put in the movie. I think that we had a very defined idea of why the Engineers put those paintings on cave walls, and why it is that they loaded ships full of death, as Shaw puts it at the end of the movie. So those answers are not definitively presented in Prometheus, though if you look through all the materials, I think that the evidence is all there to form a very informed opinion as to what happened, but I’m not going to tell you what my opinion is, as frustrating as it might be.
IGN: You’ve tackled Star Trek and now Alien – are there any other sci-fi franchises that you want to have a stab at?
Lindelof: I never thought that I’d get to a point in my life where I’d say this, but I think that I’m all spaced out in my career. Obviously not permanently, but for the time being. You couldn’t ask for two more divergent visions for the future. One very utopian, optimistic, primary colours – red, yellow and blue. Sleek, clean starships. Everyone on the earth gets along fantastically well. We’re not really interested in money. And the other universe is totally driven by corporate greed. Gritty. Dark. Full of deeply conflicted people. And a much more grounded vision of the future that was instilled in Alien and Blade Runner and carries on through into Prometheus. Having gotten to play in both those worlds, neither of which I made – you go to the store, you buy the play-set, you take the figures out and they all have to adhere to certain rules – I’m sort of more interested in doing something more original for the next couple of years, even if people hate it. And it’s very hard as you know to get movies made if they don’t have that kind of branding of “This is the familiar thing that I already know.” But I’m going to take a stab at it and see what happens before I come crying back for my mummy.
Interesting though not as enlightening as I would like.
"And did something happen in between when those cave paintings were made - tens of thousands of years ago - and our arrival now, in 2093, 2,000 years after these things have perished. Did something happen in the intermediate period that we should be thinking about?"
Those drawings were tens of thousands of years ago? I thought they had said the most recent was only a few thousand. But I could have heard it wrong.
"I think that we had a very defined idea of why the Engineers put those paintings on cave walls, and why it is that they loaded ships full of death, as Shaw puts it at the end of the movie. So those answers are not definitively presented in Prometheus, though if you look through all the materials, I think that the evidence is all there to form a very informed opinion as to what happened"
I think Im missing the materials and evidence 'cause I dont feel like my opinion is very informed. I was wondering if maybe the drawings were warnings and not invitations. However, if they were done tens of thousands of years before then that doesnt make much sense either. When they do finalize Part 2 I hope they address some of this.
I kind of feel the way you do, Feev. I posted this on your FB wall, but I will post it here as well:
I saw Prometheus last night and I really enjoyed it. I've been thinking about it all day which is a sign that I liked it. That being said, I felt that something was missing, but I couldn't quite put a finger on it.
Then it dawned on me. Much of the film centers around the room with the stone head that is full of the vases that contain aliens. My assumption was that they would eventually hatch and cause a lot of trouble. It felt like the film was building to that, yet it never happened.
I was hoping they would infest the ship and then the crew would have to fight them off on board Prometheus. After all, the film is named after the ship, you would think it would be natural to have a climatic battle aboard her. I really do feel that might have put the film over for me. There weren't as many scares as Alien and not as much action as Aliens. I wasn't looking for Battleship, but I thought a little more action might have helped.
Check out my website: PopCulturedwithMovieMike
Add me on Letterboxd: https://www.letterboxd.com/MovieMike80/
Good discussion so far. I gave it a four out of five. I was disappointed because I was expecting something EPIC. Enjoyable movie, nothing special. A few thoughts:
1) I didn't catch the "beginning scene" guy creates all life on Earth thing until I got home. And, that goes right into my next point:
2) The black goo was so damn random! Check this out:
Engineer eats Black Goo = Life On Earth
Holloway eats Black Goo = Death
Holloway fucks Shaw = Squid Baby
Water Creature fucks Terraforming Guy = Zombie Terraforming Guy
Squid Baby fucks Engineer = Alien Ancestor
Ugh!
3) I hated the Zombie Terraforming Guy! It was too random and felt like a plot device to add more action to a slow part in the movie.
4) Vickers was a robot. Everything from the "Father" scene to her being able to throw David around in the hallway tells me this.
5) The 3D was pretty good. Not gimicky, not heavy. But the scenes with the HUD (heads up display - like you're looking through a visor or helmet) and Shaw's flashbacks were really great. So were the "in the throne room" scenes, with the star maps.
"Much of the film centers around the room with the stone head that is full of the vases that contain aliens. My assumption was that they would eventually hatch and cause a lot of trouble. It felt like the film was building to that, yet it never happened."
The black vases contain black goo. The ship was essentially a big bomb headed to Earth.
Yeah, I got that, but instead of destroying Earth I was hoping that they would hatch and destroy Prometheus. Some other thoughts:
I think an interesting question is who programmed David to want to kill his parents and why? Why is he assuming that it’s a natural feeling for humans? The answers to these questions could be what the next few films revolve around.
I also have a theory as to why the aliens would leave a road map to a desolate military base. Maybe it’s a fail safe. Since they created humans they know that eventually they will have the ability to explore space. They also realized that something might happen to them where they are stuck on their planet.
It’s clear to me that the aliens needed human cells in order to become active again. The aliens knew that if something went pear shaped, the humans they created would come looking for them and reactive them just by being in the same room with them. Just a thought.
Check out my website: PopCulturedwithMovieMike
Add me on Letterboxd: https://www.letterboxd.com/MovieMike80/
We saw Prometheus in IMAX 3D on Sunday. I loved it! I loved the creation scene in the beginning. The ship is leaving and our Prometheus sacrifices himself to create life. He drink that interesting black goo that rips him apart on a molecular level, when his body falls into the water we see the DNA begin to reform and then the cells split... perhaps it was the life-sustaining elements of the planet that made this "creation" possible? The water may have acted as a catalyst for new life to be formed from the goo... while later, Charlie (only have a tiny drop of the goo dissolved in water) is burned before his body is ripped apart. Or, it could be that the black goo reacts differently with Charlie because he is a descendent of the "engineers" and his DNA is different?
I'll post more tomorrow. I have a lot of theories based on the original Greek myth.
Yeah, a bit more action would have been nice. The film felt way too slow at times, a bit of action here or there would have helped spruce things up a bit.
Yeah, that was one of my main gripes. There's no discernible internal logic as to what the goo can or can't do. It simply does what the writers/story required it to do.
From a purely plot device standpoint, yeah it was muddled ... but god damn he looked freaky as hell didn't he ?3) I hated the Zombie Terraforming Guy! It was too random and felt like a plot device to add more action to a slow part in the movie.
I'm sure she is. It was heavily hinted at but never confirmed.4) Vickers was a robot. Everything from the "Father" scene to her being able to throw David around in the hallway tells me this.
Did David want to kill his father? It would seem his actions indicate otherwise. He infected Holloway to see what the goo would do to his body, presumably to see if it could benefit Weyland in some way.
This is a theory I like too. Maybe they meant to nurture the growth of the aliens and then leave them there on that planet and take off ?I also have a theory as to why the aliens would leave a road map to a desolate military base. Maybe it's a fail safe. Since they created humans they know that eventually they will have the ability to explore space.
Well the Engineer was manually awoken by an android, not a human. Going back to the previous portion, I'm thinking that the Engineers meant to set up the throne room with the giant face to be self sustaining. Maybe they would take off and leave that portion of the ship behind for when humans ultimately came around ?It's clear to me that the aliens needed human cells in order to become active again. The aliens knew that if something went pear shaped, the humans they created would come looking for them and reactive them just by being in the same room with them. Just a thought.
Remember that film goes to pain staking lengths to remind us that our blood and the engineer's blood is identical, so the goo should have done to him what it did to the engineer (theoretically). Going back to the inconsistencies.
Oh, and I just came across this online ...
LOL, I love that Species Origin thing, it read my mind completely lol.
I'm not really sure if anybody has talked about it here, but one of the other interesting questions is was the Engineer trying to kill humans and headed for Earth? Remember, the engineer was pretty docile until David started talking to him, then he went ape shit. We have no idea what David said to the engineer. It's entirely possible he was like, "Yo, these human bitches are about to kill yo ass then they're going to head to your planet and merk your homeboys." That's when the engineer was like, "I don't think so, Tim!"
I think it's very possible that the engineers are not trying to kill us. It's unfortunate that it may turn out that Shaw helps destroy the very creators of human life, while unknowingly being destroyed by humans very own creation (David). A tragic thought indeed.
Check out my website: PopCulturedwithMovieMike
Add me on Letterboxd: https://www.letterboxd.com/MovieMike80/
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
