Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Prometheus

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Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 06-09-2012, 08:22 AM:

Director Ridley Scott has, for some time now, been playing down the status of Prometheus as a "prequel" to his 1979 monster hit, Alien, and now that his return to the franchise has arrived it's clear why. Prometheus is indeed a prequel but it is of a different flavour to Alien and so the pre-release rhetoric is designed to diminish punters' expectations of another "bug hunt" movie.

Scott deserves recognition for pushing the franchise in a new direction because, let's face it, when it's diminished to the quality of the Alien vs Predator movies, it's time to put the old girl down. Scott sensibly disregards the Alien vs Predator films entirely despite those also being prequels; these abominable additions to the Alien canon make no sense whatsoever in his timeline anyway.

Scott has a grander vision for the series, a vision where the xenomorph isn't even the focus of the story. It's a brave move and not one, it seems, that everyone has liked. But Scott has loftier goals than frightening us out of our wits; he means to question our origins, our purpose and, through the arms-length conduit of Erich von Däniken's theories of extra-terrestrial visitation, our relationship with God. Heady stuff indeed, particularly when framed in a horror flick.

Much criticism has been levelled at the script but I beg to differ. It's a subtle composition to be sure which treats its audience with intelligence. It makes no attempt to compete directly with it's forebear. Indeed it seems almost unfair to compare it directly with Alien in much the same way that it's barely valid to compare Alien with Aliens - the former is a horror thriller, the latter is an action bonanza. Prometheus, Alien and Aliens are all great on their own individual merits; one is not better than the other, they're just different types of films.

The script for Prometheus tends towards the cerebral, raising more philosophical questions than it answers and it is better for not attempting to answer them. The characterisations are slight but elegantly handled; the reveal of Liz Shaw's (Noomi Rapace) infertility, for instance, is beautifully executed in an almost wordless fashion. The script may be sleight on the surface but much is suggested beneath.

Scott presents one hell of a back story based on the scant origins of two H. R. Giger images from Alien - that of the alien ship and the chest punctured "space jockey". Despite having no new creative input, Giger's spirit continues to hang heavily over the franchise for although his biomechanoid design is curiously absent bar that which was lifted directly from Alien, his special brand of Fruedian horror endures in the newly designed vagina monsters that impregnate their victims through phallic oral invasion. All that's missing is the inky black skin and hydraulic veinwork.

I seem to spend a lot time decrying the current exploitative trend in 3D technology but I'm pleased to say that this film is one of those rarities that is worth the trip. Scott understands 3D, shooting wide open spaces and wide open space with suitable depth of field, exploiting the technology to the full. This is what 3D is all about! Immersion, not liver-in-your-lap gimmicks.

Prometheus is an elegant philosophical thriller which dares to set a different tone to it's cash cow predecessors. It bravely sends the franchise in a different, more thoughtful direction, nicely referencing Christian theology, Greek mythology and Von Daniken. If anything, the most disappointing moment is the final reveal of the alien we all know and fear - it's a gratuitous scene that goes without saying and I suspect studio meddling to include it. That one scene aside, it's a very good film.

9 out of 10.

Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 06-12-2012, 12:45 AM:

I can't wait to see the longer cut on bluray, because the theatrical cut is outright bad, in it's editing. I've seen it twice now, and it's pacing and logic are so mind numbing - it just pissed me off.

obviously technically, it looks great and sounds fantastic (in 7.1) as it's the usual case for all of Ridley Scott's films, but I ain't holding my breath that Fox Home Video will port the 7.1 audio mix onto bluray - they have done it twice already with prior 7.1 films - so if they don't they'll get a nasty email from me.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-12-2012, 03:34 PM:

quote: Stu Jamieson

Much criticism has been levelled at the script but I beg to differ. It's a subtle composition to be sure which treats its audience with intelligence.

I stopped reading here. You gotta be KIDDING me!

This kind of comment is nothing more than a way of saying that you liked it and you consider yourself intelligent -- more intelligent than those who don't like it.

I call "bullshit!"

I can't believe I silenced my cel phone for this trash.

Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 06-12-2012, 06:38 PM:

^ I dispute that that's what my comment means but I do appear to be largely alone in my opinion of the script.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 06-12-2012, 08:24 PM:

I am considerd by most of my friends and teachers in high school and at Brooks Institute where I studied photography to be very intelligent. The suggestion that only intelligent people will enjoy PROMETIOUS gives me a reason to be concerned about my mind because I found the movie very confusing and difficult to understand and I did not enjoy the movie at all! I loved Ridley Scott's other films, ALIEN and BLADE RUNNER and was expecting to enjoy this picture too but his decision to go overboard with the way the film was edited totally screwed a picture that had a great potential.

I saw the movie today in Real D 3-D today at Regal's Pearl Highland and found the 3-D very good but I had seen better. The 3-D used in AVATAR and HUGO was excellent but the way it looked in PROMETIOUS appeared like very good post converted to 3-D from a 2-D source.

1 out of 4

-Claude

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 06-12-2012, 08:46 PM:

Wow to Manny's latest comments.

I really wanted to like it as "Alien" is way up on my best film list. I practically owe my career at Dolby Labs on the new 70mm installations in prep for this film bringing me a lot of attention from Fox and Dolby personnel.

I've seen it many, many times and never got tired of the minimalist approach. I became almost as addicted to this as I did to "The Wire".

I've read other reviews here and there that lead me to want to give it another try.

It seemed mighty poor plotting, starting with the crew running out to explore with sunset approaching, throwing caution to the wind. Even Idris Elba seemed weak and a direct copy of Yaphet Kotto; he had his own persona but a southern accent that seemed to come from Omar Little. Is there some rule that Alien pilots must be Black? Why couldn't he be British?

David was very good and the idea of having Peter O'Toole as his model was brilliant. But then to have David end up torn apart exactly the same as Ian Holm seemed pretty trite.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-12-2012, 09:47 PM:

The opening was incoherent. Off to a horrible start. WTF was that all about? No - don't - please don't try to explain it. You'd be wasting your time. I really couldn't care less.

Moving right along...we're in space now...

Problem: Given how long ago the clues were left on Earth -- the idea totally STOLEN from 2001 -- and how "old" the visible light from a star is (when viewed from Earth) it's a wonder anything was still there when they arrived. Sure, it's possible, but good sci-fi is supposed to anticipate these kinds of logical questions, and find clever ways of convincing the skeptic to suspend disbelief.

"Intelligent viewers" don't merely settle for possible. We prefer plausible. We like a little bit of "science" in our science fiction.

Which brings me to...

We're supposed to believe they got there in just a few years. Even if they traveled AT the speed of light -- which isn't theoretically possible, unless Dr. Sagan was wrong -- the nearest stars are about 4 light years away.

Pushups? Immediately following years of interstellar hibernation? Really? Cast your mind back just a few years and recall what a HUGE DEAL it was that the female astronaut (Sunita Williams?) could even WALK off the Space Shuttle after spending MONTHS aboard the ISS. She could barely walk. Barely. And they made a HUGE DEAL out of it.

And, c'mon! -- It just doesn't make ANY SENSE WHATSOEVER that the magic doctor machine would only be designed for males only, when there are two women aboard. And, really, does it make sense that a machine like that would come in a "budget" model? And does it make sense that a company that can fund a mission several light years away would BUY the budget model? Finally -- more to the point -- it didn't really serve the plot anyway because Miss Thing finds a way to trick it in less than 2 minutes -- so it was just a stupid stupid STUPID and TRANSPARENT gimmick to "create suspense." Whatever.

I agree with someone who posted on another forum that the most interesting characters were the two sidekicks with the ongoing bet. I TOTALLY agree.

Wasted opportunity for a "payoff" on the line: "The trick is not minding that it hurts."

And now, if y'all don't mind, I'm going to watch the original ALIEN which I immediately bought at Best Buy for $9.99 -- consider it the mouthwash to rid myself of the horrible PROMETHEUS after-taste -- and, BTW, this copy of ALIEN cost less than the (small) popcorn and (small) Coke I bought at the theatre -- more than a dollar less.

My God in Heaven! These have got to be the LAST DAYS!

Astronaut Walks...

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 06-12-2012, 10:55 PM:

-----at least my small diet coke was free thanks to my Regal club card ,dollar hot dog and $2.00 small pop corn, the only additional amount of money I spent was for the admission ticket plus the $4.00 3-D surcharge.

I have all the ALIEN movies on Blu Ray in a special edition collection and I think I will watch ALIEN tonight too.

-Claude

Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 06-12-2012, 11:17 PM:

My favorite part was when old Biff Tannen showed up. I was really hoping he would find that sports almanac this time.

My 2nd favorite part was when Stringer Bell scared the lady with his accordion right when she was about to touch the hologram.

My 3rd favorite part was probably the Django Unchained trailer.

BTW, the Cine Capri at Harkins Northfield no longer shows film. Their digital projection is pretty decent, considering the size of the screen. But I could still see jagged edges in diagonal text.

Posted by Tony Gallimore (Member # 5358) on 06-13-2012, 12:27 AM:

Like several other posts I've read, I saw Alien lurking around every corner in this latest attempt. The special effects were pretty good, digital 2-D acceptable. but the disjointed storyline really sucked. I agree with Claude, the real redemption for this fiasco was the free Coke Regal gave me.

Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 06-13-2012, 01:55 AM:

quote: Manny
The opening was incoherent. Off to a horrible start. WTF was that all about?

It's Genesis, dude. (I know you said don't bother explaining it but I couldn't help myself. Evidently my impertinence knows no bounds. [Wink]

)

quote: Manny
Given how long ago the clues were left on Earth.....it's a wonder anything was still there when they arrived.

Well it was pretty much dead when they arrived and looked like it had been for some time. Did you know there's still pyramids in Egypt after all this time?

quote: Manny
We're supposed to believe they got there in just a few years. Even if they traveled AT the speed of light -- which isn't theoretically possible, unless Dr. Sagan was wrong -- the nearest stars are about 4 light years away.

Far be it from me to argue with Uncle Carl but I've got 5 bucks here that says that he won't be the last word on cosmology. Besides, this is sci-fi (with emphasis on the "fi" part) of which inter-stellar travel is a common staple. If you're struggling with that concept then I'm guessing you're not a big sci-fi nut. In addition to that, this franchise is about fearsome aliens with acid for blood - I think that firmly puts it at the "fantasy" end of the genre where pretty much anything can go as long as it complies with the films own internal logic.

quote: Manny Knowles
It just doesn't make ANY SENSE WHATSOEVER that the magic doctor machine would only be designed for males only, when there are two women aboard.

Maybe that machine wasn't there for the women? There was a very important male passenger on board, after all. Perhaps it was for him? We know from the last four movies how little the Weyland Corporation has for the personal welfare of its employees. What was the word - "expendable"?

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 06-13-2012, 09:07 AM:

I pretty much agree with Stu's latest post.

Still, it did not work for most movie goers.

Care to use your considerable analytical and writing skills to take a shot at explaining why most of us were disappointed?

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-13-2012, 11:37 AM:

When three people tell you you're drunk, LIE DOWN!!!

This movie fails on so many levels:

As a part of the "Alien" franchise.
As a Ridley Scott picture.
Screenwriting - very poor structure.
Waste of Guy Pearce - anybody could've played that role.

As a "2001" or "Contact" wannabe - so far out of its league as to be embarrassing. Now, HERE we have two sci-fi movies that don't rely on "fantasy" as a cheap way around the "sci" part of the genre. Pardon the pun, but "Prometheus" can't hold a candle to these two films.

Sam - The Australian version was clearly different. [Wink]

Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 06-13-2012, 12:07 PM:

quote: Sam D. Chavez
I really wanted to like it as "Alien" is way up on my best film list. I practically owe my career at Dolby Labs on the new 70mm installations in prep for this film bringing me a lot of attention from Fox and Dolby personnel.

Sam: I imagine this article will bring back good memories.

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 06-13-2012, 01:00 PM:

Thank you Michael, you always come up with the best info. Awesome!

And Manny, nice to see the return of your sense of humor.

I've got to view it again and see how it settles this time.

Someone said we witnessed the birth of the Queen at the end.

Hopefully, the next installment, and there will be one, will be better.

Posted by Kurt Zupin (Member # 2751) on 06-13-2012, 03:26 PM:

I went in to Prometheus with out ever seeing a single Alien film, aside from the horrible AvP films. I knew what the basics were and what the Aliens were and who Ripley was. I honestly though do not understand the hate for this film, the this doesn't make sense why wasn't I spoon fed answers. Every single person is entitled to their opinion on the fact, whether some people want to accept that others liked the film or not is up to each person.

I agree with pretty much everything Stu said, a lot of the "Answers" people want are in the film. There may not be a Neon Sign pointing out everyone of them but most are there. Sure there are some unexplained things and maybe some will be answered in future installments or they wont.

The opening to this film is not some giant mystery that isn't explained. The engineer sacrifices himself to start life on this planet. You see his body become DNA which in turn becomes cells. Is that really that hard to grasp?

It's made very clear that Vickers wasn't supposed to be on the flight, when important person shows up he makes that very clear. Her "Life boat" was not intended for her, hence the advanced medical bed was there for one person. Not there for the entire crew to use when needed.

I'm going to catch major flack I can already tell for what I'm about to say, however last night I watched the first Alien. While I love the entire cast, the movie is not some grand epic. It has a bare as bones plot. The sheer stupidity of the crew on the Nostromo is laughable, logic left the door as soon as they landed on LV-426. But those are the things you expect when your inside a Slasher film, which is all that Alien really is. A slasher film in space. Also, don't get me started on what the hell the Alien is doing at the end when its just stretched out to take a nap on the escape pod.

It was a good movie, but it also wasn't the be all end all that some people would make it out to be. In the end this is a series that is about make believe aliens, people that are not the brightest thinking they are way smarter then they are.

Just my 2 cents, flame away.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-13-2012, 03:39 PM:

quote: Kurt Zupin
Just my 2 cents, flame away.

Fair market value for this opinion. [Razz]

Posted by Joseph L. Kleiman (Member # 3097) on 06-13-2012, 03:54 PM:

I'll limit myself to two comments.

1. Drops the link to the Predator franchise and opens one, as close as possible without owning the license, to Blade Runner (including one scene that almost mirrors a pivotal one in that earlier Ridley Scott film).

2. Best film I've seen in IMAX 1570 3D since Imagine.

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 06-13-2012, 05:57 PM:

To Kurt,

This is one of those situations where "you had to be there"

Seeing this film for the first time in 70mm and big screen with a full house vs. watching even Blu Ray in your home many years later.

Further,
I believe the Alien was getting ready for a really long nap in the escape pod. As in two years back to earth if I remember. But it went wrong of course.

But there was the cat of course.

Even the Ian Holm robot whose name is not coming to me, smiled and said we (humans) hadn't a chance.

We humans are dumb for sure, but resourceful.

Posted by Victor Liorentas (Member # 5272) on 06-13-2012, 06:44 PM:

Kurt let us know when you watch Aliens which i believe does still stand the test of time.

Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 06-13-2012, 07:43 PM:

quote: Manny
The Australian version was clearly different. [Wink]

Maybe it's just that we have minds to match our wide open spaces. [Razz]

quote: Sam
Care to use your considerable analytical and writing skills to take a shot at explaining why most of us were disappointed?

I can only speculate on the answer to that, Sam, but I can think of 2 possibilities:

1. Perhaps the audience was expecting an Alien™ movie in which case they would inevitably be disappointed. Significant publicity efforts were made to separate this film from the franchise but it appears it was all for nought. I guess people really really wanted an Alien™ movie. I think in hindsight it would have been better if the film had not been publicly connected to Alien at all - the final scene would have been quite a reveal in that case - but I suspect this proposition would have been wholly unacceptable to Fox.

2.The film is heavily themed toward Christian theology and Greek mythology and maybe the wider population isn't so interested in this? I'm not a religious person but I'm very interested in it so there's a lot in the movie for me to chew over. The references to religion and Greek myth are everywhere!

Friends of mine have bemoaned the fact that the film doesn't answer the question, "why do the Engineers want to kill us?". Christian folk among us can no doubt answer that question because the answer resides in the Bible and the "Engineers" in the film are merely stand-ins for God (remember the Genesis scene?). It's significant that this question is verbalised in the film by Shaw and is clearly intended as an indication of her faith being shaken - it's the first step to Godlessness - which, no doubt, frightens her more than the xenomorph and leads directly to her determination in the end to find the answer. In the end it turns out that Shaw and David are kindred spirits - they're both searching for answers and are willing to sacrifice everything to get it.

The question also reflects the other major theme of subservience to higher castes which relates directly to the Prometheus myth and operates at EVERY level throughout the film. It's beautifully illustrated in the first scene between Vickers and Shaw where Shaw dares to assume equal standing in the mission with Vickers. The result is Vickers sharply putting Shaw in her place! Indeed Shaw ends up suffering a similar fate to Prometheus in the med pod (Prometheus' penance was to have his organs plucked out by an eagle).

The theme occurs again when David and Weyland confront the Engineer. The Engineer is so affronted at being addressed by, not only his creation (Weyland), but his creation's creation (David) that he kills them immediately. Indeed David addressing the Engineer in his own language is analogous to Man presenting Zeus with fire and is the ultimate affront. (This theme, you'll recall, was also heavily featured in Blade Runner).

Now I imagine that if you go into this movie expecting Alien™ then stuff like this will probably pass you by but if you take the time to "look" at it, I think you'll find there's plenty depth to explore.

EDIT: I just thought of a third possibility:

3. I'm not a big fan of Blade Runner. I can appreciate it (and understand why people like it and acknowledge its influentialness) but it just doesn't hit me on an emotional level - something to do with its tone, perhaps. Maybe this somewhat explains others' nonchalance towards (or derision of) Prometheus??

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 06-13-2012, 09:24 PM:

Ian played Ash in Alien.

I always liked Alien...always disliked Aliens

This film I have not formed a proper opinion due to the circumstances of my viewing (studio screening and didn't have an opportunity to watch it from the audience perspective...what I did see/hear in the theatre showed VERY HIGH quality. Thus far, the story hasn't done anything for me but I'm willing to give it a full viewing sometime.

Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 06-13-2012, 10:50 PM:

Manny the reason why Guy was cast, is that he plays a younger version of himself minus all that old age makeup in a scene that was deleted for the theatrical cut, word is that that scene will be restored for the home video version.

SPOILER:

that was not the queen, because the planet is not the same one in 'Alien' - the ship isn't the same since we all know that in Alien - the character of the space jockey was introduced in dead form with it having a hole in it's chest - the film doesn't connect the dots

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 5226) on 06-13-2012, 11:05 PM:

My wife and I watched it at Reading cinemas the other night on 35mm 2D "nice print" and we both enjoyed it as with other people I have talked to since. I guess thats big Mamma Alien being born at the end. One question though, is the Alien a male or female or both [Roll Eyes]

Graham.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-13-2012, 11:30 PM:

PROMETHEUS in 15 Minutes

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 06-13-2012, 11:48 PM:

quote: Steve Guttag
I always liked Alien...always disliked Aliens

Really Steve??? Oh the shame.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 06-14-2012, 01:19 PM:

In 1979, I saw "Alien' in 70mm in SLC at the now demolished Centre Theatre.

That is how you should see 'Alien' !

Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 06-14-2012, 01:47 PM:

I saw 'Alien' in 70mm at the Uptown at a mini-70mm film fest (I was too young in 1979 to see an R-rated movie, and there was no way in hell my parents would have taken me to see it) - it was unreal, ethereal and scary as crap, notably the airshaft scene.

Posted by Ron Funderburg (Member # 4561) on 06-14-2012, 01:53 PM:

Alien in 70 mm and 6 track sound was awesome ground breaking horror. Aliens was also a wonderful engaging film. Everything after that didn't happen as far as I am concerned.

I haven't seen Prometheus yet but I want to. Haven't decided if I want 3D or just normal D.

As to was Alien Epic or not I guess it depends on what you mean by Epic doesn't it? HUMM it was great and fantastic do you even need Epic then? After all it is all about how one feels about the film so it is up to the individual from bad to epic is an individual decision. Okay I have made up my mind it was Epic no it is Epic!

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 06-14-2012, 02:28 PM:

I saw ALIEN and ALIENS in 70mm. ALIEN played at the Cinerama and ALIENS at the Waikiki #2 and both were awesome films and I enjoyed them very much. I was hoping PROMETIOUS would give me the same thrill but sadly, it did not.

I just read about the Blu Ray and DVD of PROMETIOUS that is expected in about three months. Ridley Scott had said the movie will have about twenty five minutes of extra footage on the disc. Hopefully, this will make the movie better.

-Claude

Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 06-14-2012, 11:00 PM:

I remember really hating the theatrical cut of 'Kingdom of Heaven' the director's cut released on home though - the difference was night and day, hope the extended cut of 'Prometheus' will result in a more coherent story.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-14-2012, 11:12 PM:

quote: Manny Knowles
This kind of comment is nothing more than a way of saying that you liked it and you consider yourself intelligent -- more intelligent than those who don't like it.

I call "bullshit!"

I can't believe I silenced my cel phone for this trash.

Ah yes, I can see how you could interpret such a comment to be, well, pretentious. But the comment "I can't believe I silenced my cel phone for this trash." could be interpreted the same way. It has an air of "self importance" about it.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-15-2012, 11:38 AM:

Joe, your opinion of me doesn't matter today. Maybe someday. But not today.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 06-15-2012, 12:32 PM:

Let's respect the minority. If someone finds something valuable in a movie, and Stu certainly is quite articulate and intelligent about WHY he liked -- and to be fair, he does point out flaws in the execution -- then why piss on it? There are may films that don't have a majority following, even a rabid dis-following -- 2001, comes immediately to mine; LOTS of people don't like that film, even many here on board populated with film lovers. Sometimes it's not always gaining acceptance by the largest majority that makes a film a success. And the majority shouldn't be a bully about it.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-15-2012, 01:47 PM:

Why NOT piss on it?

I kinda see your point, but that is over-ridden by the fact that "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not gonna take this anymore!"

If people want to love this movie, nobody is stopping them. Sorry if that triggers my gag reflex. [puke]

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-15-2012, 02:52 PM:

Manny, your opinion of Stu doesn't matter today, either!

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-15-2012, 03:28 PM:

Whatever. My real beef is with this stupid movie. That's all.

Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 06-15-2012, 04:36 PM:

I agree with you Manny - and regardless if one loves it or hates it, one shouldn't be royally crucified for either stance/opinion of the film.

Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 06-15-2012, 06:33 PM:

Ah, (respectful) disagreement is the spice of life! Bring it on, fellas, I'm quite prepared to defend my position and it's been quite a while since I've had a good movie stoush. [Smile]

Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 06-15-2012, 08:11 PM:

^ I ain't taking the bait... [Big Grin]

Posted by Victor Liorentas (Member # 5272) on 06-15-2012, 09:00 PM:

I call bullshit on all movie reviews! [Big Grin]

No I love thoughtful reviews but I will not read them until I have seen the movie. Unless it's something I could care less about...then I read it to feel superior! [Smile]

Actually I scan reviews to get a general idea like on rotten tomatoes Prometheus is at 74% fresh which is very good.

Posted by Paul Rousseas (Member # 7022) on 06-23-2012, 06:51 PM:

Who would expect that at the end of this year's season I would watch the best movie of it? An audio-visual spectacle that it is not only about exciting effects and overwhelming sound, being both philosophical and allegorical. One of the very few films that has managed to keep me in the edge of my seat. I also have to note that the 3D effect was completely immersive, even more than Avatar's! Do not miss it!

Rating: 9/10

PS: The end of the film is essentially the beginning of the first Alien. But it also prepares us for a sequel, which takes place in parallel with the Alien series.

I watched "Prometheus" at my local multiplex (Odeon Starcity) in astonishing quality DOLBY 3D (Kinoton projector - Common Height Screen).

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 06-23-2012, 08:07 PM:

I was really looking forward to seeing this, only when we got to the Regal after checking the times on Moviefone.com, I was informed that the IMAX system had been down for a few days and there were no shows. Nice to NOT let the public in on that little fact.

I understand being shut down for a show or two, possibly for a whold day, but for multiple days? So I asked her again, "It's been closed for DAYS?" "Yes," she replied and without even a rote "Sorry for the inconvenience," when she saw the disappointment on the faces of the four of us. I guess with digital, there isn't spare heads laying around down in the basement that can be swapped out to save shows. Anyone have an email address so I can complain to Regal and IMAX for making us drive from one end of the county to the other to a dark house?

Trying to salvage the night, we Saw MEN IN BLACK ninstead and all of us purposely didn't buy a single item at their concessions -- AND we kept the glasses too. I must say, the 3D in MEN IN BLACK was perfect. Great effects and with No Strain Convergence thru out. 3D Done Right! so it wasn't a total washout. We all thought MIB was lots of fun, although close-ups of Tommy Lee Jones face were about as unsettling as the aliens...someone needs to direct the man to a good plastic surgeon.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-23-2012, 10:47 PM:

quote: Victor Liorentas
Actually I scan reviews to get a general idea like on rotten tomatoes Prometheus is at 74% fresh which is very good.

"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people."

-- H.L. Mencken

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 06-23-2012, 10:55 PM:

Was the Regal IMAX 15/70 or digital, Frank?

-Claude

Never mind. I read your thread again and You did indicate it was digital.

Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 06-24-2012, 02:10 AM:

quote: Frank
...all of us purposely didn't buy a single item at their concessions -- AND we kept the glasses too.

Oh Frank, you're just too bad! Good for you, sir, they'll know who they're f*cking with next time. [Big Grin]

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-24-2012, 12:04 PM:

LOL

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 06-26-2012, 03:24 PM:

Yeah, I know Stu...it's just the rebel in me. [evil]

Then again, it's better than throwing a stink bomb in their A/C ductwork. See....everything is relative when it come to letting them know who they are [fu]

with.

And Claude, it was LieMAX digital, not film. I do think, at least at this IMAX in Brooklyn, the 3D in terms of picture brightness is the best I have seen compared to RealD(im) 3D, and I must admit, even better than the 15/70 3D I've seen at the Manhattan IMAX. That place has a distinct hotspot that the Brooklyn LieMAX does not, and given that nothing is shot in 15/70 anyway, what's the point trecking to Manhattan to see it on film?

The theatre next door in which I saw MIB that night, the (RealD) was OK, but just OK and on a smallish screen....with the trademark RealD hotspot. If there is a 3D film that I want to see (not many), I will always go to the digital version of it if it's available in the "Experience" (shelling out $23 bucks to see a movie -- now THAT's the IMAX Experience).

Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 06-27-2012, 07:13 PM:

quote: Frank Angel
...and given that nothing is shot in 15/70 anyway

Wally Pfister just told me that you are wrong.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-28-2012, 12:31 PM:

Word to the wise -- NEVER argue with a guy named PFISTER! [Eek!]

Posted by Ron Funderburg (Member # 4561) on 06-28-2012, 12:52 PM:

I guess I will just pass on watching this movie for now! Been fun reading all the disagreements about it!