Prometheus

H

hellrasinbrasin

Guest
Prometheus Summary

The Dawn of Man

In the opening scene of prometheus, you see an engineer consuming a vial of biomatter fluid from a cup which begins to immediately desiccate his body. As he is dying his body goes over the waterfall into the waters below and his altered DNA strand is released which eventually gives rise to the human race.

A Map to the Stars

The story then flashes forward to the year 2089 to the isle of Scotland, where 2 archaeologists, Shaw and Holloway discover a new cartouche with a similar drawing design featuring a tall slender figure pointing toward 5 star points. These star points are in fact an astrological map to the star system where they believe their creators dwell.

Riders on the Storm

The story then jumps forward to 2093 with a science mission well under way to the planet from which humanity believes its creators originate. The first crew member of the Prometheus we meet is the android David. David has spent the last 2 1/2 years monitoring the ships systems and has taken an apparent fascination with peeking into Shaws dreams for the last 2 years while they were in hypersleep. After viewing Shaws dreams, David is seen studying various language videos showcasing a fascination with Lawrence of Arabia, to the point that he actually changes his hair tone to match the hair tone to the character of Lawrence. While this is somewhat amusing, it ties in to the overall structure of creation and identity as it relates to David. Once the Prometheus finally reaches its destination LV-223, David proceeds to the hypersleep room to awake the crew when he hears grunting sounds coming from the life boat room of Meridith Vikers. Upon entering, he discovers Vickers has awakened. Vickers sees David enter her room and asks him if there have been any fatalities of the crew in hypersleep. After nodding no, David wakes up the crew.

Once the crew has had time to awaken from hypersleep, Vikers instructs Captain Janek that the mission briefing is going to be held in the gymn once everyone has been seated she loads a pre-recorded message by the head of the Weyland Corp who financed this mission. In the video, an aged Peter Weyland appears and tells them that for as long as man has existed we have asked the same questions "Where do we come from, What Happens after Death, What is our purpose". Weyland continues by saying that among you are 2 who believe as I do to finding the answers to those questions and asks that they step forward and reveal to the rest why they are here.

Holloway loads up a holographic slide showcasing different cartouche drawings but the single connecting factor was the star points that when loaded against star charts plots a destination to the only inhabitable planetary sphere in the system of space they are in. Shaw interjects by saying that the beings that left this map behind on Earth are Engineers. Fifield a Geologist by profession asks what is it that they engineered Shaw replies by stating "They Engineered Us" Milbern a Scientist points out that what you're suggesting would invalidate the whole concept of Darwinism. Once the briefing concludes Janek orders the descent into the planets atmosphere after doing a complete pass of the surface Holloway notices a man made runway and four dome like structures and asks the captain to park the ship there. The away team leaves for the domed structure.

Prometheus Unbound

Holloway, Shaw, David, Ford, Fifield, and Milbern enter the Bio-facility Fifield activates several bio-scanners that serve as 3D layouts of the structure they are in. David activates a security cam that loads footage from 2000 years ago showing Engineers running from something. The team follows the footage to a sealed door that David unlocks revealing a chamber with 1000's of Urns and a big giant humanoid face in the center. Shaw takes notice of the Mural's on the wall the 1st showcases a giant with a hole in his side and something fused to his hand the 2nd is of a Xenomorph outstretched with a face hugger behind it. Shaw and Ford bag the Engineer head and David lifts an Urn from the room after Shaw notices that the Mural's and statue are being degraded because of the oxygen that was reintroduced to the room not only that but its effected all of the urns causing them to leak Bio-matter throughout the room and anything living in that chamber is up for an upgrade. But before the horror begins the crew must race back to the ship before being stuck at the facility due to a magnetic storm. Everyone returns to the ship except for Fifield and Milbern. Mean while in the lab DNA result confirm Shaw and Holloway's theory these Engineers are in fact humanities creator.

In another lab David is taking apart the Urn and studying it much like a child inspects a new toy. He places a dot of the bio-matter on his finger and leaves to run an experiment. In the wreck room Holloway is in a drunken stupor about how he came all this way to get answers from Dead Gods and that he expected more. David asks Holloway why man created machine and Holloway responds because we could David retorts by saying imagine yourself asking your creator the same question and imagine how disappointing it would be. Unit 8 then mix's the bio-matter with the liquor he poured into a glass and hands it to Holloway and smiles as the drink is consumed.

Holloway enters his and Shaw's quarters the 2 make out Holloway unknowingly infects Shaw knocking her up with his viral semen leaving her with anything but a bundle of joy on the way. Meanwhile back on Prometheus scans pick up a life sign in the facility. Fifield and Milbern are goofing around in Ampule chamber when Milbern sees a snake like creature emerge from the bio-matter in the room. Milbern being the genius that he is clearly forgot the warning sign by the snake that read : Don't pet the alien life forms sometimes they pet back. A lesson learned the hard way as it ends up costing Milbern and Fifield their lives.

The next day a team is sent to retrieve Milbern and Fifield well they find Milbern with a creature in his mouth that enjoys playing surprise before swimming off Fifield is MIA and Holloway's body starts to dissolve like the Engineer at the start of the film. Shaw orders that quarantine measures be implemented immediately for everyone that entered the structure. Vickers races towards the deck and grabs a flamethrower not knowing what she's about to deal with. Upon seeing how much of Holloway's body is ravaged by whatever he was exposed to Vickers immolates him much to the hysterical pleas made by Shaw. When Shaw comes to she is undergoing a scan that reveals she is 3 months pregnant a fact that she disputes after all how could she be pregnant she's infertile but as David confirms she is quite quite pregnant with something non-human. David injects her with a sedative so that Ford and her assistant can reinsert her back in cryo sleep for the journey home.

When Shaw comes to she cold cocks both Ford and her assistant and runs towards Vickers lifeboat room where she saw the Med-pod. Shaw recalibrate the pod for the surgery needed slides herself onto the table the pod closes and begins scanning her abdomen and notices the life form. The Pod emits a laser across her lower stomach and prongs pull back her stomach as a robotic hand enters her body and removes the life form just as its gestation sach pops all over her. The Med-Pod then staples her shut but now Shaw is stuck with the creature she birthed wiggling over her as she slides out of the machine and exits the room but not before implementing decontamination protocol and locking the room down. Covered in blood Shaw staggers down the corridor's of Prometheus and collapses in med bay in front of David and a very much alive Peter Weyland.

Wrath of the Gods

David coldly quips to Shaw about her survival instincts and that he never thought "she had it in her" to do what was necessary to live. Weyland berates her because she wants to go home as nothing was as they thought but that request is short lived as David says that he will take his creator to meet the sole living Enginner on this moon. In her quarters Shaw is suiting up when Janek enters asking what she is doing Shaw responds by saying she is going back into the facility. Janek asks why as he now understands what happened here this is a research facility that was abandoned after the bio-matter from the Urns leaked he continues on by saying that non of what's on this world can come back with them.

David leads Peter Weyland a security officer and Shaw back into the Derelict. On the way to were the sleeping Engineer is being preserved they pass through a storage unit with hundreds of Urns. After reaching their destination David revives the Engineer and awaits instruction as to what to say to his creator's creator as he awakes. The Engineer looks at the humans in his presence and takes note of the synthetic being looking at him. As Weyland is about to speak Shaw in agony asks "Why did you make us, Why did you change your mind and seek to destroy us , Where are you from". Weyland annoyed by Shaw has his guard strike her. The founder of Weyland Industries turns his attention back to David who inquires about the secret of Immortality the Engineer realizing that David is an affront to his faith tares David's head off and beats Weyland to death with it then kills Ford and the guard.

Having just reached the surface Shaw pleads with Janek that he must stop the Engineer's ship from leaving for Earth. Janek tells Shaw that the Prometheus is not a warship but he says he will do what has to be done Janek orders Vickers off the ship as he plots an intercept course with the other ship with the intent of crippling it at the cost of himself and his two pilots. The Prometheus explodes into a wave of white flame sending The Derelict crashing to the surface below Shaw narrowly avoids being killed Vickers was not so lucky.Shaw makes it to the lifeboat and closes the hatch just as her oxygen runs out. Inside Shaw receives a message from David that The Engineer is heading in her direction Shaw takes the time she has and grabs an ax waiting for her God to come to her. Shaw approaches the door leading into Med-pod room and would have opened up the door had she not seen that tentacle pound against the door. A loud tearing sound is heard as the Engineer makes his way towards Shaw throwing her against the wall next to the control panel to where a fully grown version of the creature Shaw birthed waits to appear. The creature ensares the Engineer and narrowly misses grabbing Shaw. Shaw is too busy escaping the life boat to see how the tug of war match ends and makes her way towards the Derelict.

Inside the Derelict Shaw asks David for her necklace back he says its in his pocket. Shaw asks if there are any other ships that could be used to leave this moon. David says yes one that could surely take us home however Shaw has other plans. Shaw tells David that we came to find our creators and we did now I want to find their world to ask them why they changed their minds about our species. We see a Derelict rise and FTL in the sky sending it and its crew to parts unknown. Meanwhile back in the life boat a seed of life takes shape and emerges from the dead Engineer while not like the breed of Xenomorph seen years later it is of the same Genus.
 
The movie was alright, the trailer was better :judo: It did leave a lot to be desired for me. I agree with all of Johnstantine and Oburi's concerns:

Liked:
-The first half of the movie, really good setup
-decent score
-Fassbender's character and performance
-The movie is impressive from a technical standpoint

Hated:
-Too many really stupid character motivations did not suspend my belief, completely took me out of the movie
-Once the gribblies showed up it felt like Scott was just going through the motions with them, hamfisting them in there, crossing off the monsters checklist.
-
Weyland subplot was useless, didn't go anywhere, like much of the movie
-
Shaw running like a track star after her C-section.
-Nothing is explained, what was with the
hari-kiri
in the beginning someone?
-
The last 20 seconds felt tacked on, like a pseudo apology for having no real answers to anything

fuck fuck fuck

Maybe in 20 years this will become a cult classic??
 
H

hellrasinbrasin

Guest
frankencowx said:
The movie was alright, the trailer was better :judo: It did leave a lot to be desired for me. I agree with all of Johnstantine and Oburi's concerns:

Hated:

-Too many really stupid character motivations did not suspend my belief, completely took me out of the movie
-Once the gribblies showed up it felt like Scott was just going through the motions with them, hamfisting them in there, crossing off the monsters checklist.
-
Weyland subplot was useless, didn't go anywhere, like much of the movie
-
Shaw running like a track star after her C-section.
-Nothing is explained, what was with the
hari-kiri
in the beginning someone?
-
The last 20 seconds felt tacked on, like a pseudo apology for having no real answers to anything

To answer your Q's

1.Outside of Merideth Vickers Weyland , Peter Weyland, Janek , David , Holloway , and Shaw everyone else was cannon fodder
2.Shaw was running her ass off because she didn't want to become a pancake under the Derelict ship ; and they showed that
she could move a couple feet before she started reeling from the pain of the C-section

3.The beginning of the film with the Engineer is the Genesis of Man
- The Ambiguity surrounding the Lab accident in the Ampule chamber 2000 years ago revolved around an Engineer being
accidentally exposed to a new DNA matrix causing a new life to gestate and birth through him. I wager it to be a Xenomorph and
a Queen to boot. Anyone remember the carbon dating for the Derelict in Alien I believe it was in or around 2000 years which
means that the dead Engineer in Alien was killed by a Queen while flying.

4.The end has Shaw flying off on another Derelict ship leaving only one left on LV-223 that still functions.
5.The Urns are Bio-Matrix's think of them as mini Genesis Devices from The Wrath of Khan they replace life in favor of their new
Matrix or they mutate existing life into something else.

6.As to what the Engineers are in the final analysis I like to think of them as Gardeners they plant the seeds of life on worlds
that they bio-engineered then move onto another planet.

7.The Face hugger you see in the film birthed from shaw is in the same Genus as the Face hugger from Alien and Aliens. Much
in the same way as the critter born from the Engineer is in the same Genus as the Xenomorph.

8.Old man Peter Weyland pulled a fatal imitation of Roy Batty towards the Engineer "I want more life father" with a gun aimed at the
guy who just woke of from a 2000 year old nap.
 

NightCrawler

Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
According to Ridley Scott,
the beginning doesn't necessarily happens in Earth.
Also, the Engineer is alone while the ship is leaving, is he doing some rogue DNA planting, a nod to the Prometheus myth, or is it a part of the Engineer-people agenda? Are they primarily destroyers, or creators? I think that post that i linked from imdb in the previous page is pretty interesting.

I agree pretty much with this review:

I read a piece on David Fincher recently where he described a distinction between “films” and “movies.” He says The Game is a movie, Fight Club is a film. “A movie is made for an audience and a film is made for an audience and the filmmakers,” he explained. The way I extrapolate that statement is that I imagine a film as something that asks and attempts to answer the big questions, whereas a movie just sort of references them to use as playthings. You could say it’s the difference between art and entertainment, but let’s not, because I’d rather piss hot thumb tacks than get hung up arguing the semantics of “art.” Point being, what I found most compelling about Prometheus was they way it keeps you wondering whether you’re watching a “movie” or a “film,” schlock or philosophy.
(...)
The central question of the plot is, if you could meet “God,” what would you ask him, and how do you think he’d feel about you? There are some fits and starts and false leads, but that’s Prometheus in a nutshell. It’s a pretty deep question for a summer popcorn movie, and the answers get pretty goddamned nihilistic at times. What if God created you on a whim and got tired of you right away? Whether genuinely asking or just using the question as a plaything, it makes Prometheus more than just a “yikes! Aliens!” movie. I appreciate the boldness of it, even if the execution’s sloppy.
(...)
But even when it’s dumb, Prometheus is thoroughly watchable. It’s been a long time since I saw a movie where the composition was great without drawing attention to itself, so that you’re always thinking about the story, and never wondering why the asshole cameraman can’t do his job. The visual effects make the aliens feel gnarly in a way that will make you squirm, and the direction gimmick-free. (A pleasant surprise from Ridley Scott, since even Gladiator was kind of gimmicky). By the end, I was pretty sure I was watching a movie, not a film, but the fact that I still cared makes me think it was a pretty decent one.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Not a great sign for Prometheus that people are redefining their definition of good in order to like it. =)

"Oh, it's not in the traditional sense, BUT..." :ganishka:
 
H

hellrasinbrasin

Guest
Griffith said:
Not a great sign for Prometheus that people are redefining their definition of good in order to like it. =)

"Oh, it's not in the traditional sense, BUT..." :ganishka:

I had some issues with the film but nothing that could be called a deal breaker. I await the eventual Podcast Film Review.
 

NightCrawler

Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
I think Prometheus will go down as a visually stunning, thematically bold, flawed and sometimes frustrating movie. But fuck, i enjoyed the hell out of it (saw it twice so far).
A 2h30m cut would do wonders to it, but we don't really get big r-rated sci-fi blockbusters, do we?

I can't remember a similar movie experience during a blockbuster as great as this one provided.
 
Just saw it in IMAX last night and plan on seeing it again today and on Tuesday. Can definitely see where some peoples gripes with the films come from but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't know how much Lindeloff helped with things but I felt his presence strongly.

Visually spectacular and very dark and in your face. So far with The Avengers and Prometheus I've got to say I'm very happy with some of the films released so far this summer !
 
H

hellrasinbrasin

Guest
... The more I think about it the more I realize how much the Ampule Chamber in the 1st Facility is a take from At The Mountains of Madness. Think about the black bio-matter compound looks as if it was harvested from a Xeno. Which leads me to believe that a Xenomorph was being held experimented on to further the Engineer's bioengineering Project's. The bio-matter is designed as self replicating viral bacteria that creates destroys and mutates other organisms. That's right while the human race shares a commonality in DNA structure to the Engineer its only because the Xeno bacteria introduced to it altered it to a state that in time would lead to us rising as the dominant species on Earth.

And as much as the film was about science it was about religion. The Engineer awoken in the 3rd act of the film killed the people it did because it saw David as an affront to its faith. The Human Race had violated its basic belief in Death and Rebirth by creating an artificial being that could never birth a new life form but wouldn't die either it would just be'.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
hellrasinbrasin said:
And as much as the film was about science it was about religion. The Engineer awoken in the 3rd act of the film killed the people it did because it saw David as an affront to its faith. The Human Race had violated its basic belief in Death and Rebirth by creating an artificial being that could never birth a new life form but wouldn't die either it would just be'.

I doubt that.
 
I knew it could never live up to the expectations and I was prepared for it but oh my, I never thought it would be this bad. I don't even know where to begin. Almost every scene with the characters had obvious "flaws", there is so much stupidity in these characters that it completely destroyed my suspension of disbelief. I am so sad that I can't even put this into words without it sounding like a bashing. Pretty cinematography does not make up for the horrible script. I wouldn't even recommend people paying to see it.

I found the religious tones in the movie to be very forced in, I think it was obvious it was only put in to satisfy religious people so they don't feel left out or something. This was hardly my biggest concern with the movie but it only made the dialogue that much worse.

I would like to break this movie down scene from scene but right now I am so disappointed to even write it all down. Skullknight.net needs a ventrilo server :p
 

NightCrawler

Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
Seriously, is the movie that awful? Let's just go back to Avatar and Star Trek then.

I can see the stupidity of the cannon-fodder characters, but who cares about those? Do they ruin the movie?
Lets talk about stupid characters in Alien: Dallas going alone to the vents, Lambert standing there crying while Parker gets killed? Why don't we care about this? Because the atmosphere sucks you in.

Yes, Prometheus has problems. The last act is a mess (and the final scene totally unnecessary and reeks of studio input), but everything leading up to there is great.

A bad movie? Fuck no.

The one BIG recurring theme throughout the film seems to be parenthood and disappointment (creation and destruction).
Vickers is basically disowned by her father who looks to David as his son. David, in turn, has developed his own opinions regarding mankind and those extend to his surrogate father.
There are numerous conversations and looks throughout the length of Prometheus reinforcing this point, culminating in David's not so subtle "doesn't everyone want to see their parent's dead".
Obviously on a larger scale this applies to the Engineers and us.
It's a shame that the final act basically throws all of this out in favour of a rushed monster movie-hybrid (oh wait, wasn't Alien just like that as well?)
The film has plenty going for it. What it probably needs is the 21 minutes of apparently cut footage. Assuming those serve to generate more dialogue and character moment, the film will feel more coherent.
If we saw slightly more of Weyland (despite the shit old man makeup - which don't make much sense if we don't get to see young Weyland) and Vickers, his introduction may actually serve a purpose. Along with tightening up the narrative in the final 30 minutes this would actually go a long way.
Also, as far as I'm concerned the goo causes mutation on exposure and decomposition on ingestion.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Well I would certainly be down for a directors cut. One of the few movies that I really hope gets one because it has that potential to be so much more than it is.

Btw I agree that by not seeing a young Weyland having Guy Pierce in old man makeup is kinda pointless. With that said though I loved his performance, brief as it was. Guy didn't get enough credit, great actor.
 
H

hellrasinbrasin

Guest
I agree with the argument as it relates to the 3rd act of the film. The 1st 2 acts were beautifully paced then Act 3 warps to the finale. I think and most would agree that an extra 10 - 25 minutes of new footage* would balance act 3 better plus inserting whatever scenes that were edited out.

Beyond the pacing issue of the last part of the film I loved the issues of creation , destruction , Identity , and Religion. I also liked the whole nightmarish evolution of animals on LV-223 into something Alien.

Here's something I found that reiterates somethings I've said about the film.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Prometheus Unbound: What The Movie Was Actually About
----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://cavalorn.livejournal.com/584135.html#cutid1
 
I read the analysis that was linked on IMDB and, while I disagree with a lot of it, his point on Weyland made me think.
Fitting in with the whole god/creator motif, imagine if you woke up God and asked him to make you immortal? Would God be angry that he gave you a gift and you greedily asked for more? I think they were trying to show the different reasons why one would want to talk to his creator. Shaw and Holloway wanted to know why they were created. Vickers wanted to know why she was forsaken by her father. David wanted to be free from his creator. Weyland wanted to be God.
Of course, having an interesting philosophy doesn't completely make up for its short comings, but overall, it was an interesting movie, if not quite what I expected. I liked it.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
While the in depth analysis posted by NightCrawler and hellrasinbrasin helps make some sense out of the convoluted plot lines in Prometheus, I still didn't care for it all that much. I'm actually quite jealous of those who enjoyed it, because I really wanted to like it.

If they do indeed make a followup, I'd like to check it out to see if it answers some of the bigger questions posed by the first film. Although, I'm a bit apprehensive, based on what Lindelof said about the potential sequel moving even further away from the Alien franchise.
 
So now that we've had some time to really soak in Prometheus it's time to ask the most important question. We know that Guillermo del Toro was going to make a film version of Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness. According to del Toro, the project was cancelled because of Prometheus. So now that we have seen Prometheus, which would you have prefered? Would you still want Prometheus or would you want to roll the dice and see if del Toro's At the Mountains of Madness ended up better?
 
H

hellrasinbrasin

Guest
Rhombaad said:
If they do indeed make a followup, I'd like to check it out to see if it answers some of the bigger questions posed by the first film. Although, I'm a bit apprehensive, based on what Lindelof said about the potential sequel moving even further away from the Alien franchise.

I think that the further Prometheus 2 and 3 distance themselves from Alien and Aliens the more creative freedom they will have.
 
H

hellrasinbrasin

Guest
An Additional 20 Minutes of footage has been confirmed for DVD release.

http://www.prometheus-movie.com/community/forums/topic/7723

http://collider.com/ridley-scott-prometheus-deleted-scenes-interview/172202/
 
hellrasinbrasin said:
4.The end has Shaw flying off on another Derelict ship leaving only one left on LV-223 that still functions.
How do you know just
1 is left that functions?
David said at the end that there were
many ships. At no point in the movie are we given to believe there's only 1 functional ship left on LV-223.

The Good Reverend Skeleton said:
So now that we've had some time to really soak in Prometheus it's time to ask the most important question. We know that Guillermo del Toro was going to make a film version of Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness. According to del Toro, the project was cancelled because of Prometheus. So now that we have seen Prometheus, which would you have prefered? Would you still want Prometheus or would you want to roll the dice and see if del Toro's At the Mountains of Madness ended up better?
Tough call because to me Del Toro isn't a consistent director himself. The only movies I enjoy off his rooster are Cronos, Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone. It's been a while since I watched his Hellboy movies but I remember thinking of them to be over-rated. Del Toro wanted an R rated ITMOM and even with Tom Cruise to star, he couldn't get the project to get off it's ground. So if it was going to be a version like a Hellboy movie, I know I'd be disappointed.

I'm looking forward to watching it again with/ without my gripes about it. The DVD/ BR will have 20/30 minutes worth of cut material which RC doesn't how much of will basically make it to the extended cut anyway. I'm glad it pulled in 50 million in it's opening weekend and the reviews have been mixed but on the higher side. If there's a sequel I'll watch it.
 
H

hellrasinbrasin

Guest
IncantatioN said:
How do you know just
1 is left that functions?
David said at the end that there were
many ships. At no point in the movie are we given to believe there's only 1 functional ship left on LV-223.

Facility #1 Derelict ship that is grounded after The Prometheus made a suicide run at it
Facility #? Derelict ship that crashed at LV-426
Facility #? Derelict Ship that Shaw commandeered when she blasts off of LV-223 in search of the Engineer's Homeworld
Facility #? Derelict Ship still in cargo bay?
 
hellrasinbrasin said:
Facility #1 Derelict ship that is grounded after The Prometheus made a suicide run at it
Facility #? Derelict ship that crashed at LV-426
Facility #? Derelict Ship that Shaw commandeered when she blasts off of LV-223 in search of the Engineer's Homeworld
Facility #? Derelict Ship still in cargo bay?
The Derelict did not crash on LV-426 - RC said in an interview that if you looked at it close it appears to be 'parked' there. It may/ may not be a Derelict from LV-223.

Don't go by the number of temples you see in the opening shot as the Prometheus approaches the ground because David said there were many ships. With a small number left like 2/3, he would have said there were 2/3 ships left, IMO just like the cargo payload in the sleeping Engineer's Derelict was quantified as 'thousands' by Shaw with no specific number.
 
Top Bottom