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Prometheus Trailer - Ridley Scotts new / old sci-fi epic?

CoolhandCoolhand283 Mountain LairPosts: 1,294Member
edited March 2012 in General Discussion #1
This has been out for like.... a few days and I see there is still no thread, you people call yourselves a sci-fi site eh? would have been a different matter if it had a star trek ship in it I imagine...:D:flippy: I guess there is not so much love for this somewhat edgier (though blunted in recent years) franchise, but either way this is going to be a big movie i'm sure.

Anyway, OBSERVE

There are other trailers too which perhaps seem to reveal more interesting things, I'll reserve judgement till I've seen it in full... I am posting a deeper assessment of what i think is going on in my blog, which has some links to further trailers.

I think there are some pretty obvious clues as to whats going to happen, however I hope there are other surprises in store
Post edited by Coolhand on

Posts

  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    I've been talking about it on other sites. :p Seriously, it is amazing that there's no thread here. This is likely to be one of the biggest Sci-Fi films of the year.

    Looks like it's going to be a good flick, one of the few I'm looking forward to this year. I'm glad Ridley is doing another film set in this universe, but I'm also glad it's not a sequel. I love Alien and Aliens, though the rest of the sequels suck, IMO. As for prequels, AVP is good, but not great. AVP2 is dreadful. So, it's nice to see something fresh from this universe.
  • CoolhandCoolhand283 Mountain LairPosts: 1,294Member
    I agree it would have been really difficult to come back to that series proper, I have no problems with this being a new direction. Much as I like the first 3 films as really grown up scary scifi, I really welcome it infact.

    Clearly there is plenty to connect it with the old franchise, but only the best parts - honestly Alien 3 was quite good in it's own right, perhaps dissappointing to those who were expecting Aliens +1, but everything after that got progressively worse and the bug himself is not a particularly scary creature anymore... still wouldn't want to meet one down a dark airshaft though;)
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    I didn't like the story line or script at all in Alien 3. I don't mind different directions, but I didn't like that one. Resurrection was a little better, but the alien/human thing at the end was a big buzz kill. That thing was nasty. AVP is decent, though they got a few things wrong. First, the aliens didn't take anywhere near as long to gestate as they should. Secondly, the Predators always hunt in hot climates, suggesting they prefer that kind of climate, so why would they hunt in the arctic? AVP2 was reduced to a low budget horror film and had nothing to do with AVP at all. I didn't even finish watching it.

    So, I'm definitely glad to see things heading in a new direction for this universe. I love what Ridley did with Alien, it's my favorite film in the franchise, I'm looking forward to seeing what he does with Prometheus.

    And, no I don't want to meet one in a dark air shaft either. ;)
  • CoolhandCoolhand283 Mountain LairPosts: 1,294Member
    Why didn't you like Alien 3, what about the story and script? It had some of the best acting of the series thats for certain. Ressurection was absolutely awful, culminating with that joke of a creature at the end, Joss (buffy, firefly) Whedon even apologised for the script to the alien fans.
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    I didn't like the story of Alien 3. The whole thing. If I recall correctly, I didn't like the prison, the prisoners, any of it. I haven't watched the film in years, so I can't really be more specific. I just remember not liking it. The director's cut was slightly better, but not much, IMO. Even John Eaves, who worked on the models in the film, said the art team wasn't ready for how bad it was going to be. Resurrection was pretty pathetic, if I remember correctly. Again, I haven't watched it in years. They took away all of the edginess that the other films (even Alien 3) had and made it more into a brainless Sci-Fi action film. Then the end really nailed down how dreadful it was.

    But, this is why, of the entire franchise, I only have Alien and Aliens in my collection. I don't really like the other films that well, some worse than others. Hopefully, Prometheus will be a worthy addition to the films in the Alien universe. I'm glad we're going to get to see more of the species that made the big ship from the original film. :)
  • L2KL2K0 Posts: 0Member
    i didnt like alien3 either.
    i think it has something to do with the storyline, where ripley was ****ed long before the begining.
    i didnt like the mood of the prison nor the characters. too hystericals. well acted, but too hystericals.

    what i did like in alien4 was the mood and the contrasts pirates/company. i forgive winona rider and the creature at the end just for the scene where a hi rank military has his brain splashed up from behind and he has to touch it with his hand before fainting.


    this prometheus is gonna be awsome.

    and just in case if you missed it :D
    peter weyland at ted in 2023. there was a weyland website too, but i cant find the url anymore
    http://blog.ted.com/ted2023/
  • IRMLIRML253 Posts: 1,993Member
    I think alien 3 was pretty cool, it was directed by david fincher, who has obviously gone on to bigger and better things, but you can still see his quality in the film

    anyway pretty excited for this
  • NanoGatorNanoGator1 Posts: 0Member
    Yeah it's pretty slick!


    Which...makes me think in a few months we'll start seeing people being really negative towards it. :/
  • CoolhandCoolhand283 Mountain LairPosts: 1,294Member
    I've put a ton of HD stills from the Prometheus trailer on my blog now:

    http://coolhandgraphics.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/prometheus-scotts-new-old-epic.html

    I'm not standing 100% behind my anal-ysis btw and will no doubt be completely wrong about everything.

    Coming back to the older movies, there's a lot to like in Alien 3 if you just like films for being films, there's real art to it. but if you're looking for the happy ending forget it. It is what it is and I respect the movie for that... Particularly after the development hell the movie was in. I believe it was Finchers first directing debut too? A difficult gig for sure.

    Funnily enough I think it did far better in Europe than it did in the states, again I think people were expecting more of the same after Aliens and just didn't "get" its introverted gloom, plus lead actors with funny yorkshire accents? forget it;) I think there's a cultural difference at play and it wasn't really engineered for satisfying American audiences expectations but British and Europeans found it more agreeable, hope no one takes offense to that, its just an observation based on how well it did and the ire and praise it seems to get from opposite sides of the atlantic.
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    I wasn't looking for a happy ending and I certainly don't care about anyone's accent, but I can see where some people might be shallow enough to have had issues with the accents. District 9 is one of my favorite films and everyone speaks with a South African accent because it takes place in South Africa. (I'm still bummed it didn't win Best Picture in 2009) Personally, I don't care where an actor is from, acting is acting. Some actors are good, some are bad, others are just passable. In fact, I like the actors in Alien 3 better than the story. If I recall correctly, the acting was actually one of the few things I liked about it, besides the models. But, that's why there are so many different types of movies, different strokes for different folks and all that. I know I like some movies that aren't popular overall and Alien 3 has a 6.4/10 user rating on IMDb, so there are a lot of other people out there who like it. However, I'm personally not a fan of horror movies and, if a movie walks the line between Sci-Fi and horror, it has to be really good (in my opinion) for me to even sorta like it.

    I go into most movies with an open mind. And I'm thinking I'm going to like Prometheus because it looks like my type of film. There are only 3 actors in the cast who I even recognize, (Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce and Patrick Wilson) so I'm looking forward to seeing the film and getting familiar with some new actors (new for me, that is.)
  • CoolhandCoolhand283 Mountain LairPosts: 1,294Member
    Well to be fair, District 9 (i've not even seen it, can you believe it?) is actually set in South Africa, present day... But regionalised English accents like the late Brian Glovers as Alien 3's Warden Andrews are maybe somehow too anachronistic for the far future and an alien world. I think ultimately it was a number of things, more important than an accent: Lack of glamour, its bleakness and a lack of action scenes meaning that it didn't meet audience expectations after the hugely popular Aliens and that was basically off putting.. It's a movie that you might see years later after the initial disappointment and appreciate it more. I'd certainly take it over any of the more recent efforts... I wouldn't watch it after having a bad day, it doesn't have the slight feel good factor that Aliens has, as a cathartic antidote to Alien so it could never be as universally popular.

    As for the cast, Guy Pearse is definitely putting on a strong show as a ranting oligarch, I'm sure he's having way too much fun in the link that L2k posted (thanks for that!) Charlize seems to be doing a good impression of a well groomed plank of wood but we've really seen nothing of the dialogue etc so too early to say. All the first 3 Alien movies had a pretty strong cast imho, Prometheus is, like the Alien movies, produced by Brandywine and would probably use the same casting people. I hope all the elements are there for a really strong movie and that it's going to be an important movie in scifi history - talk about expectations, what could possibly satisfy those requirements eh?
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Seriously, I'm still not getting the accent thing. I've lived in the US my entire life and I've never heard anyone bitch about someone's accent in a movie or TV series. (remember, we have a lot of people living in this country who came from all over the world) I'm not saying some people won't, but I've never heard it.

    I'd highly advise watching District 9, especially if you're into gritty, edgy Sci-Fi. I know people raved over Avatar that year, but I like D9 better. Aside from a good story, good acting and a really good effort overall on the film, I think the special effects were really well done. They did CGI only where they had to and what they did looks real, IMO. (better than Avatar) In fact, I'm really getting in the mood to watch District 9 again just talking about it. (I may watch Avatar, Alien and Aliens too. ;))
  • CoolhandCoolhand283 Mountain LairPosts: 1,294Member
    Don't really want to dwell on the accents but it is interesting and perhaps worth noting if you dont get it. Clearly actors traditionally often work hard to change their voice into something more acceptable to a mainstream audience. Would Patrick Stewart, for example, in the late 80's have gotten the job as Captain Picard with his non-RSC trained voice? probably not. Because it would make it harder for the production team and audience to take him seriously in that role, he probably wouldn't even work as an actor and would certainly not have attained his levels of fame. I think its safe to assume that most actors, like singers, work on their voice as they learn their art.

    So I feel accents really are taken seriously in the film and TV industry Particularly those based in the UK and US which produce media for those territories, and always have done because it does have an effect on the audience and ultimately the size of the audience you can accrue. Accents do also irritate people, and people often laugh at those with 'funny' accents, again harder to take a person seriously with an accent than it is with a more homogenised voice, the type that we're used to hearing. In the mainstream media, a person with a strong accent might be put in a comedic role, like a stereotypically 'dumb' Texan and infact often those with accents are depicted as being less intelligent than those 'without' or sometimes automatically gifted with special traits based purely on accent, like French or Italian accent might imbue a character with extra sexual prowess in western,english speaking media. Comedians also often accentuate accents for comedic effect or to mock others. George Lucas was also criticised in his prequels for having bumbling characters with distinctive, perhaps even ethnic sounding voices or mannerisms that were deemed by some to be deliberately mocking minorities. So its perhaps much easier even from a litigation POV to have homogenised mainstream sounding voices in your production. Again with Star Wars, the intelligent human characters have generally 'normal' American or British voices, the comic relief and alien characters, often shown as inferior to the main human characters all have varying levels of accents.

    So anyway, it's perfectly plausible to assume that it might, even subconsciously affect an individuals enjoyment of a production, how seriously they're taking it and how immersed they are and that's vital for science fiction which relies on lots of elements working together to create a suspension of disbelief.

    Warden Andrews for example is perhaps not the sharpest tool in the box and the prison is more run by the inmates, the Wardens really operate under the illusion that they have the power and control (because the inmates and the doctor allow them to have it) and that Andrews simply can't accept Ripleys story (inspite of the evidence mounting up) because it shatters that illusion... leading to his sticky end halfway through the movie, one of the first victims infact... I think an accented character was allowed here because he A, wasn't too bright as a character as his refusal to listen and stupid death signifies, and B, you're not meant to like him. He was killed off quickly as one of the first victims of the fully grown creature.

    Whether one stray Yorkshire accent (somewhat watered down) really impacted at all on Alien 3 I really can't prove, I personally thought it seemed anachronistic - out of place in the future reality of the alien world presented in Alien 3 - a world far from Yorkshire, but he was perfect for the role. Perhaps I mistakenly assumed that this might seem all the more jarring in english speaking countries where that accent is even less often heard. As stated I think there are lots of reasons why it seems to be less popular in the states than in other territories.

    Many posts into the thread and I seem to have talked more about Alien 3 and accents more than the thing i actually wanted to talk about... never could keep a Thread OT;)

    as for D9, I don't doubt it's good, heard nothing but good things about it, I simply haven't got round to seeing it.
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Yeah, it might be good to get this thread back on track.

    Prometheus looks good. :)
  • PagrinPagrin171 Posts: 0Member
    I gotta say. I've been waiting to Ridley Scott to return and reclaim the series.
    Much as I like the direction Cameron took Aliens in, I always liked the life cycle in the first movie(Book) better. If you watch a few of the cut scenes, it really does make the alien much more nasty and unsettling. Also anything Dan O'Bannon put time into tends to be worth the time to watch.
    So going back to the start and seeing where it might go has always appealed to me.
  • CoolhandCoolhand283 Mountain LairPosts: 1,294Member
    A real shame Mr O'Bannon was not around to see this production and have some input, a missing element in the production for sure.

    As for the life cycle, Cameron just added to it, I don't think he took anything away.

    In Alien it was drone alone leading to it turning the humans slowly into eggs. There's nothing saying that in the absence of a Queen Alien a drone couldn't still do this - which makes sense as then a single drone can start an entire population of the little rascals. This actually makes more sense than a single drone first metamorphosing into a queen, as that creature is so much larger than the target population; so a Queen alien is largely immobile, had the part of the facility on LV-426 that the aliens made their nest not been so large and industrial, then it's likely she would have simply been trapped by human sized corridors.

    As i go into in some detail in my blog I feel there's probably not going to be anything like that alien (parasitic/sexual) life cycle in Prometheus as they might be hoping for a wider appeal. But the concept of metamorphosis returns and i think its still gonna be kinda gross, but nothings going to be having sex with someone's face and birthing through their chest... Probably.

    I'm putting the following in spoiler tags even though its just speculation...
    In the room with the huge human face there are rows and rows of identical cannisters, these contain a worm or snake like being

    (some commenters think its something to do with an 'ooze', but given you can't put any design work into goop i think its an actual creature and the ooze is just a gross secretion it produces (maybe it has a cold))

    In kind of a cliched way, this bores into the target being (even through a spacesuit) and metamorphoses it into another creature somehow, if I'm right and with analysis of frames from the trailer then it perhaps explains the origin of the "Space Jockey" as one of the crew of the Prometheus.
  • PagrinPagrin171 Posts: 0Member
    Interesting idea about the jockey.
    I had noted that the trailer hadn't shown his at all.
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