‘Prometheus’ Meets The Public (Part 2 of 2)

Confusion – Conspiracy – Theories (From Around The Web)

It’s expected that audiences would walk out of Prometheus with a few questions and hypotheticals given the modest cushion of ambiguity of the film. But after the release I kept seeing links to articles and homemade videos discussing the “world of questions left unanswered” or “what Prometheus REALLY meant”. I’m 90% positive that more analysis  and interpreting was inspired by this movie than Inception. Certainly inspired more blind rage.

I don’t want to sound like a dick, but I don’t understand what has folks in such a quandary, or what I overlooked that lead to such Tolkein-esque detailed mythos. So I sat down and boned up.

For your pleasure, I’m going to compile some frequently appearing topics and list different answers I found.
*Note: I am purposefully avoiding director/actor commentary. Check out the DVD commentary if you are interested! **Extra note: At first I was going to go all Ego and weigh in on the stuff I’m posting, but I’d rather hear what you have to say. Pretty please: visit the comments!
***Note to end all Notes: Links for all my list sources can be found at bottom of post

FAQ & A

1. What happened in the opening sequence?
-An Engineer sacrifices itself to create life on earth
-An Engineer sacrifices itself on an unnamed planet to create life…somewhere

2. What’s the deal with the cave paintings?
-A guide Engineers gave to growing civilizations to come find them when they evolve sufficiently
-A warning to humans to never come find them; don’t question where you come from
-A test Engineers left to chart human progress; when humans are able to complete journey it’s time to wipe them out
-“Impossible rubbish”
-Subliminal messages left over in the junk DNA from Engineer DNA

3. Why did David put the black “goo” in Holloway’s drink?
-Weyland told him to so they could monitor possible benefits
-David wants to be a “real boy” and sees this as a way to “create life” (the single most important human component) because he knows that Holloway will “impregnate” Shaw
-David is actually capable of feeling and is hurt by Holloway’s insults so he exacts revenge
-David is a Prometheus’ brother type who will go to great lengths in quest for knowledge and to save his “family” (Weylon = Prometheus) which gives him the motivation to “open Pandora’s box” (protean goo) by giving it to Holloway
-All androids are “curious by nature” and have a tendency to screw around with science

4. Why do the Engineers want to destroy human life after they created it?
-“That’s between you and your God”
-To validate making a sequel that will make money
-The Engineer from the beginning went rogue (see the Prometheus mythology) and created life on earth, which flourished and adapted so rapidly the other Engineers have been perfecting a way to wipe it all out and undo the rogue Engineer’s work
-They are like humans; sometimes people just create something, get bored with it, scrap it, and start on something else
American film makers delusionally believe that divine creation is a philosophical subject and they wanted to “really mix it  up” by adding divine destruction
-Either a) Engineers only made human life to have a planet of incubators for their real production the xenomorphs as bio-weapons or b) Engineers have to use the black goo with an advanced species to procreate their own species so…planet o’ incubators
-Jesus Christ was an Engineer sent to earth to stop the Roman Empire from wigging out, and humans killed Jesus Christ, and the Engineers are pissed. *Bonus: it proves that David is capable of compassion because he found out about the Jesus motive when he “talked” to the sleeping Engineer and tried to protect at least Shaw if not Weylon and the whole lot by removing her crucifix under false pretenses

There are so many more questions and answers out there. If it is your passion, then you need but a search engine to start your journey.

Links:

http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=25119

http://www.nextmovie.com/blog/answers-theories-prometheus-questions/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/jun/08/prometheus-ten-key-questions

http://www.hollywood.com/Prometheus_Theories_Greek_Mythology_Offers_Answers_SPOILERS/30236943

http://www.vulture.com/2012/06/10-open-questions-after-watching-prometheus.html

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/06/prometheus-science-faith-creationism/

‘Prometheus’: It’s All About Scott & Fassbender (Post 1 of 2)

Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated Prometheus made all sorts of waves; not only in the sci-fi/horror communities but for many average movie-goers of all persuasions. To enhance my own experience of the movie, I want to follow my review with a separate post for some exploration and rumination into some of the more widely voiced questions/controversy. No time to waste!

General Reactions (Warning: Spoilers!)

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Prometheus and came away pleased, even enthusiastic for a sequel. (IMDb tells me one was announced in August, but is in early talks. The same was said of Guillermo del Toro’s At the Mountains of Madness, once, and alas. So it goes.) The film hit all the right notes for me: captivating opening sequence, no time wasted on explaining the how and why of the Prometheus mission, proper role development, quick to get into the action stay there til the credits, inspiring design for the Engineers and their gadgets, thrilling new concepts for the alien organisms, and an ending that left me wanting to continue the adventure. (The bone-chillingly scored trailer was an unexpected perk.)

A few stand-outs clinched a positive experience. I really dig Ridley Scott’s pacing sensibilities*. Scott gets the plot moving, ensures no one farts around with wanton dialogue or visual artistry, and he keeps getting shit done until it’s over. Prometheus stands on some heady ideology, not to mention the chance for fans to re-enter the universe they love, so there were opportunities to wax too philosophical or over/under-service the fan base. Scott’s no-nonsense speed and editing kept the film from falling into those traps.

Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) pumped me up as the leading lady. I responded to her brutal endurance so much because it didn’t seem like it came from a fanatic need to get answers, just the need to survive in a hostile, belief-system crushing environment. Charlize Theron’s Captain Meredith Vickers was a great contrast in ego and actions, but fell a little flat (heh) overall.

The best thing about Prometheus? Michael Fassbender’s android David, no contest. Whether it was deliberate or just his acting ability, Fassbender’s David performance stole the show. He was a more complex character study than all the humans and more fascinating than the present alien races. Fassbender’s commitment to consistency, expression and posture, and screen presence made me hope that David is more focus than vehicle in the tentative sequel.

There were some clear weaknesses, too. The predictability level was a little heavy with events sequence echoing Alien (systematic destruction of secondary characters, demonizing and redemption of android, etc.) The added “twist” of expedition founder Weylon (Guy Pearce in heavy prosthetic)  turning up on board still alive detracted from Shaw’s story and came off as an obvious vehicle for the consequences of human hubris. The scene revealing Vicker’s connection to Weylon was (IMO) the weakest: painfully forced, unconvincing, and altogether cliché. Since the mission was well underway, and with Vickers ripe for embodying hubris, the sub-plot could be cut with no injury to the film’s success.

The one glaring weakness I didn’t mind swallowing was Shaw’s miraculous physical recovery after undergoing emergency surgery that would have left her unable to do more than shuffle between bed and bathroom. It’s forgivable because a) the “surgery” scene was totally worth it, b) she does display some convincing physical ramifications, and c) it’s a sci-fi film about species survival, and Dr. Shaw made damn sure she survived.

In summary, Prometheus beat my expectations, kept me entertained, and left me wanting more. As part of a franchise so dominated by “love it or hate it” mentalities, Prometheus stood strong.

* (Might be biased: Legend will always be–I don’t even CARE–my first cinematic love.)

 

Sabbatical Begone: A Multi-Film Review (and Very First Video Game Post) Bonanza is Imminent!

My sudden life-wide transitional phase cum hiatus cum autumnal sabbatical is over; so decrees the filing-cabinet part of my brain dedicated to retaining reactions, notes, and all gubbins regarding horror/sci-fi film and video game experiences. The cabinet is brimming to burst, and I’m sufficiently sick of treating this blog project–which began in such a fervor on my part–like a cheerful houseplant that I keep putting off watering. Out of the lengthy collection of films I had a chance to watch in the past two months, there are a choice handful that still have my emotions jangling, and I’m excited to purge those reviews to share with you folks instead of being the avid blog visitor*.
In the deluge of impending posts, I hope to satisfactorily cover “Contagion”, “The Reeds”, “The Grey”, “Prometheus”, & “Looper” in film reviews, break ground on video game pontification with a sorely overdue monologue of Minecraft, and to generally regain my blog-step (which I imagine is a groovy saunter) to keep on truckin’ this time. Anyone who wanders in, well, I hope you enjoy what I have to say and that you’ll consider coming back! 

*As far as horror movie review databases go, I stumbled upon 2 that proved to be exciting, excellent resources: http://horrornews.net/ and the horror/sci-fi film plus BONUS video game archives of http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/ Check them out if you are seeking something new-to-you, interviews with horror critics/directors/authors, thoroughly concise sub-genre factoids, or just have a hopeless predilection to spend restless online hours immersed in the world of celluloid horror. Cheers!