Prometheus

David said he backward engineered all languages to have a sense of what the original language was- thus he was able to speak to the Engineers.

Yeah, he was the wildcard. It was as if he secretly was on the side of the Engineers for awhile there.
 
SPOILER


David also observed the hologram of the engineers prepping for a flight. I think he understood their language based on his study of terrestrial ancient languages.
 
**SOME MORE SPOILER QUESTIONS**

Who was David talking to on his gold helmet thing? Wasn't the old guy in a cryogenic sleep? Why was David watching the main girl's dreams? Why would David put the mission at risk by testing the bio-crap on one of the mission's most important members? There were other dudes on that ship who only seemed to help clean the old dude up when he got up - test on them. Did I see David dyeing his roots?

Why, at the moment biological life is discovered, the biologist gets scared and runs off with the cockney and nobody gives a crap that the biological expert is not doing his job? Why the hell did same biologist suddenly have foolish bravery when later encountering a threatening serpent beast?

How old was the old dude? How could he have had a child as young as Charlize Theron? He looked like he was 150, so he had her when he was 120? (Not that you couldn't see that "stunner" coming from a mile away). In what world is proving you're not a robot a valid pick-up line for inconsequential sex. Charlize's character seemed rather disciplined, but I guess she's just a skank at heart.

The overall plot was so nonsensical. Why create a race of people (assuming the film's opener with the white dude was earth) to just destroy them? If you had the capability to travel to the earth to let the Sumerians know about where you were laying a death trap, why not just blow primitive man away right then and there.

Why would you spend all that money on a surgery machine for a FEMALE captain and not program FEMALE medical procedures?

I normally am not this way about movies. I can watch a popcorn flick and just say "whatever". But this one was supposed to be great.
 
I thought the movie was good to pretty good when i walked out. Then I read more here and I now think it was okay to good. I too wanted it to be better than it was. I still liked it but not as much. I wish I would not have bought refreshments.
 
I'm just letting my inner sci-fi nerd get to me. I can watch a Harry Potter or Twilight and not get all analytical. It's like with the new Star Wars movies - you have an emotional connection to the outcome, and when it fails to live up to your expectations, it burns a little.
 
Just a thought about the robot crew member "David".

It seems like he didn't mind endangering human life and actually had considered the benefits of the death of his parents, who in this case would be the human race. So getting the lizard/octopus aliens to Earth might serve that purpose and set him and all other robots free.

David 8
 
SPOILER


I didn't make the connection between the Engineers' plans and the 2k year delay. Good observation. I'm kind of surprised that it didn't occur to Dr. Shaw who is something of a specialist in history.

I think R. Scott is overall responsible for the large failures of the movie because of his poor story development skills, but the screenwriter must also take much of the blame for the poor characterizations and nearly absolute lack of wit and subtlety.

The punk geologist is needlessly hostile and announces he is only there for the money. That worked in Alien because the characters were merchant crewmen signed on for a task that didn't include what they ended up doing. One would think that a geologist selected for such an important mission might be a little more intellectually curious.

The biologist character, as stated above, is one moment seized by irrational fear and then irrationally bold in trying to sweet talk a hideous new life form.

That these two end up being allowed to wander off from the exploration team and actually get lost while no one is paying attention is another absurdity.

With all the attempts at conflict between the characters on the mission, there's not a believable or clever line spoken throughout the film that I recall. The love story of Dr. Shaw and her companion is flat. The scene between the captain of the ship and Theron is shorthand and lacking in either lust or or chemistry.

David, the robot, is the most interesting character. His moves against the crew seem rooted in the lines about killing parents. It's not fully developed but, considering what the more developed characters lack, the failure to develop David is likely what makes him mysterious and interesting.

As I said above, I don't blame the actors much for the failures in the movie. They have very little to work with. I'm tempted to say Noomi Rapace may have been miscast. Maybe an actress with more natural presence (Ellen Page springs to mind, so does Jennifer Lawrence) could have breathed a little more depth into Dr. Shaw.

After all of these complaints, I don't regret buying the ticket to see the movie. I wasn't bored and never felt like leaving. I think we all just hoped the film would elevate itself above that low bar.
 
Roma-

Your post and critique gets the award for best said. This movie had great potential, David, and some special effects carried it for me. The scenery was also top notch. Character development, very flat.

For a brief moment as the movie began I thought I may be in store for another Matrix level movie. This was no Matrix.
 
All these criticisms are valid, but is there a sci fi movie you can't poke holes in?

At the end of the day, you either like the genre or you don't.
 
I came across this by accident and I find it an interesting read. It goes a good way to make sense of some of the things in the film and does indeed separate it from Aliens if you buy it. It's long but engaging, at least I found it that way.

Theory on movie, Prometheus
 
Thanks for reposting the link.

The guy has fairly interesting ideas and interpretations. Still, it didn't happen on the screen. Further, most of the interpretation, for me, still doesn't do much for me story wise. Maybe a better dramatization or different medium would be more moving. If he is correct about the intent of the filmmakers, he further illuminates the failings of the film.
 
I have to agree with Roma.

Nobody had to explain The Godfather or Jaws to me. If you have to turn to interviews with the director to figure out WTH is going on, then it isn't much of a movie in my opinion. Apparently Ridley Scott thinks he's Federico Fellini now.
 
The exception to that rule would be films made out of a pre-existing universe that already includes more background that a movie would be able to fit in. And even then, all the major plot points ought to be explainable just from watching the movies, although plenty of one-liners or quick references might require commentary, or to have already read the novel / comics / whatever.
 
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