Sci-Fi Movie Podcast - Prometheus

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Sci-Fi Movie Podcast - Prometheus

This week on The Sci-Fi Movie Podcast, Rem, Ian and Jonathan dig deeper into "Prometheus" from 2012 and directed by .

The PositiveThere was much buzz and anticipation with Prometheus, Fans of the Alien series were looking for more backstory and answers about one of the most terrifying and beloved Sci-Fi monsters of all time. We found the chise.

The NegativeIt would take pages to detail the problems with Prometheus, suffice to say all the money, special effects and talent thrown at this movie still can't resurrect a fundamentally flawed and incoherent script.

The VerdictThe more you're a fan of the Alien series, the more you're likely to be disappointed with Prometheus.  It's a film that's technically solid, but it's hard to feel for the characters and what they're trying to achieve.

Listener Feedback

Mr. Blahg I will concede that it has a few problems, and I believe some of that had to do with editing (specifically towards the end), but overall I loved this film. I think people came into this expecting either Alien or Aliens and/or wanted very specific answers that it didn't give... I personally enjoyed the questions it raised and am happy to try and piece together my own thoughts on the meaning and connection to the previous films (and I do think I have a particular bead on how it all connects, but that would take some time to unpack... and it may be too far out in left field). I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Audrey SrodI had no expectations, I really did not want to see it but went with someone who did. I also did not know the alien connection until the very end. It had been years since I had seen Alien and did not recognize the ship. All in all I liked it, even though this movie answers no damn questions but raises a ton of them. You have to suspend your disbelief for a lot of aspects. I laugh at how Charlize could not run right or left.

Janalee CurtisAs a person who hasn't seen the Alien movies (as I am a huge wimp) I REALLY enjoyed Prometheus.

Sayeed RahmanI'm just glad there's gonna be another movie.

Kira TchkaI love this movie.

Josh AdamsI absolutely love this movie, even as I recognize its flaws. My expectations were met, and the whole premise delightfully aligned with my 20 year old theory for where the aliens came from. I think that people that are hard on this kind of WANT to be hard on it, and use the other failures of the franchise as easy bait for their opinions. Suffice to say, Prometheus isn't a great film, but it's one I certainly love.

David ZapantaPrometheus is the prequel that dare not speak its name. This movie could have just as easily been titled When Smart People Do Stupid Things. The existence of this prequel is baffling to me. That Ridley Scott would return to the Alien universe in this fashion is even more baffling. Michael Fassbender's David was the best thing in this whole fiasco, and Charlize Theron was compelling enough with what little she had to work with. Same goes for Idris Elba. Went into this with low expectations that were completely dashed to bits. To me, there are only two films in this franchise: Alien, and Aliens. Sorry for the rant, but Prometheus seriously chaps my hide. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, though...!

Steve FergusonYou know, I enjoyed this movie when I first saw it, due in no small part to the atmosphere and Michael Fassbender's portrayal of David. But every time I think back to it, I can't help but think of it's tremendous flaws, most of which are centered around the script. Way too much effort was made to shoehorn in an Alien connection but without any logic. I put a lot of the blame on the shoulders of Damon Lindelof, who churned out a script that makes little sense, is full of questionable plot elements, and is focused on being unpredictable. You may know him as being a writer for Lost.

Jason CabassiI expected not to like this movie, but then I went ahead and liked it anyway, quite a lot. Lindelof ended up changing a lot more than the ending, I think. He read the script and didn't like that it was mostly just a prequel to the Alien films, and thought it should stand on its own. (Quoting Lindeloff )"If the ending to [Prometheus] is just going to be the room that John Hurt walks into that's full of [alien] eggs [in Alien], there's nothing interesting in that, because we know where it's going to end. Good stories, you don't know where they're going to end. A true prequel should essentially precede the events of the original film, but be about something entirely different, feature different characters, have an entirely different theme, although it takes place in that same world."

Nick JensenI like this movie. It's not great, because it does have flaws, but I think that people judge it a bit too harshly. I think that Scott/the writers had a movie in mind that had nothing to do with the Alien franchise; but were persuaded or decided to start trying to tie the Alien universe into the movie. That's where most of the criticism comes from, that it's not 'Aliens' enough; but if you watch the movie without the idea that it's going to be just like the original Alien movies and that it's going to be a different view into that universe it's more enjoyable. It did have some story problems but the unanswered questions left by the movie aren't an issue for me; watch Alien again and tell me you know everything about where the xenomorphs come from. We now know they were a product of the Engineers, and hopefully they are explored more in future movies. So not essential sci-fi, but still enjoyable; especially if you don't need every detail about the space jockey or xenomorphs origins spelled out, it's still a good look into that universe.

Corey BlantonPrometheus gets a lot of hate. I love Prometheus. It was one of those movies I HAD to watch multiple times because there is so many layers to uncover, so many themes, so much more than just some "scientists" making very unscientific mistakes (i.e. petting space cobras, taking off helmets on unknown planets, running straight forward instead of left or right when a big wheel-like ship is rolling at you.) One thing I think a lot of people overlook is a reflection on human nature; each character has something that they seek and are destroyed by the thing they seek. Shaw desperately wants to have a child, she gives birth in the worst possible way (to an alien thingy in a surgery/abortion machine). Holloway desperately is seeking the answer to existence, he is destroyed in learning that answer is not as grand as he had hoped. Weyland wants to live forever, and when he confronts the one thing he thinks can give that to him, it literally kills him. The things we seek so desperately, ultimately bring us to our end.

There are so many other themes and meaning you can find in this movie. And on a non-serious note about the movie, the geologist was so hilariously awful in this, I admit it. "I'm a geologist. I love rocks!" and sparking space joints. Some stuff was cliche and bad, but it shouldn't take that much away from an otherwise very deep movie with tons of hidden themes and meaning. Take from it what you will, I guess, but for me... Awesome movie!

Jennifer RobertsonI went into the theater stoked for this film, and at about 35 mins had an unquestionable look of WTF on my face. Elements were good, but on a whole there was something missing. Things did not tie together naturally at all. The biggest piece of the puzzle missing for me was the philosophy of the engineers. Intelligent, impressive beings that stirred my curiosity and Noomi Rapace's sketchy dialogue didn't give them enough substance for me. I didn't hate the film, and I have rewatched it from time to time, but it did disappoint. It was a bit of a hot mess.

Doug FergusonPrometheus is the kind of movie that highlights the importance of the screenplay. This film had a legendary director attached and he directed the hell out of this movie. Visually stunning. A great group of talented actors, like Michael Fassbender who hits his role out of the park.But at the end of the film, you just get a frustrating glimpse of a better movie that could have been because the screenplay was a mess. And I can't believe that both Ridley Scott and the studio felt that this script was ready. It has so many leaps in logic and unanswered questions that it feels more like a second draft than a shooting script.What a wasted opportunity to explore the origin of man and the chaos of the universe.Here's to hoping that The Martian is better!

Ton de WitteI went in not knowing what to expect and I liked the movie. The beginning seems to be a religious act of sacrifice, we can only assume that that particular piece of the space jockey religion has changed or was abandoned and that the space jockeys became xenophobic. Or a new religion arose that wanted to wipe out all inferior species so they developed a bio weapon which went out of control.

If you look at the alien species they are a bit too perfect no flaws at all, then space jockeys realised that and fled the laboratory so to speak before they could deploy the weapon. Ok some things in this movie are cliché but I enjoy it. Shaw’s operation was interesting to say the least she must be the only one infected with an alien to walk away alive, Ripley doesn't count she was cloned. Essential viewing no, but as there is a sequel coming to this prequel this story hasn't ended, so perhaps the common opinion about this movie will mutate from the face hugger people seem to think it is into an alien.

Anthony FarnsworthA common trend here that i'll be following, i love this movie but i also recognize its flaws. Ridley Scott really knows how to capture the eerie atmosphere and make everything aesthetically pleasing. The visuals are fantastic right out the gate with the first shots of the movie scoping over the Isle of Man and seeing the engineer performing this bizarre ritual which disintegrates him causing the creation of mankind (at least i think that's what happened). And that's just it, nothing is too clear about this movie, a lot of confusion, some of the confusion i like because blatant exposition would just dumb the movie down and like to speculate as to what's really going on... but then again there are other confusing aspects of the movie that bring it down for me. For example not only could i care less about the geologist and biologist being lost and scared in the alien ruins but why the heck did they all of a sudden get curious about the snake alien when literally just moments ago they ditched the group because they found a dead alien corpse? And why did the the geologist turn into mutated zombie alien on steroids? Or why didn't charlize theron just simply run left or right out of the giant alien space craft? Questions that most likely won't ever be answered and i don't care for them to be answered other than putting it on really bad story telling and lazy script writing. I'm almost positive i heard something about the writer being renown for mucking movies up, why he was allowed to write this? The world may never know. Regardless, i enjoyed the movie as another addition in the alien universe, but most definitely not required sci-fi viewing.

Dusty TweedhopeHad to really remind myself that it was NOT part of the alien franchise. Related to, but not part of. I loved this film. Very good variety of characters, incredible scenery, mesmerizing effects, and interesting plot. I look forward to the sequel immensely.

Brian CampbellWhat do you do when a space cobra rears itself up in front of you? Why you stare in bemused wonderment, of course! Loved the special effects and the story started out with some great ambition. However, the plot collapses upon itself as the characters become LOST in a Damonic way. (See what I did there?)Erik FetenI actually love that none of the ships or the events in Prometheus are directly connected to Alien. The theory I've heard that is my favorite is that the derelict ship we see in Alien is one that left for Earth 2000 years ago and has been sitting there the whole time in waiting... that it was a ship meant to eradicate the human population for killing off an Engineer sent to educate our species (insert religious overtones for who was killed 2000 years ago). Pure speculation, but I happen to dig that one.

Michael SimshauserI'll get this out of the road first, I enjoyed Prometheus, even with Damon Lindelof's hack job on it. Dan O'Bannon he is not. The layers within the script I attribute to Jon Spaits original script. But unfortunately the layers and the great visuals by Sir Ridley Scott cannot stop the frustration I felt stupid people from doing stupid things in this movie. Like getting lost in a place that they just mapped, touching an unidentified possibly dangerous life form and running away from a threat in a straight line. I am looking forward to seeing where the sequel goes from here.

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