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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.39.34
Posted on Saturday, January 07, 2012 - 02:22 pm:   

http://www.prometheus-movie.com/

Afte a long time, here's a film I'm allowing myself to get excited about.
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Paul_finch (Paul_finch)
Username: Paul_finch

Registered: 11-2009
Posted From: 92.5.38.38
Posted on Saturday, January 07, 2012 - 02:44 pm:   

I was until I realised it was another outing in the Alien franchise.

I'll still watch it, though.
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Frank (Frank)
Username: Frank

Registered: 09-2008
Posted From: 85.222.86.21
Posted on Saturday, January 07, 2012 - 03:26 pm:   

It's not an Alien outing, Paul. It was, but Ridley changed his mind. Though looking at the trailer you'd be forgiven for thinking so.
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.96.253.77
Posted on Saturday, January 07, 2012 - 03:27 pm:   

It's set in the same fictional world as Scott's Alien, and features the big ship at the start of that film. It's part of the story of Scott's film - which is basically nowt to do with the rets of the franchise.
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.96.253.77
Posted on Saturday, January 07, 2012 - 03:27 pm:   

rest
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 78.152.195.49
Posted on Saturday, January 07, 2012 - 03:54 pm:   

Just think of it as ALIEN 2. Or ALIEN 0. Which effectively it is, since it doesn't seem to deal with any of the Nostromo story. But it feels like it could be what a sequel should be: a jumping point into something unexpected and valid in itself.
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John Forth (John)
Username: John

Registered: 05-2008
Posted From: 82.24.1.217
Posted on Saturday, January 07, 2012 - 04:39 pm:   

From the trailer it's pretty obvious it's set in the ALIEN universe and is, to an extent, a prequel to certain aspects of that film. I suspect the name change, and Ridley Scott's comments that is' not really a prequel, are an attempt to distance it from what the Alien franchise has become - and also to set audience expectations, as it's unlikely that we'll see very much of the traditional Giger Alien in PROMETHEUS (although I'll be surprised it they don't crop up somewhere in there).

Me, I'm just happy to see that fictional universe back in the hands of someone who (despite a few clunkers in recent years) knows how to actually direct a film, instead of the clueless hacks who produced the Alien vs Predator outings. Really looking forward to this.
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Paul_finch (Paul_finch)
Username: Paul_finch

Registered: 11-2009
Posted From: 92.5.38.38
Posted on Saturday, January 07, 2012 - 04:53 pm:   

I think - on first hearing the title and knowing nothing else about it - I was expecting something completely different. I won't pretend that my heart didn't sink when I saw the trailer. However, as stated, I'll be watching it, because I'm an admirer of Scott's work, and if anyone can do something different with it, he can.
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.185.225.55
Posted on Friday, April 27, 2012 - 04:42 pm:   

Just booked up to see this at the BFI IMAX in 3D. Better be good...
Interesting that the longer trailer says "from the director of 'Blade Runner' and 'Gladiator'", but doesn't mention ALIEN - as John says, distancing himself from Alien by the look of things.
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John Forth (John)
Username: John

Registered: 05-2008
Posted From: 82.24.1.217
Posted on Friday, April 27, 2012 - 10:33 pm:   

I'll almost certainly be watching it at the same venue, if not necessarily on the same date, Mick.
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.185.225.55
Posted on Saturday, April 28, 2012 - 12:12 am:   

See you by the popcorn, John!
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.185.225.55
Posted on Saturday, April 28, 2012 - 12:14 am:   

Just pm'd you on Facebook, John, to let you know when we're going.
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Mark_lynch (Mark_lynch)
Username: Mark_lynch

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.40.254.171
Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 07:37 am:   

The viral ads are interesting. The ones that are straight to camera.

Interesting article about the film in Empire. And an interview with Scott, who says he thinks aliens or ancient civilisations used to exist on this planet. Also talks about the Bladerunner sequel, which sounds to be a story set in the same universe as Bladerunner but not necessarilyy about replicants etc. Hmm.

Not sure how much I'm looking forward to Prometheus. Scott could have fun explaining away the timeline by having the new ship have a faster than light drive, thus being newer and younger than Nostromo. Which would account for the difference in tech in the ships. But explaining away what the viewer filled in for him/herself in Alien could be a bad idea.

The relationship between the humans and the android in the film will probably be the one to watch. Subtext and theme, innit.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 08:16 am:   

I saw a new trailer for this today. Alas, it's looking more and more like ALIEN; like what that new THE THING did in relation to the Carpenter one: told a different story that was for all intents and purposes, not at all different. I hope not... maybe it was just how this trailer was cut, for those who do want nothing more than another ALIEN....
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.185.225.55
Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 10:53 am:   

I wonder if it's the film that's looking more like ALIEN, or just the fact that they may be editing the trailer to look that way...
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 11:11 am:   

Still trying to avoid spoilers with this movie and looking forward to it immensely.

I remember going through the same process with James Cameron's 'Aliens' back in the 80s and being ever so slightly disappointed, when I got to see it, that the film went more for gung-ho action and hordes of aliens over the claustrophobic terror of the original. I still loved every moment of it and consider it a milestone classic of its kind but this persistent little voice at the back of my mind still hankered after the slow burning atmospherics of Ridley Scott's original vision.

Since those early days of auteur status it's been sad to see Scott turn into just the kind of "spectacle over content" director that Cameron always was. This one will either make or break his reputation once and for all. I still can't wait though...
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Karim (Karim)
Username: Karim

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 62.242.41.24
Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 02:53 pm:   

Did they just give away most of the plot in the latest trailer? It revealed way too much, no matter what the last ten minutes will be like.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 03:13 pm:   

Hence the reason I'm avoiding all trailers like the plague. I actually made a dart for the loo with my ears covered when it came on in the cinema the other week. The few subliminal flashes I've glimpsed look awesome but I want to watch the thing fresh and get the full experience. When does it open anyway?
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.185.225.55
Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 05:52 pm:   

June the foist, in the UK...
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Mark_lynch (Mark_lynch)
Username: Mark_lynch

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.40.254.205
Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 09:42 pm:   

Tis in 3D, is it?
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.185.225.55
Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 10:42 pm:   

Shot in 3D - shown that way in some "theaters".
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.118.79.109
Posted on Tuesday, May 01, 2012 - 12:07 am:   

Aha, over here it opens on 28 May. Can't wait to see it.
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Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 61.216.45.166
Posted on Tuesday, May 01, 2012 - 10:35 am:   

You're lucky, Hubert! It doesn't open until June here in Taiwan (same time as most countries, it seems). I'll definitely be seeing it.

I've just noticed a Taiwanese zombie film is on at the cinemas - it's called Zombie 108, and I have no idea if it's worth going to see or not...
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.185.225.55
Posted on Tuesday, May 01, 2012 - 10:56 am:   

Have you seen the first 107 films though, Huw?
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.55.89
Posted on Tuesday, May 01, 2012 - 11:26 am:   

"Who you gonna call? Don't wanna wait? Zombie-108!" Lame, I know.

As for Prometheus, this may very well prove to be the film of the year for me. I love Alien and there's that tantalising glimpse of the Space Jockey's ship in the trailer . . .
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Thursday, May 03, 2012 - 05:44 pm:   

I thought of combining a few future films last night, in the interests of bringing together doomed sequels and resurrecting careers in the process.

A sequel to The Woman in Black has been discussed, as has Ghostbusters 3 , albeit without Bill Murray, who has apparently refused to be in it. We could combine the two, and have Ray and Egon bust up Eel Marsh House. Peter Venkman could be played by Steven Seagal, who is in need of a comeback movie.

Win/Win/Win all the way to the bank.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Thursday, May 03, 2012 - 05:46 pm:   

Also, is Prometheus Bound a form of extremely severe constipation?
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.55.89
Posted on Thursday, May 03, 2012 - 09:35 pm:   

Finally found a copy of Los Sin Nombre, which I'd never seen before. It retains just enough elements of the Landlord's novel. I especially enjoyed the visual style.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.37.89
Posted on Friday, May 04, 2012 - 12:14 am:   

The Guardian newspaper has apparently revealed a huge spoiler. Even the author of the column says he wishes he could unknow it. That's it, I'm avoiding any further promotional material.
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.185.225.55
Posted on Friday, May 04, 2012 - 12:48 am:   

The Guardian newspaper has apparently revealed a huge spoiler.

It was all a dream!
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.150.16.94
Posted on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 11:57 pm:   

I love the idea of merging franchises to save on the number of sequels

Inception could be merged with the Elm Street films. Finding Nemo with the Piranha films, Toy story and puppetmaster...
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.37.238
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 01:26 am:   

I saw Inception recently. I'm not trying to be contrarian when I say it was an absolute stinker.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.145.130.164
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 01:37 am:   

I wouldn't expect anything less from you Proto. I can't think of a single film I've ever agreed with you about.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 05:09 am:   

Me, I actually agree with both of you: it was a beautiful mess, Inception....
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Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 61.216.47.222
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 09:11 am:   

I loved Inception.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 12:15 pm:   

Me too, Huw. One of those films that drags the viewer in by the beauty of its technique and the intrigue of its wilfully ambiguous premise. It reminded me a lot of 'Blade Runner' and equally repays repeat viewings. A modern masterpiece of high concept science fiction, imo, and Nolan's best film to date.
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John Forth (John)
Username: John

Registered: 05-2008
Posted From: 82.24.1.217
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 01:23 pm:   

I'm with you Proto. I found Inception a completely flat experience. The least imaginative film about dreaming I've ever seen.

But then I don't like many of Nolan's films.
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David_lees (David_lees)
Username: David_lees

Registered: 12-2011
Posted From: 92.22.73.7
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 03:21 pm:   

"With ’Inception,’ I wondered why all of the dreams were action movies. Don’t people have other dreams?" - Terry Gilliam

I agree, but I still enjoyed it.
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Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 61.216.47.222
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 03:42 pm:   

But wasn't it the case that the dreams were consciously directed that way, by the characters, in order to achieve a certain outcome? Of course the dreams contained action scenes - it was an action/SF movie!
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 04:08 pm:   

And they were secret agents involved in a mission to penetrate their subject's mental defences so of course this would have been reflected in the subconscious nature of the dream (or virtual?) reality they found themselves in. Wouldn't it?
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.113.105
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 02:18 am:   

"Also, is Prometheus Bound a form of extremely severe constipation?"

It's a very clever reference to Prometheus Unbound and that fact that I'm on my way to Prometheus. Effing genius.

Three people I find over-rated and humourless: Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale and Gary Oldman. You can imagine how much I'm looking forward to the new Batman film.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.167.145.33
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 02:23 am:   

I can honestly say that I've loved every Chris Nolan film I've seen so far. The only one I've not watched yet is Following, which is close to the top of my TBW pile.

The answer to the fact that you're looking forward so little to The Dark Knight Rises is simply to not go to see it.

Shimples.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.118.79.94
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 01:39 pm:   

Gary Oldman is a great actor and fun to watch. How can one not like the guy?
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 01:58 pm:   

He was superb in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, but then again I think him superb in pretty much everything I've seen him in.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 02:10 pm:   

Christian Bale is a bit of a funny one though, given his tirades at minions on set; although I've long suspected anyone with a personality plastic enough to do pretty much any acting role they are given, convincingly, is probably a blank canvas at heart.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.125.217
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 06:17 pm:   

Yes, AMERICAN PSYCHO Christian Bale's signiture role. Possibly his best film, because it was funny.

I've an open mind, so I probably will see the new Batman.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.157.37.10
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 07:09 pm:   

Am I allowed to say "I told you so" when you post on here about how much you hated it for completely esoteric reasons that no one on the planet but you thinks are faults about the film?
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.0.29
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 07:48 pm:   

Of course. But I'll be commenting on the merits of the film itself, rather than an ad hominem, so I won't be part of a discussion of that nature.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 10:01 pm:   

I suppose it does prevent the forum from degenerating into a gossip column. A good policy, and one I may adopt from hereon in.

That said, would you not regard referring to someone as 'humourless' as an ad hominem?
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.19.147
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 10:34 pm:   

Well, when one is talking about an actor, we're not talking about the man because we don't know him. I mean to say that the roles he chooses and how he chooses to play them seem humourless to me.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.209.31
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 12:29 am:   

Chris nolan's films certainly can't be called humourless. They may all be dramas but there is always a strong vein of humour. Memento has several belly laughs as do both of his batman films. Inception, Insomnia and the prestige also have plenty of moments designed to alleviate the expertly built tension.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.209.31
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 12:38 am:   

And let's face it. Calling anyone overrated is - by definition - admitting that you know your viewpoint is a minority one. After all if the consensus opinion is not good, it would be difficult to be overrated. It also suggests that you believe your opinion should be more important than the consensus. It's certainly a phrase i try to avoid using whenever possible.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.94.249
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 09:16 am:   

"Calling anyone overrated is - by definition - admitting that you know your viewpoint is a minority one. After all if the consensus opinion is not good, it would be difficult to be overrated. It also suggests that you believe your opinion should be more important than the consensus."

Not more important, different. So the only opinion that can be expressed is the majority one?
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 12:46 pm:   

I hate this bit.
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 195.59.115.60
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 02:30 pm:   

Fast forward through it, Tony...
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Gary Fry (Gary_fry)
Username: Gary_fry

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 129.11.77.198
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 02:37 pm:   

At least it's not dull, Tony. :-)
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 04:36 pm:   

Every single person's opinion is equally valid and of prime importance, above and beyond anyone else's, to that particular individual (unless they happen to be followers of TV "talent" shows). Hence we all have the innate right to consider any work of art either over or under rated, appreciated or valued by the popular consensus or even by whatever group is deemed the cognoscenti at that particular period of time. Even history fails to have the last say being prone to the dictates of fashion and constant rewriting. We all owe it to ourselves to be true to our own opinions and critical sensibilities and if they appear ill-informed or perverse to the majority out there it is equally up to each of us to argue our own corner.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 04:50 pm:   

Hear hear!

Or to put it the age old way... opinions are like ass-holes: everyone has one, and they all stink.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.210.119
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 05:00 pm:   

The word overrated is nothing more than a statement of one's own opinion. Therefore to state 'this is no good because it's overrated' is to state 'this is no good because i say it isn't'. This indicates either an arrogance about the person making the statement which could be argued to be at a socially unacceptably high level of arrogance, or a basic ignorance of the meaning of the word overrated. To say 'i think this is overrated because of reason a b and c' is acceptable because it is a clear statement of opinion. However, the statement earlier in this thread was the other way round - with overrated used as a reason that nolan et al were not very good. As i've just explained that's either arrogance or ignorance.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 05:21 pm:   

But when you hear the same opinions, and the same inflexibility, AGAIN AND AGAIN, and the same tones of voice, it gets very wearing. It's the almost determined closed minds and anger at other views that bugs me. It's like bloody wrestling, hearing pressure to comply in every syllable. I feel like going out and strangling somebody after it.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 05:23 pm:   

I should just steer clear of this stuff. It rarely happens on Facebook, where mums and kids bump shoulders with you, keeping you relatively normal and considered.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 05:52 pm:   

The use of pressure on someone else, whether it be by threats or ridicule, to try and force them to comply with your opinion is never justified, Tony. Reasoned debate and the cultivating of an open mind is what social interaction is all about and, indeed, is the process by which the human race evolves intellectually. Bullying is something else entirely but I don't think any of us here are guilty of that sin. Personally I find measured disagreement to be quite fun and mentally stimulating.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 05:59 pm:   

Oh, it's just hectoring, here though. I don't find it fun at all. :-(
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 06:03 pm:   

I know what you mean Tony. When I hear the praise that's lavished on such average fare as Toy Story or such complete tedious dreck as the book I'm not sure I'm allowed to talk about on here any more, it's irritating in the extreme. But I still won't use the word overrated as a REASON why I find Toy Story to be totally average or the L book to be complete garbage.

Over/underrated are both merely statements that we accept our opinions are minority opinions. To state our opinion as fact is never a good thing.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 06:05 pm:   

Crossed posts there. I was responding to your earlier post.

I'm not hectoring anyone. I'm merely arguing semantics.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 08:09 pm:   

Weber: What is the book you aren't allowed to mention on here anymore?
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.128.209.113
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 08:22 pm:   

begins with an L, author's initials are VN and it's the most tedious book I've ever read. The narrator is the single most annoyng pompous character in fiction and ... I'm starting again... this is why I'm not allowed.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 09:18 pm:   

It took me ages to figure that out! There's smoke coming from my ears.

I've never read it, but I intend to. Just for the hell of it, y'know?
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.255.45
Posted on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 10:30 pm:   

I think my previous comments are clear and don't need elaboration. Back to the subject in hand - PROMETHEUS has been given a 15 rating in the UK, so it'll have teeth.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 12:07 am:   

And won't be a gorefest, which is always good. Over use of gore ruins the tension for me, as there's nowhere more stressful left to go.

Although I do make an exception for Event Horizon, which I saw at the cinema with a few friends; we couldn't get in to see another film, so we watched that instead. I thought it was going to be like Spaceballs. I nearly shat myself. Not a top quality movie, but scary all the same.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 12:11 am:   

Gorefests do have their place, though. I love a disemboweling as much as the next guy.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.120.190
Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 12:43 am:   

EVENT HORIZON is a very odd film. Trashy, loud and obnoxious, but with some imagery that stays in the mind, some nice talk about what fire looks like in zero-g and a funny scene with an astronaut rocketing through space in his spacesuit swearing profusely.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.118.79.94
Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 12:54 am:   

The intention may have been comic relief, but that scene always reminds me of Bradbury's very serious "Kaleidoscope", so I can't find it funny.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.120.190
Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 12:56 am:   

I was listening to William Gibson on Desert Island Discs and he was talking about how the spaceship's position as THE symbol of the future has diminished. I don't know if we have an image of the future now. A boot stamping on a human face for eternity? A man swiping a finger across a black rectangle forever?
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 06:45 pm:   

I thought that was always the big draw to space-related science fiction - the fact that one day, it could happen. Nowadays, it seems increasingly unlikely; there's more money to be made in eReaders and iPods. Maybe space sci-fi will eventually go the same way as the underwater sci-fi tale.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 147.252.230.148
Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 07:30 pm:   

What a depressing thought. We don't have the imagination to leave our little rock pool? If we survive, we'll expand, I think/hope?
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John Forth (John)
Username: John

Registered: 05-2008
Posted From: 82.24.1.217
Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 11:56 pm:   

a funny scene with an astronaut rocketing through space in his spacesuit swearing profusely.

I think that was the exact scene in Event Horizon where I went from thinking it was enjoyable trash to absolute rubbish.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.109.232
Posted on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 10:17 am:   

Ah, that pushed me from thinking it was absolute trash to enjoyable rubbish. Interesting...
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 10:18 am:   

I quite enjoyed Event Horizon, but I did go there with different expectations, so I was pleasantly shocked. The dialogue was a little forced at times. Information dumps and the like.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 147.252.230.148
Posted on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 10:58 am:   

I mostly remember lots of sparks and wind and people hanging onto consoles.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 12:09 pm:   

lol

They're all the hallmarks of a good, understated science fiction movie.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.118.75.202
Posted on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 01:28 pm:   

The only thing I couldn't stomach was Sam Neill's resurrection as some kind of cenobite from space.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 03:01 pm:   

'Event Horizon' (1997) has a special place in my heart as it was one of those unheralded sci-fi movies I went along to knowing nothing about, at a time when genre cinema was going through the doldrums, that absolutely blew me away with how well done it was. A genuinely frightening and original deep space sci-fi/horror the likes of which we hadn't seen since the original 'Alien'. A fabulous movie!!

My only gripe with it was a few scenes of shoe-horned in comic relief that jarred badly with the wonderfully oppressive gothic tone of the rest of the movie - that resonated eerily with the similar effect 'Dust Devil' (1993) & 'Seven' (1995) had on my consciousness. It was the half-glimpsed suggestion of unspeakable acts rather than the presentation of them that made those films so nightmarishly effective, imo. The fleetingly inappropriate humour didn't spoil the overall effect of 'Event Horizon' and I'd rank all three as beacons of cinematic horror in the wasteland of the 90s.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.165.252.248
Posted on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 09:42 pm:   

Captain Miller to Dr Weir (who has just ripped his own eyes out and is threatening Miller with a nail gun): "If you miss me you'll shoot straight through the hull."

Weir (smiling): "What make you think I'll miss?"
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Saturday, May 12, 2012 - 02:54 am:   

Instantly paying homage to the enclosed claustrophobic horror genre, from which there is no escape, and the cosmic deep space sci-fi genre, in which anything is possible, aboard a brilliantly designed spaceship.

As I think you intended to highlight, Hubert, did you not?
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.165.252.248
Posted on Saturday, May 12, 2012 - 03:55 am:   

My thoughts exactly
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 12:06 am:   

I've always had a liking for those kinds of films as I was on submarines in the navy. There is a similarity between the two.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 09:49 am:   

I was just talking to a chap who spent time in subs. He was talking about 'hot beds' and vaccuum toilets that could castrate you if you didn't stand up sharp enough. And not knowing where you were.
I used to be mad about submarines. Just the idea of them. What was it like - if you don't mind me asking?
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.27.8
Posted on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 11:13 am:   

And don't forget Twohy's Below!
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Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 61.216.47.33
Posted on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 11:55 am:   

I liked Below a great deal. Come to think of it, it had a similar feel to Event Horizon in some ways. The mirror scene is the one that always come to mind when I think of that film, but there were several others, and the acting (Bruce Greenwood, especially) was convincing throughout.

Can anyone think of any other good ghostly submarine films? The only one that comes to mind at the moment is the Twilight Zone episode 'The Thirty Fathom Grave'.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.56.131
Posted on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 01:56 pm:   

Does Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea count?
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Lincoln (Lincoln_brown)
Username: Lincoln_brown

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 58.168.211.135
Posted on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 02:02 pm:   

Not a submarine film, but there is a supernatural/WW2 film coming next year called 'Panzer88', about a lost Tiger tank crew being menaced by 'something'. Fingers crossed!
(I'm pretty sure Paul Finch mentioned it on his blog).
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 10:04 pm:   

Tony: I loved the navy, but I hated submarines in the main, although there were a string of family-related incidents that set up stresses in me that sitting in a submarine didn't help. I think it would have been ok bar that. I threw my towel in in 2008.

We didn't know where we were either; we would dive for three months and not surface at all. Although we didn't have vacuum toilets, they are the next thing, so I'm lead to believe. I was on the civilian design team for the next generation until last year.

Hot-bedding is a thing of the past on modern British boats, for the most part. I never had to do it, but I've met folk who did at some point. I think the worst part for those guys was the thought the previous occupant had committed acts of heinous self-abuse within the same sheets only moments before. There was one guy who used to 'use' animal porn in his girlfriend's stead (Gawd knows what she looked like in person), and didn't even bother to turn down the volume on his laptop. And he was a man who liked to give his partner-in-stead verbal 'feedback' - grunts and the occasional 'Yeah!'

The sounds that emanated from his bunk still haunt me.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 10:21 pm:   

*led to believe.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 - 05:24 pm:   

This chap told me they always changed the sheets between sleeps! I can see why, now. Not nice.
Was it strange, beneath the sea? It must have been like being underground, or in space. Were there the ping-ping noises that we all know and love?
And again, were there any ghost stories, or, like with gypsies, would the environment render that unlikely?
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 - 06:31 pm:   

There were pings on exercises, but not in normal operation. The principle normally is to use 'passive sonar'; that is, to be as quiet as possible and listen for others. Going active with a ping surely finds others in the surrounding area, but also gives away your location.

I've thought of writing submarine stories, but they have been done to death, for the most part. There has been a glut of techno-related ones. I think the claustrophobic elements of submarine life are dealt with in many deep-space sci-fi books too.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 - 11:11 pm:   

Surely nothing more claustrophobic than the ISS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyjRc_oxKV4&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 - 11:17 pm:   

More of the same: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8lFhaMihTg&feature=related

Nothing like the gloriously revolving wheel in Kubrick's 2001!
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.84.240
Posted on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 - 12:59 am:   

I remember a British astronaut saying how his first instinct on encountering a fire on board Mir was the open a window.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 92.18.180.56
Posted on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 - 01:18 am:   

Sound instincts; it would have worked...
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 - 11:44 am:   

Today's the day. First screening at 14:15 this afternoon. I'm fairly excited.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2012 - 03:33 pm:   

Hoping to get to see this tomorrow evening at long last! I've managed to avoid all but the faintest glimpses of any trailers - which look and sound sensational - and know next to nothing about the plot so it's safe to say I haven't been this excited about the opening of a movie since... dare I whisper it... 'The Phantom Menace'.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2012 - 12:30 pm:   

I am indeed Prometheus bound! Got my ticket for 6.30 tonight and can't fecking wait!!
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2012 - 12:33 pm:   

What can I say? Enjoy the rollercoaster ride. I for one enjoyed it immensely and plan to go back for another viewing.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2012 - 04:51 pm:   

I deliberately chose a 2D screening over the 3D shows as I want nothing to distract from my enjoyment of this movie. 3 hours and I'll be there... eek!
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David_lees (David_lees)
Username: David_lees

Registered: 12-2011
Posted From: 92.22.40.72
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2012 - 10:21 pm:   

I know a couple of people who've seen this now and both were VERY disappointed, though I haven't heard precisely why yet.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.208.160
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2012 - 11:15 pm:   

Stevie was slightly impressed apparently
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2012 - 01:32 pm:   

Awesome! Fucking awesome!! Pure cosmic Lovecraft! It's the next day and I'm still on a high. That was the best thing Ridley Scott has done since 'Blade Runner' by a country mile. Move over 'Inception'... 'Prometheus' is the sci-fi movie by which the early 21st Century will be judged. So much to take in I'm going to see it again on Tuesday. Fucking incredible filmmaking!!!!
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2012 - 01:45 pm:   

This film makes the three that came after 'Alien' look amateurish by comparison. It is seriously that bloody good!

Stick to sci-fi, Ridley, you're a fucking genius at it!!
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David_lees (David_lees)
Username: David_lees

Registered: 12-2011
Posted From: 92.22.40.72
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2012 - 02:38 pm:   

That's reassuring :-)
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2012 - 07:15 pm:   

Glad you liked it, Stevie! I fully agree with your appraisal and intend to see it a couple more times while it is on the big screen. So much of it will be lost once it is transferred to dvd.

As for those who are disappointed - I remember the lukewarm reception 2001 got when it first came out . . .
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.181.214.176
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2012 - 08:42 pm:   

I recall that reception too, Hubert, when I saw 2001 as a lad in the late 'sixties. I also remember loving it from the moment it started!
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2012 - 08:58 pm:   

I was twelve, going on thirteen at the time. I remember thinking what's the matter with these people, don't they have feelings? Some of them were yawning, for chrissakes!
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.145.217.24
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2012 - 09:01 pm:   

2001 sends me to sleep. One of the worst films ever
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2012 - 09:14 pm:   

In your opinion, Weber.

Alien was received in a mixed way, for instance by people who criticized it for being 'just a haunted house story in space'. Which is why it was so incredible. Some people just don't, and never will, 'get' certain things. To those that do they are unlucky.
(I sense another face off coming up, one of those 'It's not,' 'It is,' things that goes on for bloody ages like two obstinate goats welded at the horns i.e. fun for them but completely boring to EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD.)
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.181.214.176
Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2012 - 10:45 pm:   

ALIEN was picked on somewhat as it was quite similar to a couple of films from the 'fifties - one being IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051786/ - but then there's not much that's original, and ALIEN was a great film to see with an audience.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.150.143.182
Posted on Sunday, June 03, 2012 - 01:47 am:   

The fact that 2001 sends me to sleep is a fact not an opinion. I think I made it past the monkeys once.
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Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 220.138.165.37
Posted on Sunday, June 03, 2012 - 07:24 am:   

I'm going to see Prometheus in a few days - can't wait! In the meantime I will have to content myself with the Alien blu-ray...
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David_lees (David_lees)
Username: David_lees

Registered: 12-2011
Posted From: 92.22.40.72
Posted on Sunday, June 03, 2012 - 01:46 pm:   

"It is to Alien what the Phantom Menace is to Star Wars."

I guess it's a love-it-or-hate-it kind of film, or perhaps people are going in with vastly different expectations of what an Alien prequel should be.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Sunday, June 03, 2012 - 01:57 pm:   

Yeah, there's people who are neutral towards Alien, but adore Alien3 or Alien versus Predator. Go figure.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Sunday, June 03, 2012 - 02:42 pm:   

The fact that 2001 sends me to sleep is a fact not an opinion.

Kubrick has a tendency to procrastinate, e.g. the beginning of Eyes Wide Shut where the elderly gentleman tries to seduce Nicole Kidman. I remember thinking will this scene ever end?
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.150.143.182
Posted on Sunday, June 03, 2012 - 06:04 pm:   

There're a couple of his films that I really like. The Shining, A clockwork Orange and his Vietnam film whose name escapes me.

I've not got on very well with the rest of his films that I've seen though. I even gave up on Dr Strangelove.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, June 04, 2012 - 01:41 pm:   

I'm going again tomorrow night and feel almost as excited as I did on Friday which hasn't happened me in the cinema for far too long.

'Prometheus' is to 'Alien' what 'Aliens' should have been. An intelligent, slow moving, brilliantly paced, stunningly beautiful, gloriously designed, awesomely detailed, dark, claustrophobic, spine-tinglingly creepy, exciting as fuck, totally unpredictable, instant masterpiece of high concept Lovecraftian science fiction/horror. Mind-blowingly awesome! A second viewing is absolutely essential to even begin to articulate what is so great about this movie.

Everyone should just go see it and if you come out disappointed, having expected another action-packed retread of the 'Alien' franchise, with all clichés present and correct, then, frankly, you're no fan of cinema, imho.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, June 04, 2012 - 01:49 pm:   

Think 'At The Mountains Of Madness' in deep space...
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Monday, June 04, 2012 - 02:05 pm:   

I saw it in 3D, funny little glasses and all. I'm not spoiling anything for anyone by saying that the holograms on the bridge of the Prometheus virtually leap out of the screen.

What did you think of the ending, Stevie?
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, June 04, 2012 - 02:45 pm:   

The ambiguity of the ending and a few of the other new plot developments are mainly why I have to see this again, Hubert. Everything about the film was perfectly judged, imo, and an incredibly successful broadening out of the atmospheric ambiguities of the first half of 'Alien' - long my favourite sequence of the film - while creating a plethora of new mysteries that are equally as haunting but so much more cosmic in scale.

May as well go to a 3D show the second time just to compare the formats.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Monday, June 04, 2012 - 03:07 pm:   

With hindsight I am just that little bit disappointed in the human characters' reactions to what they find. The sense of glorious wonder is nearly always lacking. Some of them act like morons who should never have been allowed on a mission like that. David, on the other hand, is always keen and properly impressed.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, June 04, 2012 - 03:24 pm:   

The people acted like people and that's what I liked but David (brilliant performance by Fassbender) acts like a child filled with wonder and his journey just about makes the movie for me. He is the very antithesis of HAL and one of cinema's great creations.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Monday, June 04, 2012 - 03:45 pm:   

I don't think I completely 'get' the beginning. Was that an Engineer committing suicide? An alien thinking he would find enlightenment by doing what he does? (No spoilers here, I should think.)
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.167.145.115
Posted on Monday, June 04, 2012 - 05:18 pm:   

off to see it now - in 3d

trying not to read the thread while i type this
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Monday, June 04, 2012 - 06:13 pm:   

One brief scene really haunts me - near the end, when Shaw staggers back into the remnants of the ship and is confronted by David's neurovision of her playing the violin as a child. A stroke of genius.
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.181.214.176
Posted on Monday, June 04, 2012 - 06:18 pm:   

Lord P. wasn't that impressed with it - doubtless he'll be along shortly to add his comments.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.167.145.115
Posted on Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - 01:41 am:   

Welll I really enjoyed it.

Stevie, if you are going to see it again tomorrow, check it out in 3D. Really nice use of the technique in here. It actually felt natural to watch IMHO
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.181.214.176
Posted on Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - 10:36 am:   

Apparently the 3D is of the "through a window" type and that usually works better for me than the "poke your eye out with sharp pointy things" type.
Looking forward to seeing it - 11 days to go!
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - 11:04 am:   

The technique is used unobtrusively, e.g. a character appears to step into the screen from behind the camera. Some scenes beg for a no holds barred approach (e.g. when we get to see the many orifices of a tentacled horror), but you're never looking at the effect itself.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - 04:23 pm:   

Hubert, I've no idea what the alien was doing at the beginning. Another reason I want to see it again to try and pick up clues I may have missed. It's that kind of film. Gets better the more you think about it and, I imagine, the more times you see it.
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John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert)
Username: John_l_probert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.158.152.219
Posted on Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - 07:23 pm:   

It's actually a difficult film to write about without spoilers but I have to say I didn't like it. Some great actors and great visuals but I'm very much a story and ideas person and from that point of view it wasn't very good at all - as well as failing to deliver on its very promising setup there's a lot of old B-Movie space stuff shoehorned in as the film goes along as well. The first half is moody, stately and elegant but unfortunately the second half doesn't deliver and actually sent the film spiralling down the cinematic drain for me. The characters are terribly one-dimensional, there's a lack of a central lynchpin to hold it together, and i could just see production meetings with producers saying 'We need more shocks, we need more deaths, we need more monsters'. It became such a Cormanesque escapade I was actually shocked we didn't get to see Charlize in the shower!
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - 01:16 am:   

Couldn't disagree more, John, and I think you're looking for faults where none existed. Of course the film was designed to appeal to a widespread audience while attempting something slow paced and intelligent, for a change, but they pulled off the balancing act magnificently.

I'm just back from my second viewing and found it even more exciting, if anything, and a lot of the plot developments making just that bit more sense. I was actually hugging myself with sheer pleasure at certain moments, knowing what was coming. An awesome piece of sci-fi cinema to match the very best such epics of the 60s/70s, imo.

Having said that watching it in 3D added nothing new to the experience and in fact wearing the glasses was somewhat distracting. 2D for me every time.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - 01:36 am:   

I was actually shocked we didn't get to see Charlize in the shower

Now that would have been something, wouldn't it? I think she may have been added to the film because Noomi Rapace's looks are kind of humble in comparison.

Clearly, this is a film on which no two people will agree.
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Kate (Kathleen)
Username: Kathleen

Registered: 09-2009
Posted From: 81.158.152.219
Posted on Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - 08:19 am:   

We found we were left with so many questions and inconsistencies afterwards that by the time we were finished talking about it, we'd unravelled the whole film.

I should know better by now, but the trailer suggested a totally different film to me, something focusing more on how/why the Engineers inspired (or left?) those pictograms. The FX were great, the 3D was immersive and the Cronenbergian surgery set-piece was absolutely fantastic. But so much of the film seemed confused and contrived.

------------------SPOILER ALERT-------------------

What was that opening scene all about? Why did the Engineers want us to come find them? If they wanted to destroy us, surely the xenomorphs are a bit overkill, especially given what happens at the end. Why did David give Holloway an eye-worm cocktail (beyond the obvious excuse for a gross-out effect)? What was the purpose of Charlize Theron's character (except for the cynical reason Hubert gives)? Why did she have a self-surgery pod (for men only!) in her quarters? And most of all for me, why, after letting us get all excited to see the giant navigation device rise from the floor and the Engineer take his famous seat, where we know he's found dead from a chest-burster in ALIEN, does he then leave to go chase Noomi Rapace???

And if these are all questions set to be answered in parts 2 and 3, then it's time for me to play weary, fed-up cinemagoer and grumble about why everything has to be bloody trilogies these days.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - 10:04 am:   

I have theories for all but your first and last questions, Kate, and I'm working on those. I thought at the time that what happened to the alien navigator does seem to be a major continuity error but I find it hard to believe anything so obvious could have been missed (fingers crossed). The male only surgery pod was for her father. Mr Weyland, his power-hungry daughter, their cronies & poor programmed David were all privy to more than they were letting on about the nature of the alien engineers and there was quite clearly a hidden agenda in operation involving the deliberate infecting of crew members and return of the alien DNA to Earth.

All things considered, the way the film refused to pander to its audience and respected us to have the intelligence to work through the ambiguities is one of the things that most impressed me about the whole project. So many years of careful thought and planning and painstaking hard craft have gone into this picture and that has to be celebrated. The three franchise sequels were shallow formulaic action flicks by comparison and Scott could so easily have gone down that road but chose to take a chance instead - it paid off magnificently. This movie and 'Inception' are the greatest adult sci-fi epics I have seen since the days of 'Blade Runner' and 'Brazil - and I sincerely mean that. Here's hoping we're witnessing the start of a renaissance.

'Prometheus' was so well thought out and true to the groundbreaking spirit of 'Alien' that I have no doubt explanations exist and, yes, will be trickle fed to us over the obvious sequels to come. Good! The 'Aliens Vs Predator' shite has been put to bed and the franchise been successfully rebooted with intrigue and the stimulation of debate among fans as its central remit over and above the thrills, scares and sheer spectacle.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - 08:51 pm:   

Dammit - I wanted to enjoy this but didn't at all. Too much Alien in it for me, and too many echoes of key scenes from that film. I didn't care for anyone but the robot and felt little or no sense of wonder. Nothing bothered me at all about it. But the key problem, and it's a HUGE problem, is that it completely diminishes - nay, *destroys* - the mystery of Alien.
Also it's got Moffatt disease; making us think 'Oh, I'll wait for the next one and it'll make it better.' Damn their eyes!

I feel like I've had Alien taken away from me, and it hurts.

(And is it me, or was it not really like a less creepy episode of Space 1999 in loads of respects?)
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - 08:52 pm:   

Without wanting to stir things up further, there WAS more awe in AVP.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - 08:57 pm:   

At one point my son said 'these people were just in this film to die'. And he's little more than a kid. At least with Aliens you felt the characters knew one another before the action started.
2010 was better than this, I think, in that respect.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.33.75
Posted on Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - 10:17 pm:   

Well that was baffling. My expectations were on the floor, so I didn't hate it. It was okay, but mostly just puzzling. Why was it made? It's admirable to make something with its own flavours and textures and little odd details, but it didn't say anything interesting as far as I could tell.

2010 is a super film, very under-rated I feel.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.33.75
Posted on Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - 10:21 pm:   

Prometheus spoiler
-
-
-
I don't think that the crashed alien ship is the same one they encounter in ALIEN. The moon isn't called LV-426 (it's labelled LV-somethingelse on screen). That would eliminate any continuity error with the pilot's death.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.56.75
Posted on Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - 10:58 pm:   

And it doesn't ruin ALIEN for me, Tony, any more than the Predator films do. It's too silly a film to consider it part of that world.
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John Forth (John)
Username: John

Registered: 05-2008
Posted From: 82.24.1.217
Posted on Thursday, June 07, 2012 - 02:00 am:   

Just back from seeing this tonight. I'm afraid to say I thought it was pretty terrible. The dialogue was clunky, the script a muddled mess, the acting variable - I liked Fassbender's performance, but some of the supporting cast were atrocious - and, ultimately, it inspired neither awe nor excitement in me. As Kate mentions above: there are so many frayed threads in the story that if one picks at too many of them the whole thing falls apart.

On the plus side, I thought it looked fantastic throughout (slightly uninspired beasties aside), and quite liked the main theme, but for me the story was illogical and all over the place. I wanted to enjoy it so much, but whenever I tried something stupid would happen and I was snapped right back out of it.

A real shame, because as the core of the film was a decent story, but it was ineptly told.

Another film in the series to ignore next time I watch ALIEN or ALIENS then...
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John Forth (John)
Username: John

Registered: 05-2008
Posted From: 82.24.1.217
Posted on Thursday, June 07, 2012 - 02:01 am:   

Also, I'm fairly sure I wasn't supposed to be sitting there thinking: "Charlize Theron's the only one with her head screwed on on this ship."
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John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert)
Username: John_l_probert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.158.152.219
Posted on Thursday, June 07, 2012 - 07:51 am:   

Well it's good to know we're not the only ones! Like you John I forgave and forgave and forgave but then it got too much and at *that* scene I started giggling and had to whisper to Kate that now I'd seen three scenes ripped off from Inseminoid!

I've thought about this film long and hard since seeing it and I'm beginning to wonder if even Alien: Resurrection isn't slightly better.
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John Forth (John)
Username: John

Registered: 05-2008
Posted From: 82.132.249.225
Posted on Thursday, June 07, 2012 - 11:14 am:   

Yes, we had the Resurrection conversation afterwards too. I think it's too close to call...

You know, I've never seen Insemenoid. I'm sure there's a VHS copy lying around the flat somewhere, though.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Thursday, June 07, 2012 - 04:53 pm:   

Proto - it eats into the brain space marked 'Alien' though, and it's *meant* to fit. Only it's like a moustache drawn on a picture - even by the same artist. I'm trying to see round it but I can't.
It is very akin to The effect of The Phantom Menace (which I liked, but which DID harm those earlier films).
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Thursday, June 07, 2012 - 07:24 pm:   

It would seem, then, that only I and Stevie liked it . . . Alien wasn't to be outdone, and maybe too many cinemagoers expected a film at least as good. I try to accept it on its own terms. Would people like the fim more if it paid hommage to its famous predecessor, say by sticking it full of familiar monsters?
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.145.129.136
Posted on Thursday, June 07, 2012 - 07:39 pm:   

And me! I liked it!!!!
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.145.129.136
Posted on Thursday, June 07, 2012 - 07:41 pm:   

Wasn't inseminoid a cheap Alien rip-off? (and a piss poor one at that) To accuse this of ripping off inseminoid is to accuse it of ripping off the source material of inseminoid which was... oh hang on... this could go round in circles forever
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Thursday, June 07, 2012 - 08:07 pm:   

Sorry about that, Weber!
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John Forth (John)
Username: John

Registered: 05-2008
Posted From: 82.24.1.217
Posted on Thursday, June 07, 2012 - 09:55 pm:   

maybe too many cinemagoers expected a film at least as good

I would have settled for a film that was just good.

This was to ALIEN what THE EXORCIST II was to its predecessor.

But, taken on its own merits, I still thought PROMETHEUS was a terrible film, featuring some of the worst writing I've seen in big-budget sci-fi since, well, AVATAR.

At times it felt like the film had been stitched together from five different scripts. I await, with some terror, the announcement of a three hour director's cut ONLY ON DVD AND BLU-RAY (in time for Christmas).

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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Thursday, June 07, 2012 - 10:16 pm:   

I've weighed all the opinions pro and con here... and am now leaning towards not bothering with this until it hits DVD. In fact, that is exactly what I'm going to do.

Sad. And those trailer were so promising....
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.23.42
Posted on Thursday, June 07, 2012 - 10:21 pm:   

"Wasn't inseminoid a cheap Alien rip-off?"

Hardly as simple as that. If it imitates Alien at all, it does so by varying the motif that Alien (more specifically, Dan O'Bannon) appears to have lifted from Night of the Bloodbeast. Both of those films have a man "pregnant" by an alien, whereas Inseminoid has a woman pregnant with alien offspring. This is what Prometheus revives.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Friday, June 08, 2012 - 12:38 am:   

Hubert - I thought there were too many familiar aliens.
I feel very sad not to have loved this film. I think it was the style I missed most from the first, vaguely impressionistic, almost abstract. Very little happens but we do feel we go somewhere not of this earth.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Friday, June 08, 2012 - 12:43 am:   

To go back a bit, Christian Bale makes Arnie come across like Martin Short.
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Mbfg (Mbfg)
Username: Mbfg

Registered: 09-2010
Posted From: 62.255.207.128
Posted on Friday, June 08, 2012 - 01:12 am:   

Just seen it and I did love it, and I'm not easy to please when it comes to films.

Cheers
Terry
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Friday, June 08, 2012 - 09:26 am:   

I did think the music was too sweet sometimes. On this front too, Alien was not to be outdone. Not to mention Giger. I know the Swiss artist contributed some mural signs, but that suffocating sense of uncompromising menace and otherworldliness is lacking. Still, I'm curious about Rapace and Fassbender's further adventures - if any.
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.25.236
Posted on Friday, June 08, 2012 - 09:51 am:   

I've no idea whether Christian Bale has a sense of humour, but he's a powerful actor with real commitment to his work. I was on his side over the famous on-set tirade.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Friday, June 08, 2012 - 12:34 pm:   

I thought it an amazing spectacle, but wanly wrought. The writing was weak in places, the middle was confused, with strange things going on unnecessary to the story, but I still loved it.

Christian Bale is a fine actor —the lengths he goes to for a role are incredible (The Machinist comes to mind)— and I'm sure he had a point when he had a go at the guy on that set, but he did use the word 'fuck' eighty times in 3 minutes 49 seconds, which is more than once every 3 seconds. 78 of them were after the guy's apology. If I were to do that to one of the lads in the office if he were to interrupt me during a presentation, I'd be fired before I reached 10.
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John Forth (John)
Username: John

Registered: 05-2008
Posted From: 82.132.249.232
Posted on Friday, June 08, 2012 - 02:12 pm:   

Regardless of your workplace there's no excuse for anyone speaking to another person the way Bale went off at that technician.

Also, he was making Terminator: Salvation at the time, so I'm not sure he can blame it on compromising his artistic integrity.
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.5.43.148
Posted on Friday, June 08, 2012 - 03:30 pm:   

Just back from seeing PROMETHEUS...

I thought it was pretty good, but not great. Like a 1970s Roger Corman film given a mega budget and A-List actors.

Nice to see a film with Big Ideas, but sad to see the director of ALIEN - one of the most tense films of all time - failing to generate any tension whatsoever.

There were a few things about the story I didn't understand, too. Loose ends. Untidy writing.

All in all, a big, daft, enjoyable romp. Nothing particularly innovative or groundbreaking, a few silly bits, but certainly a fun ride.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 78.152.204.55
Posted on Friday, June 08, 2012 - 03:48 pm:   

Regarding Bale, reading a little about the background, it seems that the DP was fiddling around with lights during a take and had done so several times. For an actor, this is like a snooker opponent talking on a mobile phone while you're taking your shot. It does sound unprofessional. I'm sure Bale isn't proud of the form his reaction took, but if I have the facts right then I understand his frustration.
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.181.214.176
Posted on Friday, June 08, 2012 - 07:02 pm:   

Regardless of your workplace there's no excuse for anyone speaking to another person the way Bale went off at that technician.

Also, he was making Terminator: Salvation at the time, so I'm not sure he can blame it on compromising his artistic integrity.


I quite agree - however professional Bale might be, he is, after all, an entertainer rather than, say, a highwire artiste or a surgeon, where a slip up could have catastrophic consequences. Sure he was annoyed, but in this instance (and I did hear the recording when it was first released) he makes himself appear somewhat of a primadonna.
I don't think the snooker player simile works as then Bale would have as many takes as necessary to get it right, unlike a snooker player.
No, I'm not an actor so I can't say how it would feel, but I've 57 years of the experience of people's company and know you don't talk to people like that.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.158.57.52
Posted on Friday, June 08, 2012 - 07:13 pm:   

If someone's deliberately stopping you doing your job correctly, it's bloody annoying. If they keep on doing it, it's not surprising if you lose your temper.

We've all done that. We've all had a shout at people who are deliberately setting out to annoy.
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.181.214.176
Posted on Friday, June 08, 2012 - 07:18 pm:   

Was the guy deliberately setting out to annoy, though? And did it really rate three and a half minutes of swearing?
No. He's a good actor but appears immature and overly self-important.
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Patrick Walker (Patrick_walker)
Username: Patrick_walker

Registered: 01-2010
Posted From: 87.115.25.232
Posted on Friday, June 08, 2012 - 08:58 pm:   

Well Ridley Scott's done it again, and when I say 'done it again' I mean not made a good film in twenty years.
There's a scene at the start of the movie where Michael Fassbender's character is watching Lawrence of Arabia while the crew is in hypersleep. I can say that without a shadow of a doubt Peter O'Toole is the best thing in it.
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Paul_finch (Paul_finch)
Username: Paul_finch

Registered: 11-2009
Posted From: 92.5.40.178
Posted on Sunday, June 10, 2012 - 01:07 am:   

Finally got to see this on the massive hi-def screen at Bolton, and I'm sorry to say that I was very disappointed.

Visually amazing, but full of loose ends, sagged badly in the middle, an erratic and illogical narrative, and nowhere near as big an 'idea' movie as it seemed to think it was.

Roll on CHERNOBYL DIARIES - the extended trailer for which was the best thing I've seen all night.
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Christopher Overend (Chris_overend)
Username: Chris_overend

Registered: 03-2012
Posted From: 217.33.165.66
Posted on Monday, June 11, 2012 - 11:25 am:   

I thought Fassbender was the best thing in Prometheus by miles. The more I see of him, the better I think he is. I'd forgotten he was in 300 too. His performance in that is chilling at times, particularly when he is hiding from falling arrows under his shield; he looks genuinely evil. And love it or loathe it, he was superb in Inglourious Basterds; I loved it: silly but entertaining, with some excellent tense scenes. He compares to Bale as an A-List star of the next 30 years, IMHO.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 194.66.23.11
Posted on Monday, June 11, 2012 - 03:52 pm:   

GEEK SPOT!!!

According to Aliens - Ash, the artificial from Alien, was built by the Cyberdine corporation - the same company that built the Terminators!!!
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Paul_finch (Paul_finch)
Username: Paul_finch

Registered: 11-2009
Posted From: 92.5.40.178
Posted on Monday, June 11, 2012 - 05:07 pm:   

The more I think about PROMETHEUS, the more I wonder how much of the theatrical release ended up on the cutting-room floor at the behest of the studio?

That certainly happened with KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, possibly against Ridley Scott's wishes. Now okay, a cynic would say that this enables the producers to release the movie on DVD twice - 'orignal' and 'extended' - but I can't believe that a perfectionist like Scott would have been delighted to see a version of KINGDOM OF HEAVEN - so heavily cut as to render parts of it silly - get a global release.

Did that happen with PROMETHEUS too?

When the fully restored version of KINGDOM OF HEAVEN was finally released, it was much smoother and made a lot more sense than the one I saw at the cinema.

I suppose we'll now have to wait until PROMETHEUS comes out in DVD to find out if it's the same thing there.
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John Forth (John)
Username: John

Registered: 05-2008
Posted From: 82.24.1.217
Posted on Monday, June 11, 2012 - 09:40 pm:   

Paul, it's been confirmed today that the DVD of Prometheus will have an extra 20 minutes of footage. So while not quite as major as Kingdom of Heaven, but still a fair chunk.

I don't think it'll make any difference to what is a fundamentally flawed and clumsy story, though.
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Paul_finch (Paul_finch)
Username: Paul_finch

Registered: 11-2009
Posted From: 92.5.40.178
Posted on Monday, June 11, 2012 - 11:13 pm:   

I agree, John ... it would have to be a fairly stupendous 20 minutes. Which is unlikely, given that they choppped it out in the first place.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 - 12:58 pm:   

I've been reading about Christian Bale this week and he seems thoroughly horrible. Hitting his Mum and Gran? Making kids cry for asking for his autograph while he was eating? If these stories (and many others) are true I'd rather see him swap all his roles with Steve Guttenburg.
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.31.98
Posted on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 - 01:15 pm:   

How reliable an informant do we think the ex-publicist may be?
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 - 02:09 pm:   

What a load of old misery guts! 'Prometheus' is the most wonderful sci-fi epic to be put on the big screen in fecking years. Thrilling spectacle married to claustrophobic restraint and all done with care and thought rather than bombast or cheap tricks. Talk about nit-picking. Sheesh...
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Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.156.210.82
Posted on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 - 02:14 pm:   

Stevie, your critical analysis has everything down as either "a masterpiece" or "utter rubbish".

Personally I liked Prometheus a lot, but it's a deeply flawed piece of work and I actually agree with most of the criticisms people have levelled against the film.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 - 02:54 pm:   

I went to see it a second time yesterday evening and like it even more. I still don't get what the robed Engineer is doing at the outset of the film, and yes, there are a number of unnecessary and sometimes grating intermezzos. Shaw's acrobatic stunts after she's stitched herself together again are a bit hard to swallow. And I would have loved to see Shaw and David together in their new spaceship. I can't wait to see the dvd with its 30 minutes of extras, though. And I want an Airfix model of the Prometheus!
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.131.34.237
Posted on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 - 03:21 pm:   

I want a model of that Geiger ship!
I dunno about Bale. I keep thinking stories in the papers are true, you see.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.42.48.99
Posted on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 - 10:08 am:   

My thoughts exactly;
http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/features/prometheus-culture-warrior-lpalm.php
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Friday, June 15, 2012 - 05:29 pm:   

Fwiw, here's two random reactions to the film, from two Hollywood "insiders" I (acquaintance-ly) know. This first, is from a screenwriter:

Complete garbage.

Terrible pointless story.

No dramatic tension or momentum.

Shitty characters.

Awful dialogue.

Murky bad effects.

3D was completely wasted on this film.

Retarded characters making stupid illogical choices from the start to the finish.

Confusing.

Absurd conclusion.

People openly mocked it while leaving the theater.

"Oh, look, it's an alien cobra. Let's touch and kiss it".

The score it deserves: F-

Stay away from this steaming turd.


The second, is from a development executive at a major agency:

I'll confess to enjoying it, despite the fact that the alien mythology is all over the place. Look at how streamlined the alien mythology is from the first film. K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid).

I couldn't figure out which alien was which and what the black goo in the vases was all about. Was it the same stuff the alien drank in the beginning to start life? Or was it the weapon?

There isn't a whole lot of drama either. People just spew out dialogue with exposition that left me saying, "How the fuck do they know that?"

Ironically, it kept me completely engaged rather than frustrated. Sort of like A.I. It's messy too, but I like it.

Probably wouldn't see it again (except for the two best scenes), but I'm not hating it.


Again, just fwiw.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.42.53.119
Posted on Friday, June 15, 2012 - 05:47 pm:   

Maybe they should call it Alien: Erection.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Friday, June 15, 2012 - 06:46 pm:   

Alien: Deception? That was Alien3 as far as I am concerned.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.42.53.119
Posted on Friday, June 15, 2012 - 07:06 pm:   

I hated Alien 3 at the time. But so many people love it I'm going to give it another go. It just felt like such a piss on the previous film, though; I actually despised it. It felt mean.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Friday, June 15, 2012 - 07:21 pm:   

Yes, the storyline is quite linear: "Ripley, Newt and Jonesy arrive on a prison planet; everybody dies." I almost skipped 7even two years later because it was by the same director.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.42.53.119
Posted on Friday, June 15, 2012 - 07:24 pm:   

You know, I can't trust Fincher?
I know how odd that sounds.
Alien 3 robs 2 of that exultancy when you rewatch it. I hate that.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Friday, June 15, 2012 - 07:30 pm:   

The big problem I had with Alien 3, was that the big reveal was so goddamned predictable! I mean, I thought—okay, they (i.e., those behind the film) know I know, so they are setting me up for something else... but then they never did... bastards....
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Friday, June 15, 2012 - 08:36 pm:   

Sigh...
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Friday, June 15, 2012 - 08:48 pm:   

http://youtu.be/aVZUVeMtYXc
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.15.53
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 02:34 am:   

Prometheass.

Oh I'm proud of me.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.15.53
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 02:34 am:   

Ah, where now is the callow youth at the top of this thread?
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.147.55.126
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 10:14 am:   

That is both hilarious and really very sad. We DO change that fast.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.147.55.126
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 10:16 am:   

Th early optimism in this thread is very sad indeed, actually.
Maybe the REAL Prometheus is in another dimension - or us liking this one are.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 12:15 pm:   

I'm beginning to think there are no true genre fans left who can tell quality when it comes up and bites them on the bum!

'Prometheus' rocks. It is the best outer space sci-fi/horror movie since the excellent 'Event Horizon' (1997), which it beats into a cocked hat, and the mst thrilling and visually beautiful sci-fi epic since 'Brazil' (1985). I'll be buying the DVD as soon as I can and watching it again for a third time, relishing every minute of the extra footage - it's that kind of movie. Simply wonderful!
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 12:36 pm:   

I think so too, Stevie. Unfortunately, a great many (most?) viewers appear to think otherwise. Anyways, onward to the next big (non-)event, The Dark Knight Rises.
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Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 61.216.51.206
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 12:53 pm:   

My brother said he loved it - I was going to see it with him today, but couldn't make it. I'm hoping to see it on Monday.
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David_m (David_m)
Username: David_m

Registered: 07-2011
Posted From: 95.147.192.153
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 12:54 pm:   

I'm with Stevie on this one. Prometheus was the best science fiction horror I have seen since Sunshine, which I also loved. The two hours flew by and I was completely immersed in the Lovecraftian cosmic horror of the Engineers and their mastery of biotechnology. I've watched it twice so far and may well head to the cinema for a third viewing. Excellent performances from the core cast members and one of the most visually stunning films I’ve ever seen.

Prior to the scene with the proto-facehugger, the biologist asks the geologist if he is smoking tobacco, to which the geologist chuckles and replies "yeah, right, tobacco...". It is heavily implied that he is smoking weed, probably because of how stressful their situation is. When the film cuts back to the two of them, the biologist is noticeably relaxed, swaying from side to side, suggesting that he is both stoned and unused to the drug. Therefore, when he reaches his hand out, his behaviour is disinhibited in contrast to his rather more anxious and subservient disposition earlier in the film.

I really hope that Scott’s ambitious return to the franchise earns enough to justify a sequel, as I want to see the homeworld of the Engineers. I wish more directors would take risks rather than focus-group the mystery and originality out of their films.
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David_m (David_m)
Username: David_m

Registered: 07-2011
Posted From: 95.147.192.153
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 01:02 pm:   

Stevie, it might help cheer you up to learn that, out of the people I know who've seen it, those who loved Prometheus outnumbered those who hated it by a ratio of about 4 to 1 and nearly everyone I know has seen it. Curiously, there seem to be very few people who don't have a strong opinion about it one way or another.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 01:39 pm:   

Hey, well spotted, David! That's what I mean about the film. The more you watch it the more subtly integrated details you spot and the more cohesive it feels.

I stand by my awestruck proclamation that it is a science fiction/horror masterpiece of the first order - and we've still to see another twenty minutes of it! Cinematic Nirvana for these formerly jaded eyes.
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David_m (David_m)
Username: David_m

Registered: 07-2011
Posted From: 95.147.192.153
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 01:52 pm:   

Stevie, in recent years my interests have shifted towards crime and horror. Prometheus made me fall in love with science fiction all over again. I can't praise it highly enough.

Alongside the Dead Space computer game franchise, the film makes me want more science fiction horror. Are there any books from the past ten years you could recommend? I keep asking this question, but so far most people see this hybrid form as largely visual in nature. I want something to sink my teeth into while I wait for Prometheus 2.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.10.119
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 02:00 pm:   

I'm genuinely glad you guys are getting something out of it.

But surely the explanation (which I think is right) raises more problems than it solves. Like why were the hightly trained scientists IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MISSION MANKIND HAS EVER UNDERTAKEN getting stoned?

That's just lazy, illogical writing.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 02:11 pm:   

You have me working on a Top 10 list of sci-fi/horror novels as we speak, Mark.

But first off, from the last ten years, the only one that immediately springs to mind is Gene Wolfe's Cthulhu Mythos/hard sci-fi/crime noir/James Bondian spy novel, 'An Evil Guest' (2008), kindly forwarded to me by our very own Craigster. It's the first Gene Wolfe novel I had read and made me fall instantly in love with the guy's writing.

It can be read as a Heinleinesque far future sequel to 'The Call Of Cthulhu' with spaceships, wormholes, aliens, time travel, detectives, femme fatales, murder, secret agents, master criminals, etc... and is, imo, absolutely thrilling multi-layered entertainment that haunts the mind with its ambiguities long after the book is finished. And, yeah, "In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu [still] waits dreaming." Appetite whetted, I hope?
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 02:13 pm:   

Sorry, David! Blame the vertigo tablets...
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David_m (David_m)
Username: David_m

Registered: 07-2011
Posted From: 95.147.192.153
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 02:18 pm:   

The same reason people under intense pressure take drugs now, as a way of coping with stress. Neither knew the purpose of the mission before they went and, presumably, space travel is not outstandingly rare given how sophisticated their ship is. I would guess that, having been conned into signing up for a scientific expedition and realizing that they were involved in first contact, rather than have a sense of awe, they feel manipulated. The geologist even rails that he cares about rocks, not giant alien bodies. Trying to get back to the safety of the ship after seeing a decapitated Engineer, they then become lost. After seeing piles of alien corpses, trapped by the storm and utterly miserable, they took the option available to them of dulling their fears. They had no weapons to defend themselves with, so it is unclear as to how they would have resisted the snakes if they had remained fully alert. Eventually, they would have fallen asleep...
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David_m (David_m)
Username: David_m

Registered: 07-2011
Posted From: 95.147.192.153
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 02:31 pm:   

Stevie, I love Wolfe and the description sounded superb, so I've just bought a hardback copy for £3 from Amazon. Might take a while for me to read it, but will try to give you feedback. I await your list with great interest.

As an aside, I reviewed The Very Best of Gene Wolfe for Strange Horizons here:

http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2009/07/the_very_best_o-comments.shtml
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 02:37 pm:   

It seems to me you are judging human nature by your own standards, Proto. Always a dangerous thing to do.
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.10.119
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 03:01 pm:   

"It seems to me you are judging human nature by your own standards, Proto. Always a dangerous thing to do."

No, I'm judging it by logic. For the most important mission in history, patronised by possibly the most powerful man in the world, this seems a shoddy mission. Look at how astronauts are selected today. They're selected to deal with stressful situations in ways that don't compromise their work or safety. Does it not seem likely that the Prometheus crew would reach to at least that standard?

Even the Nostromo crew were more professional, and expressed more awe. And they were space truckers.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 06:01 pm:   

Prometheus is Lovecraftian in more than one sense: Lovecraft started out writing short and straightforward horror stories with an implied cosmogeny. Later he developed them into longer pieces, e.g. At the Mountains of Madness, wherein the horrors are placed in bigger context, given a history and so forth. I like to think the same thing is happening with the Alien franchise (gawd, how I hate that word) now.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 06:06 pm:   

And I suppose lesser offshoots like Alien versus Predator could be seen as analogous to the hokum Derleth produced, haha.
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.181.214.176
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 12:27 am:   

Finally saw PROMETHEUS today in 3D at London's BFI IMAX cinema - "the biggest screen in the UK"...
Technically stunning, it fell down on occasion on the script front. I think Lord P. put it well, to a point, when he said he thought it was a B-movie script with an A-movie budget. I think it's more than that but at times I felt let down somewhat by the script and exposition. I loved lots about it, but ultimately felt a little unsatisfied with some elements. There were a few too many parallels with ALIEN - the 'robot' head carrying on conversations; a female lead refusing entry to the ship on the grounds of contamination; the robot carrying out the company's orders on the quiet; the 'final girl' scenario, to mention but four.
It showed some brains but filtered them through a sense of Hollywood blockbusters and I felt that it didn't quite gel. I'll certainly buy the DVD and look forward to seeing it again, but...
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 81.147.55.126
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 09:48 am:   

It must have been bloody awful hearing some of us harp on while you were looking forward to seeing it. Sorry Mick.
And sorry, too, to keep moaning about the film while others clearly enjoyed it.
I've been coming to terms with how hard it must have been to try and top Alien. My biggest quibble about the whole film is what Mick said; Prometheus was too in thrall of the original. It should have acted like it had never heard of it.

It was a Julian Lennon of a film. :-(
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.181.214.176
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 12:20 pm:   

Tony - don't worry mate, I've been mostly avoiding this thread ever since the film opened! I've been aware of opinions but not any plot spoilers...
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.181.214.176
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 01:04 pm:   

I went to see it a second time yesterday evening and like it even more. I still don't get what the robed Engineer is doing at the outset of the film

Hubert, I think he's creating life on a world that may or may not be Earth.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 02:02 pm:   

Interesting that he should do it by committing suicide. Judging from his reaction that may have been an unforeseen side effect.
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.181.214.176
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 02:28 pm:   

...or maybe just an extremely unpleasant one...
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 02:53 pm:   

Yes, it makes sense. He's the chosen one, the one who is going to create life on the planet. The suicide is necessary, there is no other way. It proves a painful experience, but his brethren are contented and leave the planet. The work is done. It doesn't explain why the Engineers would want to destroy humanity in a different era, mind.
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.181.214.176
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 03:07 pm:   

Aren't there comments about something we're meant to have done 2,000 years ago (wonder what that could be )? Also:-


SPOILER ALERT!!!!!



...at the end, the captain and his two crew stand pretty much with their arms outstretched, echoing Christ on the cross with the two others being crucified.
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 06:42 pm:   

Christ was an Engineer who ended up being crucified by the ungrateful humans? I see, the Engineers are j**s.
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.181.214.176
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 07:59 pm:   

Possibly! Religious imagery abounds. There's also the washing of the feet...
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.233.59
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 08:19 pm:   

j**s?

Jaws? Jets? Why so coy? Does anyone write M*****s?
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Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 178.116.61.103
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 10:05 pm:   

Interesting angle, Mick. I hadn't really noticed those things previously.

Coy? Superstitious deference. more likely.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.155.144.90
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 10:10 am:   

Proto - people are becoming very sensitive about mentioning religious folk's names. It's like the word Cock - it no longer means a male chicken and is impossible to bandy bout without laughter. We were in skegness last week and saw a rock stall called 'Don't forget your rock Cock'. We were so shocked and couldn't stop laughing for ages, till we realised 'cock' was a very local term for 'Mate', that kind of thing.
Sometimes it's possible to feel racist for just using the word 'muslim'. Er, just to get back on topic (at least of the last two posts.).
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.155.144.90
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 10:12 am:   

BTW my son reckons Prometheus hasn't taken in enough dosh to warrant a sequel. So now the film will maybe more mysterious and enigmatic than it intended to be.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.155.144.90
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 11:37 am:   

I wonder if it's worth discussing what people feel about reactions to things they love? I have to admit to getting a bit hurt by the overreactions of some to the things I like. And i forget to take this into consideration when making statements about films I don't like myself.
Oh, I dunno - is this even worth bothering about?
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 01:41 pm:   

So now the film will maybe more mysterious and enigmatic than it intended to be.

And you don't think that applies to 'Alien' or '2001' or any other speculatory sci-fi movie designed, first and foremost, to entertain, Tony? Let's face it, all genre movies are B-pictures at heart! It's just that the mega-budget ones come in for more stick while we forgive the ropiest elements of the Grade Z schlock.

'Prometheus' is the cinematic equivalent of a late period H.P. Lovecraft pulp masterpiece... a wondrous thing to all discerning fans but hardly on the same level as fecking Shakespeare or Ingmar Bergman.

I swear, the whinging reaction to this fabulous movie, and, for that matter, to 'The Walking Dead' TV series (quite possibly the best zombie production ever made), have me despairing of the scene these days.

Even 'The Exorcist', without doubt the finest horror film ever made, could be torn to shreds if one felt that way inclined and is chock full of minor, quibbling inconsistencies that one has to suspend one's disbelief to get around.

'Prometheus' more than delivered on everything that could have been expected of it, to a quite miraculous degree, imo, given that it was 33 years down the line, and the filmmakers deserve to be applauded for that fact.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.155.144.90
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 02:00 pm:   

Is it time to keep opinion to ourselves?
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 02:11 pm:   

Never!
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.155.144.90
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 02:23 pm:   

But...our opinions seem to have hurt your feelings so much.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 02:35 pm:   

Blame the impersonality of the internet for that, Tony.

If I sound irate, believe me, I'm not, just mildly frustrated at what an unfair pasting 'Prometheus' is getting from the very people who should be celebrating its existence.
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Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.155.144.90
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 02:43 pm:   

People have their own reasons, Stevie. In the crazy movie-watching world it might turn out that we swap opinions after a few rewatches. I will no doubt watch the film again. I'll just call it in my mind 'Space Monsters'. :-)
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 147.252.230.148
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 03:20 pm:   

Stevie, I was just going to write again to re-iterate that I'm genuinely pleased for you and envious that you got so much out of the film. It's a joyous thing and I'm glad some people find happiness in it and someday I may even find that I join you (this has happened in the past). But then...

"I swear, the whinging reaction to this fabulous movie"

Ouch.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 03:29 pm:   

Point taken. But the negative reaction to this brilliantly mounted piece of quality sci-fi escapism has been unnecessarily over-the-top as well as downright baffling, imo.

I've said my last word on the topic. Now to get back to that Top 10...
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Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.181.214.176
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 03:32 pm:   

I swear, the whinging reaction to this fabulous movie

I've not noticed whinging, just opinions that don't agree with yours, Stevie, that's all!
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 147.252.230.148
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 03:41 pm:   

But you did say you were frustrated, which I get...
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John Forth (John)
Username: John

Registered: 05-2008
Posted From: 82.24.1.217
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 08:08 pm:   

I swear, the whinging reaction to this fabulous movie, and, for that matter, to 'The Walking Dead' TV series (quite possibly the best zombie production ever made), have me despairing of the scene these days.

That's funny, I feel the same way when people go overboard with praise on weak to mediocre offerings like The Walking Dead and Prometheus just because they're part of their favoured genre.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 31.53.147.58
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 08:43 pm:   

What current tv offerings in the horror genre are stronger than the Walking Dead?

Personally I'm loving the show. And not just because it's in my favoured genre (patronising statement to make IMHO). But because it's a genuinely good show, well made and acted and it gives excellent zombies on top of that.
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John Forth (John)
Username: John

Registered: 05-2008
Posted From: 82.24.1.217
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 09:33 pm:   

What current tv offerings in the horror genre are stronger than the Walking Dead?

What a pointless question. How does the quality of the alternatives make a blind bit of difference to whether The Walking Dead itself is good or not? Saying "Well, at least it's better than American Horror Story" doesn't automatically make it better than it is.

patronising statement to make IMHO

It was intended to be. At least as patronising as dismissing differing opinions about a film as "whinging".
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 31.53.147.58
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 10:18 pm:   

I thought this was a site where we could relax away from crap comments and attitudes like that.

It seems I was wrong.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 - 12:47 am:   

I'm still trying to figure out what "whinging" means....
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 31.53.147.58
Posted on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 - 02:34 am:   

whinging means to complain excessively about unimportant detail. To make mountains out of molehills.
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 - 08:22 am:   

Ah. Thanks, Weber.
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.27.31
Posted on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 - 10:21 am:   

Stevie, did you see Kill List? It's another film viewed by some (including me) as allusive, and by others as wilfully elusive, rather as some folks view Prometheus. I was wondering what you thought.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 - 01:17 pm:   

Yes, Ramsey, and I thought it was wonderful right up until the frustratingly flawed ending that negated a lot of the good work. I don't think it'll be a case, like 'Prometheus', of the film making more sense on a second viewing, as I'm pretty sure I understood the Faustian/Wicker Man type pay-off. The problem I had with the ending was all in the editing not the content. For all the Loachian authenticity of the acting and clarity of the nicely understated direction in the rest of the film the final ten minutes was a frenetic, murky, near impossible to follow blur of OTT action in the dark. 'The Wicker Man' did it with so much more style, imo, but 'The Kill List' is still one of the finest and grisliest British horror films of recent years, for all that, and, who knows, I may even revise my opinion when I do get to see it again.

I wrote up my thoughts on the film and gave it a respectable ranking in my List of the Year on the "Films Of 2011" thread: http://www.knibbworld.com/campbelldiscuss/messages/1/4463.html?1338938480
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Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey)
Username: Ramsey

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 92.8.27.31
Posted on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 - 01:51 pm:   

Sorry - I remember! Forgive my ageing brain!

I've just written up Kill List for Video Watchdog and found a good deal of foreshadowing on subsequent viewing.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 82.18.174.156
Posted on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 - 01:56 pm:   

But to answer your specific question, I found the plot of the movie easy and logical to follow, and not at all elusive, while the allusions you refer to cover the gamut of satanic horror (everything from 'The Devil Rides Out' to 'Angel Heart'), gritty urban thriller ('Get Carter' to 'The Lost Son') and kitchen sink drama (the darker dramas of Ken Loach or Mike Leigh) not to mention the obvious references to the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts and the dehumanising effect War has on those who fight it. Ben Wheatley knows his stuff but just needs to hone his craft a wee bit more, imo.
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Rosswarren (Rosswarren)
Username: Rosswarren

Registered: 11-2009
Posted From: 86.180.0.220
Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - 05:31 pm:   

Prometheus was OK. Didn't blow me away but didn't overly disappoint either. Parts were a little confusing but as it's clearly set for a sequel I'll let that go. Acting on the whole was excellent although Theron was lumbered with rather a weak character. Fassbender was pitch perfect and seems set to be a massive star over the next few years.

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