Prometheus

I think that there’s about an hour of film missing. An hour to work on the relationships, to say where they found out certain things or else somehow to show that these are just assumptions, to take their time a bit and not to hurry on ahead at breakneck speed. In some places I prayed to be have the time to rummage about in the environments presented. I have no gripes about the story, looking for an answer to the question that has no answer (that guy died immediately in the first scene) is just a catalyst for investigating possibilities and space. An attempt to go further. Visually, it’s top-notch, Ridley made sure of that. Similarly, he took great pains over the casting, each actor fits their role perfectly. Noomi is really fine, but Michael Fassbender easily dominates the picture. It’s a shame too that Guy Pearce made such a brief appearance. The ending was rather surprising the way it broke down into a regular massacre. I have the feeling that Alien DNA harms this movie, the same as the hype and trailers revealing too much. I look forward to the director’s cut. (12/06/2012)

Spoiler impressionology! It's been exactly ten years, give or take a few days, since I saw the first Alien, the film that piqued my interest in cinema as a whole, and the question of what came before has actually been gnawing at me for a decade. So from a purely subjective point of view, I have no reservations about it because the film answered my questions. First of all, it confirmed that the aliens are a biological weapon that probably cannot be controlled by anyone. So far, so good. But when I look at it with hindsight, aided by a brief post-film debate, I don't quite understand why the writers had to break the film into survival horror in the second half, endowing the characters with the logic of incompetent teenagers. Visually, including Streitenfeld's excellent audio, there's nothing to fault it for (well, except for Weyland's mask, that's horrible) but there's not a single climactic scene, something that would draw me to the movie theater for a second screening. This is actually a huge shame because, for the first hour, Scott was creating a more interesting world than James Cameron has recently. After leaving the theatre I was ready to give it four stars, given that the marketing campaign had gone beyond me, but I thought about the film a bit too much during the twenty-minute journey home. (07/06/2012)

Pretend you’re going to watch Alien vs. Predator 3 without the Predators and you’ll be ecstatic. The first third is an absolute sci-fi orgasm – exciting, epic, atmospherically captivating, visually engaging, with attractive actors and a promise of great things to come. Everything here is so perfect down to every tiny detail that one wants to cry with happiness. Plus there are some nice ideas conveyed through the dialogue (and monologues). The second third slows the pace down and brings a more intimate tone when it tries to tell us more about the characters. The last third is hastily put together action horror with butchered editing and storytelling, which doesn’t elaborate on the originally outlined themes, and is ridden with genre clichés and Emmerichian heroism. Luckily, the closing scene setting up a sequel somewhat mitigates the disappointment. Fantastically shot piece of screenwriting crap. I feel cheated, Ridley. (01/06/2012)

Prometheus is a pretty decent sci-fi, but at times it has almost fatal sci-fi related flaws. It begins at an amazing pace. The story is timeless, imaginative and it has a great pace due to the strange atmosphere. The second half is much weaker, everything begins to be a routine and the worst of all is, spoiler alert, the alien finale. That really pissed me off. Prometheus was supposed to be pure sci-fi with everything it entails and not the prequel to Ridley Scott’s Alien. The whole time it made a completely different impression and in the finale he turns it into this and thinks I will fall on my butt… I feel really sorry for that. Visually, it is absolutely amazing, and that also counts for something. (03/09/2013)

No one said this was going to be a prequel to Alien or 2001: A Space Odyssey. The trailers promised me stunning visuals, a generous dose of tension, and a mysterious enemy. The movie delivered on all of that and added the unpredictable David, the determined Elizabeth, and a breathtaking story where the answers to questions must be sought, not just heard. Prometheus thus became a surprisingly refined sci-fi, which will continue to mature for a good few years. (19/06/2012)