Prometheus
Jun. 6th, 2012 11:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skull_bearerI went in with absolutely no expectations: Alien was a fine film, but nothing I was really crazy about, and the one time I tried to watch Blade Runner it bounced me off so hard I'm surprised I didn't hit Jupiter. I felt vaguely positively inclined towards it mostly because the trailer and posters made me think of my favourite artist Beksinski.
Which wasn't too far off, as both Beksinski and Giger have very similar art styles. However, this is definitely a Giger movie, noticeable by two very obvious traits which Beksinski doesn't share: the biomechanoid imagery, and the fact that there are cocks everywhere. Giger's artwork would have giver Freud a brain haemmorage and Prometheus is no different. There's a particular scene involving worm/fish things that are so ridiculously phallic that it takes the theme of male rape from the first Alien film and beat it into your head harder than if this was a kinkmeme.
Which is kind of a shame because I'm fairly sure I wasn't supposed to snort - really? You're expecting us to take that seriously?- during that scene.
I'm not entirely sure about the rest because I was treating this like an art show (Giger is my #2 favourite artist so that was no hardship). I can kind of see why Partner really liked Avatar despite it's headbanging flaws - that's his kind of art work. This is definitely mine. Anyway, the characters were mostly unlikeable, for all they had about 2 second character development (I would like to see the director's cut), except for Micheal Fassbender's David, who was awesome, except I think he was meant to be the bad guy, so that might be a fail. Whatever, that guy could have ridden a xenomorph into the sunset and I would have called that a good ending. The plot hung together by it's teeth and was mostly okay up until the end where the film just wouldn't die. The dialogue wasn't nearly as painful as people said- it's not Joss Whedon but it's not bad. And 3D was epic.
I do think a certain amount of the hate it's getting is down to unpleasable fanbase. The film is certainly flawed, but if people hadn't been hyped senseless it would be considered far more highly than it is. The highest compliment I can give it is that no matter how easy it would have been to churn out an Alien clone, Ridley Scott didn't do it. There are certain themes in common, but the characters are different, the set up is different, and the arc of the story is different. It might not entirely succeed, but at least it did its best.
Honestly, I still think this year's winning streak on cinema films is holding strong, so far, in order of preference:
Cabin in the Woods (That was awesome!)
Prometheus (Flawed, but it's something new and interesting, and looked great)
Avengers (All good fun)
Iron Sky (First half was not my thing, but made up for it by an epic and hilarious second half)
Pirates! An Adventure with Scientists (certainly good, but nothing memorable. I call it a meringue movie, enjoyable but not substantial)
Which wasn't too far off, as both Beksinski and Giger have very similar art styles. However, this is definitely a Giger movie, noticeable by two very obvious traits which Beksinski doesn't share: the biomechanoid imagery, and the fact that there are cocks everywhere. Giger's artwork would have giver Freud a brain haemmorage and Prometheus is no different. There's a particular scene involving worm/fish things that are so ridiculously phallic that it takes the theme of male rape from the first Alien film and beat it into your head harder than if this was a kinkmeme.
Which is kind of a shame because I'm fairly sure I wasn't supposed to snort - really? You're expecting us to take that seriously?- during that scene.
I'm not entirely sure about the rest because I was treating this like an art show (Giger is my #2 favourite artist so that was no hardship). I can kind of see why Partner really liked Avatar despite it's headbanging flaws - that's his kind of art work. This is definitely mine. Anyway, the characters were mostly unlikeable, for all they had about 2 second character development (I would like to see the director's cut), except for Micheal Fassbender's David, who was awesome, except I think he was meant to be the bad guy, so that might be a fail. Whatever, that guy could have ridden a xenomorph into the sunset and I would have called that a good ending. The plot hung together by it's teeth and was mostly okay up until the end where the film just wouldn't die. The dialogue wasn't nearly as painful as people said- it's not Joss Whedon but it's not bad. And 3D was epic.
I do think a certain amount of the hate it's getting is down to unpleasable fanbase. The film is certainly flawed, but if people hadn't been hyped senseless it would be considered far more highly than it is. The highest compliment I can give it is that no matter how easy it would have been to churn out an Alien clone, Ridley Scott didn't do it. There are certain themes in common, but the characters are different, the set up is different, and the arc of the story is different. It might not entirely succeed, but at least it did its best.
Honestly, I still think this year's winning streak on cinema films is holding strong, so far, in order of preference:
Cabin in the Woods (That was awesome!)
Prometheus (Flawed, but it's something new and interesting, and looked great)
Avengers (All good fun)
Iron Sky (First half was not my thing, but made up for it by an epic and hilarious second half)
Pirates! An Adventure with Scientists (certainly good, but nothing memorable. I call it a meringue movie, enjoyable but not substantial)
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(no subject)
Date: 2012-06-06 10:12 pm (UTC)Also, not sure if David's supposed to be viewed as the bad guy. I don't think that's how he functions. He seems to be mostly built out of arrogance and obsessed curiosity.
I agree that the plot was kinda so-so, and the ending could've been more condensed.
Mostly I'm just in awe of Fassbender's performance and the fact that holy shit, functional and gorgeous 3D. And I *hate* 3D.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-06-07 10:46 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-06-14 12:06 am (UTC)