Prometheus

May 19, 2017 Chopped Onion Comments 0 Comment

I saw this movie in theatres twice, didn’t feel like I fully understood it, and I looked forward to watching it on Blu-ray with Director Ridley Scott’s commentary on. After watching a movie it interests me to compare what I thought of it to what the filmmakers were planning and to what others thought of it. Reading synopses, trivia, reviews, interpretations, and watching special features (in home film school!) all help me have a better understanding of what each film was trying to accomplish and help me decide if I like it enough to watch again. This was not the first commentary by Ridley I listened to, (Gladiator in 2000), I have been a fan of his my whole movie watching life, and while a lot of what he says included “I like this,” “look at this, isn’t it fantastic?” there was a brief sequence about a table that had me laughing out loud and cheering as I can understand where he was coming from as a director, (note: I am in no way comparing myself to the man career wise). It boiled down to him knowing what he wanted in the film, some folks questioning him, and him standing his ground with a strong belief in his own vision and after 4 decades of directing successful feature length films, I don’t know if I could’ve/would’ve argued with the man.

My Thoughts

Science fiction has always been a go to genre for me, as I really enjoy mysteries such as how did humans come to be, what/who is out there in space, and what does the future hold for us? Ridley’s movies have influenced (inspired?) my opinions on the subjects with films such as Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), The Martian (2015), and his latest, Alien: Covenant (2017). Prometheus is right in the mix of those mysteries and with an amazing cast and a huge production budget/shot in 3D (Ridley’s first), it is the kind of film that cinemas were built for (or if you are lucky, a home theatre). Ridley’s movies usually make me think, the actors/music/pacing/everything was solid, what did he bring to the table? Exactly that, you can not just throw a movie like this together, it begins with someone who has planned everything. Even if it does not always go that way (Ridley “something will always be made impractical, like the budget forcing you to shoot the film out of order”), beginning with a plan for everything will lead you to success. I appreciated that this movie, while still regarded as fiction, grounded itself intentionally in a serious, what does science and technology look like in the future kind of way, (more Star Trek than Star Wars, the cinematic left/right of science fiction). The music with the violin in it was great for the feeling of the film and was used effectively and the landscapes truly looked breath taking, especially those filmed in Iceland. I really enjoyed Noomi Rapace in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, (the original Swedish version in 2009), and she lead the way in this film, I want to see more of her work! Her and Michael Fassbender really stood out for me, both of their characters intrigued me. Couldn’t take my eyes off anything not human in this movie too.

2012, 14A, 2h 4m

Distributor – Fox

Budget – $130 million

Cast & Crew

Director Ridley Scott previously made Robin Hood (2010, at least his 5th film with Russell Crowe) and would next make The Counsellor (2013, again with Michael Fassbender). Co-writer Jon Spaihts previously wrote The Darkest Hour (2011) and followed up with co-writing Doctor Strange (2016 starring Benedict Cumberbatch). Fellow co-writer Damon Lindelof previously co-wrote Cowboys & Aliens (2011 along with 4 other writers) and would followup with co-writing Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and created a tv show The Leftovers (2014 starring Justin Theroux). Noomi Rapace knows how to pick directors as she was previously in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011 with Guy Ritchie, her English language film debut) and followed up with Passion (2013 with Brian De Palma). Michael Fassbender was previously in X-Men: First Class, A Dangerous Method, and Shame (all in 2011), and followed up Prometheus with 12 Years a Slave (his first of 2 Academy Award nominations, only a matter of time). Charlize Theron was previously in Young Adult, followed up with Snow White and the Huntsman, and thankfully has not stopped working. Idris Elba was starring in the tv show Luther (2010-2015) and was next seen on the big screen in Pacific Rim. Composer Marc Streitenfeld and Editor Pietro Scalia have both repeatedly worked with Ridley Scott.

Links

IMDB – 7.0

Box Office Mojo

Wikipedia

Spoilers

(please do not continue reading if you have not seen the movie and do not want to read a spoiler)

One of the mysteries I liked this film tackling included the question that Ridley Scott posed in the commentary, “Who made us? Who made them?” I recommend listening to at least one of your favorite (movie, director, actor)’s commentaries, as they share anecdotes about a lot of things you see or hear so briefly in the film, (*good commentaries should). In this case, having dreams while sleeping in space (keeps the brain, a muscle, sharp), references to the film Lawrence of Arabia (the character in that film said, “don’t mind when it hurts,” so was part soulless, much like David the android who was watching it), and the glass helmets (while looking kinda old fashioned, if they were strong as steel, similar to Gorilla Glass, they could provide you with an unobstructed view, unlike current astronauts like the ones in The Martian). My inner film nerd squealed when I saw the space jockey again (thanks to designer H.R. Giger). The music was performed backwards then reversed digitally for the film (making a creepy sound) and I specifically liked the line of dialogue, “God does not build in straight lines.” Ridley was not afraid to use a cheap solution found on the internet, (the bubbling black pod was corn oil and alcohol on top of a speaker playing music making different ripple effects), knows what he likes, (hand picking the actors like Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender whose visual delivery required less dialogue to portray), and is not afraid to fight the censors, (Ridley on the c-section scene, “yes there should be standards for what parts of a movie is shown on tv, but I could see a real caesarean section on afternoon tv, it’s the same”). Did you know that Prometheus in Greek mythology was the creator of mankind?

Chopped Onion Studios

Independent studio