Topic: Prometheus (Alien Prequel)

[Vincegamer]

  The same thing made me roll my eyes in Avatar:  the science is sophisticated enough for interplanetary travel and the building of avatars, but they can't fix a guy's spine?  Cripes, we're about 50 years away from doing that now.

Actually, they were pretty clear in Avatar that they could fix his back. That's the incentive they offer him to do the job - you'll get your own legs back kid.

It's implied that it's too expensive.  Somehow cheaper to fly him to Pandora, so still damn silly.

[Kessdawg]

Ugh, now this Damon Lindelof guy is going to re-write World War Z...  FUCK. 

The same thing made me roll my eyes in Avatar:  the science is sophisticated enough for interplanetary travel and the building of avatars, but they can't fix a guy's spine?

Sorry for picking nits but they CAN fix spines in Avatar, its just expensive.  Thats the carrot the military commander offered Sulley in return for his cooperation.

[Kessdawg]

  The same thing made me roll my eyes in Avatar:  the science is sophisticated enough for interplanetary travel and the building of avatars, but they can't fix a guy's spine?  Cripes, we're about 50 years away from doing that now.

Actually, they were pretty clear in Avatar that they could fix his back. That's the incentive they offer him to do the job - you'll get your own legs back kid.

It's implied that it's too expensive.  Somehow cheaper to fly him to Pandora, so still damn silly.

WHY YOU DAMN QUICK TYPER!!!!

[Strudel]

Why the would the auto-surgery (or whatever it was called) be sex-specific in its ability to perform operations?  Why wouldn't the machine be built for any emergency, regardless of the person's sex? 

Apart from serving as a hint to Weylands presence aboard the ship, it's not too out there to imagine some calibration might be required for a century old heart patient.

[D'oh!]

  The same thing made me roll my eyes in Avatar:  the science is sophisticated enough for interplanetary travel and the building of avatars, but they can't fix a guy's spine?  Cripes, we're about 50 years away from doing that now.

Actually, they were pretty clear in Avatar that they could fix his back. That's the incentive they offer him to do the job - you'll get your own legs back kid.

It's implied that it's too expensive.  Somehow cheaper to fly him to Pandora, so still damn silly.

That's coming back to me now.  At the time, I still objected to them NOT fixing the guy's spine for the reasons you mentioned.  Also, I don't recall, but if the injury was related to his military duty (as opposed to, say, a car accident) it seems ludicrous that they would use the expense as an excuse NOT to fix him -- unless there was sort of conspiracy behind it:  set him up with an "accident" but only heal him if he does this favor for them.  I found Avatar pretty forgettable either way.

I was discussing Prometheus with friends today, and the longer we talked, the more I hated it.  I went from disappointment to hatred in about 20 minutes.  Overall, the movie is a big "F you" to people who are ALIEN fans:  we're finally gonna show you the Space Jockey's back story, but not the one from 1979!  Oh, and here's the origin of the aliens... but not really!  Come back for the sequel in 3 years, suckers!!  Maybe we'll fill in the blanks at that time...

[mindme]

Best part of the movie is the robot on the ship alone. When the crew wakes up, the movie goes to sleep.

[DoctorOHM]

Best part of the movie is the robot on the ship alone. When the crew wakes up, the movie goes to sleep.

Oh, i do agree there!

[Vincegamer]

That part does sound interesting, which is why I will probably pick up the DVD when it hits the library.

It's actually a very interesting theme: if you never aged, or needed sleep, what would you do alone for years? What effect might that solitude have on a sentient android?

[Demosthenes]

The end of I Am Legend ends on a wide aerial shot of a chapel's steeple with some parting monologue that was all faithy waithy. Screw how awful it got after the first 30 minutes of awesome. Damn the CG vamps to hell, and nuts to the deterioration of plot and characters. It was THE WORST remake of Matheson's classic because of that goddamned religion wank at the end. Fuck all.

You have seen the alternate ending right?
I’d go so far as to say it actually changes the film into a good movie!

I AM LEGEND ALTERNATE ENDING (Must See This)

[stretcher]

(click to show/hide)

I like to think that the reason the aliens want to murder mankind, is because the aliens developed religion and for whatever reason that led them to want to release that bio weapon on us.

[Movius]

The Jesus = Crucified Space Jockey theory works better (well makes for a slightly better movie,)  if you're thinking of a Gnostic Jesus and other Space Jockeys as the malicious demiurge/archons. After all, the myth of Prometheus is one of those myths about evil gods keeping humans down that is usually misinterpreted as criticising arrogant humanity. (see also: Judaism/Christianity's 2nd creation myth about Adam, Eve and the serpent.)

Opening scene jockey = primordial man of light ripped apart to give life to the lifeless world crafted by the demiurge
Jesus = Space Jockey social justice campaigner who runs a publicity campaign on Earth in an attempt to bring gnosis to humans. Maybe succesful but misunderstood, crucified by undercover jockeys an example, who knows.
Space Jockey military-industrial complex = The Archons/Demiurge who created life of Earth/elsewhere by accident and now fear its potential to get out of hand. They have stockpiled their black goo bioweapon to destroy any signs of intelligent life before it can become a threat to them. Perhaps interference from Jesus Jockey's anti animal cruelty team prevented the anti-human strike 2000 years ago. Upon waking up from stasis and seeing unfamiliar intelligent life, the live jockey attempts to continue the mission/report back to base/something.

Of course, this theory assumes that Scott & Lindelof are familiar with gnosticism and not just the butchered fragments of the original myths left in current canon and are smart enough to hide a genius subplot inside a mediocre movie. Perhaps Prometheus 2 & 3 will decide this.

[Chandler]

ripped apart to give life to the lifeless world

I've seen this pop up everywhere the movie is discussed, but didn't the Space Jockey's DNA at the start of the movie completely dissolve? I seem to remember him disintegrating, then we follow his DNA into the water where it too is disintegrated.

[David E.]

For all we know the Jockey's had no malicious intent for humans at all.  It was one guy.  Aliens can have crazy too.  That entire "bio-weapon facility" could have had nothing to do with wiping out other life, except for say an enemy. 

[Soldier of FORTRAN]

I figure they lost control of their black goo and that's the catastrophe.

Also, that when it is used right, that it is religious in nature.  And that humans represent a seeding that didn't quite take, so we should be wiped out and our world reseeded in hopes of something less abominable taking root

[Movius]

ripped apart to give life to the lifeless world

I've seen this pop up everywhere the movie is discussed, but didn't the Space Jockey's DNA at the start of the movie completely dissolve? I seem to remember him disintegrating, then we follow his DNA into the water where it too is disintegrated.

Who knows what it was actually supposed to depict. Individual molecules don't dissolve into subatomic powder in that way.