Author Topic: Prometheus - spoiler warnings within  (Read 12903 times)

Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #25 on: 19 March, 2012, 08:04:28 am »
The technology of Alien appears to be near future, ie not radically different from our own, the implication being that it's only a few decade ahead of us, which I could live with.

... but the nature of their flight is such that they imply widespread and very distant use of space flight, which is clearly relatively routine, which to my mind implies far more than a few decades, probably a century or more (and I seem to recall from somewhere, probably one of the trailers, seeing 2085 mentioned for Prometheus, implying a lot later for Alien).

I'd think that the technology of that time scale would be so far advanced from us, and to be almost impossible to comprehend, although obviously that wouldn't do for a film which we're trying to watch.  Even an old clunker of a ship used by a second line company (which the implications of "The Company" tends to exclude) would still be using at least some technology which would be far more advanced.

You tend to see this more in written science fiction, than you do in Hollywood science fiction, because the average audience wouldn't be able to deal with it, and for that matter, you'd spend too much of any film trying to detail the background!

I'm thinking of stuff like advanced nano-tech, and AI that actually works and exists (or is at least indistinguishable from real AI if that turns out to be impossible).  Of course, history has shown that we generally aren't very good at predicting the future, because something unpredictable which radically changes things will come along, but there future is more like a couple of decades from now, only with some sort of very advanced space flight, which is apparently totally independent of any other technological advance.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #26 on: 19 March, 2012, 09:13:51 am »
Tim is correct about the tech.  considering the period, very few writers had any idea of the impact of the march of technology on daily life. Most writers concentrated on big stuff - big spaceships, world-girdling technology and projects. Not iPhone-level stuff.

Arguably only William Gibson got any of right.

Looking at current tech and projecting 100years ahead, military stuff will be swarms of emf-hardened airbots, and viruses that infiltrate our consciousness.

However for me part of the power of 'Alien' and 'Aliens' is that we can relate to it.  It's near-now tech. We can imagine being in that environment
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Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #27 on: 19 March, 2012, 09:31:36 am »
However for me part of the power of 'Alien' and 'Aliens' is that we can relate to it.  It's near-now tech. We can imagine being in that environment

Indeed, and that's in the nature of storytelling, it can't be too far removed from us, or it becomes incomprehensible.  Much fiction is similar stories, just told against differing backgrounds which provide some of the flavour and story mechanisms.

A few hard science fiction writer do try and write stories in a far future, with an attempt at a realistic and radically different culture, but it's often hard to read, and requires your mindset to acquire the referents, which takes a while.  Frank Herbert with his Dune novels did this, as has Iain M Banks with his Culture novels.  Frank Herbert just dropped us into it, and expected  us to pick things up as we went along, whereas Iain M Banks combined The Culture with other less advanced cultures that gave him an excuse to explain things to us.

I suspect that this sort of thing isn't best suited to popular science fiction films, which need to tell a story relatively rapidly.

The Alien franchise works because the people really aren't that different from us, but a future with lots of these beasties in it, needs a far reaching space faring culture.  I suspect Prometheus will try and glue things together, as did AVP earlier in the timeline.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Kim

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Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #28 on: 20 March, 2012, 02:36:55 pm »
Yeah i agree Timo, still not loving the modern SGI as much as i should be i don't think. Ruined too many films for my liking

Indiana Jones And The Film With The Overly Long Title was a particular low.  They'd deliberately stated that they were going for a traditional special effects aesthetic, in keeping with the other films.  Then ...didn't.

andygates

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Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #29 on: 20 March, 2012, 06:27:01 pm »
The water inundation at the end was spectacular, though.  Best water I've seen. 

Bug swarms, less so.  Real bugs please.
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Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #30 on: 27 March, 2012, 09:23:49 pm »
The thought occurs that Prometheus had better not take off and nuke the fridge from orbit, as it's the only way to be sure...

Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #31 on: 18 April, 2012, 03:52:44 pm »
Prometheus will probably not live up to hype... hope I'm wrong though.  I thought Alien was more chilling, but Aliens a better all round action film.  3 and 4 a bit meh, but still worth watching.
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LEE

Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #32 on: 19 April, 2012, 04:33:49 pm »
Prometheus will probably not live up to hype... hope I'm wrong though.  I thought Alien was more chilling, but Aliens a better all round action film.  3 and 4 a bit meh, but still worth watching.

All 4 available on BluRay as a box set for £17 at Asda.  I feel that constitutes a bargain

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Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #33 on: 19 April, 2012, 06:20:48 pm »
Alien was a haunted house story, Aliens a shoot-em-up adventure. Both superb in their own way. WRT to technology, have a look on the desks when they first get into the control room in Aliens. On one of them is a Tefal deep-fat fryer.
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Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #34 on: 02 May, 2012, 09:58:47 pm »
Extended trailer... with some more alien peeks... http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prometheus_2012/trailers/11164611/
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

LEE

Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #35 on: 03 May, 2012, 11:24:56 am »
Here is quite a web site

https://www.weylandindustries.com

Wascally Weasel

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Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #36 on: 03 May, 2012, 01:12:03 pm »
After the last spoilertastic (but lovely) trailer I saw for Prometheus I’m not looking at any more trailers, clips or photographs.

I really like trailers, think they are fun thing to sit through before a film starts but more and more I’m enjoying seeing films having not seen the trailer and knowing as little as possible about them.

LEE

Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #37 on: 01 June, 2012, 07:58:00 pm »
Tickets booked for 15:00 tomorrow.  3D version

Setting my expectation fairly low after some "meh" reviews but still looking forward to it.

redshift

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Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #38 on: 01 June, 2012, 08:59:52 pm »
Enjoy.  It's sort of a quite good adventure story.  It's not alien(s).  Don't be scared to laugh when it gets silly.  ;)
L
:)
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andygates

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Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #39 on: 02 June, 2012, 04:36:15 pm »
God, that was bad.
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Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #40 on: 02 June, 2012, 06:11:59 pm »
District 9 is free on the telly tomorrow - proper modern sci-fi!
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Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #41 on: 02 June, 2012, 06:20:47 pm »
The trailers lied.

LEE

Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #42 on: 02 June, 2012, 06:52:08 pm »
(click to show/hide)

Having just thought more about this.....

(click to show/hide)

redshift

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Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #43 on: 02 June, 2012, 07:54:53 pm »
That's why I tried not to analyse it too much.  It's just a bit of fun.

(click to show/hide)

Like I said, it's either a think piece about the longterm ramifications of genetic engineering and unintended consequences, or it's a film about tentacles.   ;D


L
:)
Windcheetah No. 176
The all-round entertainer gets quite arsey,
They won't translate his lame shit into Farsi
Somehow to let it go would be more classy…

LEE

Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #44 on: 02 June, 2012, 08:51:14 pm »
That's why I tried not to analyse it too much.  It's just a bit of fun.

(click to show/hide)

Like I said, it's either a think piece about the longterm ramifications of genetic engineering and unintended consequences, or it's a film about tentacles.   ;D

"Just a bit of fun" won't be a valid reason for making this film to many Alien fans I'm afraid.


redshift

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Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #45 on: 02 June, 2012, 09:20:40 pm »
"Just a bit of fun" won't be a valid reason for making this film to many Alien fans I'm afraid.

Valid reasons for making a film include 1. Making money or 2. Making art.  Considering this is Fox (previous oeuvres including but not limited to Lucas and the Star Wars prequels) guess which category this falls into?

Also, based upon the Star Wars prequels, 'what the fans think' isn't a consideration.

I'm starting to think Scott peaked with Blade Runner.  Everything I've seen since then has been fantastically pretty but not necessarily a good film.
L
:)
Windcheetah No. 176
The all-round entertainer gets quite arsey,
They won't translate his lame shit into Farsi
Somehow to let it go would be more classy…

Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #46 on: 03 June, 2012, 01:42:21 pm »
(click to show/hide)
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Re: Prometheus Trailer
« Reply #47 on: 03 June, 2012, 10:44:15 pm »
Alien was a haunted house story, Aliens a shoot-em-up adventure. Both superb in their own way. WRT to technology, have a look on the desks when they first get into the control room in Aliens. On one of them is a Tefal deep-fat fryer.

And when they land on the planet and go to storm into the base, they run past a small yellow vehicle which looks suspiciously like the next generation of the electric truck I drive at work!

We're planning to see Prometheus, I only saw the first films over the last 3 weeks, when MFWHTBAB found out I'd never seen them...
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Prometheus - spoiler warnings within
« Reply #48 on: 11 June, 2012, 11:21:38 am »
I went to see Prometheus on Thursday night.  It's kind of hard to discuss it without letting a massive couple of spoilers out of the bag, so everything else in this post is hidden.

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Re: Prometheus - spoiler warnings within
« Reply #49 on: 11 June, 2012, 12:56:36 pm »
This ^^^^.  Saw it yesterday.  Noomi Rapace was pretty good but the film itself was utter bobbins.
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