Ridley Scotts "Prometheus" (2012)

[thommcg]

More curiously...

The dating of the Engineers indicates they died ~2000 years ago, yet there are other ships in the area - indeed, Shaw flies off in one, so why has no-one revisited the planet since? Sure catasrophe befalls one ship, but all of them? OK, plausibly maybe they were all gathered elsewhere... so why has no-one checked the place out in the intervening two thousand years? The ending indicates we haven't seen the last of the Engineers, so why have they been so careless? Were they not concerned none of their team had checked in from LV-223 in the last 100 years, 700 years, 1600 years? Nah, they're probably fine.

[84Mark]

The engineers created humans and looked after us over the many generations of our lives. Then civilisation starting becoming something the engineers did not like and 2000 years ago we did something really bad (i.e. we killed Jesus (who was possibly one of them!)) and they decide to terminate the 'earth' experiment only the weapon of mass destruction they engineer ends up going terribly wrong and they never get to launch the ship to Earth. Most of them die except one who goes into stasis, when he is woken up 2000 years later he tries to accomplish his mission but fails.

[Hurmoth]

More curiously...

The dating of the Engineers indicates they died ~2000 years ago, yet there are other ships in the area - indeed, Shaw flies off in one, so why has no-one revisited the planet since? Sure catasrophe befalls one ship, but all of them? OK, plausibly maybe they were all gathered elsewhere... so why has no-one checked the place out in the intervening two thousand years? The ending indicates we haven't seen the last of the Engineers, so why have they been so careless? Were they not concerned none of their team had checked in from LV-223 in the last 100 years, 700 years, 1600 years? Nah, they're probably fine.

The incident didn't involve one ship, it involved the military base that housed the ships.

And as for why no one has returned, that's an answer to either theorize on, or it could have been saved for the sequel. Remember Shaw isn't going home, she's going to find the planet the engineers are from. So that'll give us more info when we get the sequel.

To help preserve themselves, they could have protocols in places that abandons any military base that becomes infected. Which would be a lot smarter than humans. We have emotions, they may not have that to hinder them.

[Hurmoth]

The engineers created humans and looked after us over the many generations of our lives. Then civilisation starting becoming something the engineers did not like and 2000 years ago we did something really bad (i.e. we killed Jesus (who was possibly one of them!)) and they decide to terminate the 'earth' experiment only the weapon of mass destruction they engineer ends up going terribly wrong and they never get to launch the ship to Earth. Most of them die except one who goes into stasis, when he is woken up 2000 years later he tries to accomplish his mission but fails.

That's an interesting theory.

I wanted to bring up the 2000 year ago connection to Jesus, but I didn't want to offend anyone. Nor did I want to turn it into a religious debate, but there's clearly a connection. Otherwise, why 2000 years ago?

And we know that Lindelof (one of the co-writers) is a someone who has some amount of faith. Similar questions were posed in Lost, so maybe they are connecting both science and faith together here.

[84Mark]

That's an interesting theory.

I wanted to bring up the 2000 year ago connection to Jesus, but I didn't want to offend anyone. Nor did I want to turn it into a religious debate, but there's clearly a connection. Otherwise, why 2000 years ago?

And we know that Lindelof (one of the co-writers) is a someone who has some amount of faith. Similar questions were posed in Lost, so maybe they are connecting both science and faith together here.

It's not really a theory.... from the words of the director himself:

You throw religion and spirituality into the equation for Prometheus, though, and it almost acts as a hand grenade. We had heard it was scripted that the Engineers were targeting our planet for destruction because we had crucified one of their representatives, and that Jesus Christ might have been an alien. Was that ever considered?

Ridley Scott: We definitely did, and then we thought it was a little too on the nose. But if you look at it as an "our children are misbehaving down there" scenario, there are moments where it looks like we've gone out of control, running around with armor and skirts, which of course would be the Roman Empire. And they were given a long run. A thousand years before their disintegration actually started to happen. And you can say, "Lets' send down one more of our emissaries to see if he can stop it. Guess what? They crucified him.

[thommcg]

To help preserve themselves, they could have protocols in places that abandons any military base that becomes infected. Which would be a lot smarter than humans. We have emotions, they may not have that to hinder them.

Right, exactly,

the Engineers left hologram recordings which conveniently show how to operate their ship. Not exactly a fail-safe. Initiate self-destruct sequence? Nah, just start the holotape the emergency just in case. The vials'll be fine... though susceptible to anyone picking them up and using against us.

[shakey]

I miss the "sexuality" that the alien universe had to it :p Nothing in this movie really screamed "VAGINA" to me :p

[trag3dy]

Q: Why did the black liquid start oozing out only after the crew visited the place?

A: David touched one of them. If they are connected in some way we don't necessarily understand, it could have activated one of them.

The containers were sealed off from air just like the head they picked up. Once they opened the door the liquid started to decompose or reactivate or whatever. Not sure what the right word for that would be. At least that's my take on what happened with those.

[thommcg]

Doesn't the presence of worms conflict with a lack of air in the room?

[Dinggus]

What exactly is it that you don't understand?

Reading a lot of peoples thoughts, and reviews, not just on this site, makes me think that too many people are STILL thinking this is an Alien prequel and that's what's causing a lot of problems.

it's not? The ending sure did make it out to be a prequel.

[sanctified Veteran]

I miss the "sexuality" that the alien universe had to it :p Nothing in this movie really screamed "VAGINA" to me :p

There was at least 5 penile references on it.

[sanctified Veteran]

it's not? The ending sure did make it out to be a prequel.

Tne ending was more like an homage that's ties in.

[Shadrack]

Tne ending was more like an homage that's ties in.

I think it was more than an homage. The evolution of the Alien is a key component to the story line. Although not accurate in every possible way, it still leaves off where the movie Alien picks up.

It's a story that exists in the same world and follows the same timeline, and it that doesn't make it a prequel then I guess I just don't know what a prequel is. Its all semantics, anyway.

[S00N3R FR3AK]

Not really spoiler but just in case I'll link to it. http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2012/06/13

[Razorwing]

Not really spoiler but just in case I'll link to it. http://penny-arcade....omic/2012/06/13

I was thinking the same thing during my first viewing of the film. lol.

[vincent]

Great movie

[Rappy Veteran]

[Brandon H Supervisor]

good movie but totally not worth seeing in 3D :/

[giantpotato]

I think it was more than an homage. The evolution of the Alien is a key component to the story line. Although not accurate in every possible way, it still leaves off where the movie Alien picks up.

It's a story that exists in the same world and follows the same timeline, and it that doesn't make it a prequel then I guess I just don't know what a prequel is. Its all semantics, anyway.

But the

evolution of the Alien

didn't happen in this movie.

The Alien already existed prior to this movie as evidenced by the carvings in the ship. The space jockey/moon/ship

in Alien are not even in this movie at all.

Do you consider Soldier to be a sequel to Blade Runner? Is Thor a sequel to Iron Man?

[Razorwing]

But the

evolution of the Alien

didn't happen in this movie.

The Alien already existed prior to this movie as evidenced by the carvings in the ship. The space jockey/moon/ship

in Alien are not even in this movie at all.

Do you consider Soldier to be a sequel to Blade Runner? Is Thor a sequel to Iron Man?

I'd say the Alien was introduced in a different state, but you get the gist of how it evolved in Prometheus.

[shakey]

This is a prequel, but it isn't a direct prequel to Alien. It is a prequel in the fact that it is the same universe/timeline, and dealing with the same type of beings. But if you are looking for a movie that directly ties into Alien, well, that might come with Prometheus 2. But to deny this as being an "Alien" prequel on the grounds that it doesn't directly tie into what is on the other planet in Alien is absurd.

Sort of like if there were 3 movies about me, showcasing my life and adventures... Then they made a movie about my father, but only included the years of his childhood. It doesn't directly tie into my movies, but if you were to link them together, and go further along the timeline, we would connect.

[Pygmy_Hippo]

Sort of like if there were 3 movies about me, showcasing my life and adventures... Then they made a movie about my father, but only included the years of his childhood. It doesn't directly tie into my movies, but if you were to link them together, and go further along the timeline, we would connect.

thank you!! That is the exact same argument I've been using with my friends - all of whom didn't like it because it "wasn't a prequel after all". Nice to see I'm not the only one!! :D

[shakey]

thank you!! That is the exact same argument I've been using with my friends - all of whom didn't like it because it "wasn't a prequel after all". Nice to see I'm not the only one!! :D

Don't worry, the world is full of people who fail to see many points. :p We can't understand or connect everything all the time. Sometimes we are lucky enough to understand something enough to enjoy it :)

[benthebear]

Sort of like if there were 3 movies about me, showcasing my life and adventures... Then they made a movie about my father, but only included the years of his childhood. It doesn't directly tie into my movies, but if you were to link them together, and go further along the timeline, we would connect.

You mean, sort of like the Star Wars prequels? ;)

Adding onto your example, Prometheus is sort of like Episode 1. A prequel that didn't tie fully into the existing trilogy until the other films (unfortunately) panned out.

[simplezz]

But the

evolution of the Alien

didn't happen in this movie.

The Alien already existed prior to this movie as evidenced by the carvings in the ship. The space jockey/moon/ship

in Alien are not even in this movie at all.

What the carvings on the wall indicate is that the black goo always favours a specific mutational and evolutionary path. That path is parasitoidal in nature. The serpents which evolved from the smaller creatures illustrate that common mutational path. They had acid for blood, the same as the original Xenomorph. That indicates the black goo must give both forms similar properties.

Perhaps the goo inserts part of its own rna into the cells of living creatures, talking over and altering them, much like how a virus repurposes a cell's replication machinery for itself. From its depiction in Prometheus, it looks like the goo can only evolve/mutate a simple organism or one in its early stages of development (foetus), otherwise, it just kills them or drives them mad.

That's my take on it at least.