After the dust has settled, is Prometheus worth buying on disc.

[MattC]

Due to having two young kids and no babysitting options, Prometheus was a cinema screen too far for me this year. Now that it's out on disc, I was thinking of shelling out a few quid to finally watch it.

For those who have, is it worth paying say £15 ($20) for the blu ray? I'm a big Alien fan - love the mythology (loved the first comic book series Dark Horse put out too) but have been deterred by the negative reviews. Don't usually take much notice of Amazon reviews, but fans such as yourselves are different. For the non-Alien fans, was it a decent enough movie, and for the fans, is it good enough to warrant spending my hard earned dish on?

Or should I wait 'till it arrives on telly?

Any opinions appreciated ... Especially now the dust has settled ...

 

[Ursa major]

Here is Mark Kermode's view of the film on DVD. He doesn't answer the question of whether the blu-ray version is worth it, but says:

Extras range from bare-bones fare on the DVD to seven hours of all-singing, all-dancing add-ons on the special-edition 3D Blu-ray.

Not having 3D TV, or ever having bought a 3D blu-ray, I have no idea whether it would give a decent result on a 2D system.

 

[Gordian Knot]

I'm pretty certain the 3D BluRay will not play on a standard tv. However I am sure it is available in standard BluRay as well.

Whether or not it is worth the bucks? Tough call. If it is at all possible, renting it or watching it on a pay per view setup would be your best bet. See it before you buy it if you can!

 

[Rodders]

I wonder if they'll add this to the Aliens Anthology collection? I might get this on Blue Ray.

 

[MattC]

So I guess, then, it's not a film described as a "keeper" or even for curiosity value? Will it tarnish my memories of the series? (Which has alreadbe suffered a battering from the Alien vs Predator movies ).

Didn't think of the 3D angle - just got a plain old 2D blu ray set up (tho with a decent sized screen). Honestly, I've never bought into 3D - a film is still a bad film whether I'm wearing glasses or not (I wasn't a big fan of Avatar in 3D - nice to watch but agreed with many about the Fern Gully comments).

 

[MattC]

Rodders, I think there is a boxset due out with all 5 films though costing a fair bit more than buying the anthology boxset and Prometheus separately. You do get a nice picture of the Space Jockey on the box - but I wouldn't say that was enough to warrant the extra dosh ...

 

[steve12553]

I don't think the dust has settled yet. I was very interested by the trailers but with all the reviews and discussion I've read I may wait til the DVD price drops nearer $15 before I pull the trigger. I've still got about 300 older films and programs to watch first.

 

[Lenny]

I think a lot of the negative reviews come from people expecting it to be an Alien film - an hour of setup followed by an hour of tense action as the cast is picked off one-by-one until only Sigourney Weaver remains to save the day.

What we actually got was an hour of setup followed by an hour of tension, interspersed with action... OK, maybe the formula was the same, but it was definitely not an Alien film.

Full disclosure: I'm a fan of the franchise, and I even think the third film is pretty good (but they never actually made the fourth, right? ). I'm also a sucker for mythology and backstory. I watch a lot of films, too, mostly SF.

Prometheus is the first thing I've seen in a long time that felt good. The best way I can describe it is that it's a modern film with the same feeling as some of the classics. I won't go as far as to say that it matches something like 2001, or maybe the first film, but it has the feeling of a classic, whilst at the same time showing off some gorgeous effects and technology, as well as fleshing out the mythology. At points, I was in awe, and throughout I had a real sense of exploration and discovery.

Sure, the characters weren't brilliant, and there are a couple of plot points that might not stand up to scrutiny, but I enjoyed the SF aspects and the mythology immensely and I look forward to seeing it again. I'm very tempted to get it on Blu-ray.

 

[Moonbat]

When I saw the advertising for the DVD release with the tagline 'Questions will be answered' I couldn't help but chuckle, the film left most of us with lots of unanswered questions, and that isn't always a bad thing.

But having checked the DVD box today (but I refrained from buying) it includes dleted scenes and alternate starts/endings so it may well give some answers that weren't in the film.

Ridley Scott is notorious for releasing different versions of his films and tinkering with them years after they have been released. I sort of agree with Lenny, it is a good film worth watching that I enjoyed at the time of watching it, but it does lack any great revelation of the Alien backstory and could leave you with more questions than answers.

 

[alchemist]

It's worth watching but whether it's worth buying or not depends on where your buying threshold lies. I rarely buy films, and I certainly wouldn't buy this. I was interested in the alternate beginning/ending. But does that answer questions or tell you the makers couldn't pick their best beginning/ending and will let you decide?

 

[kshRox]

I'm probably way in the minority here but I really, really liked Prometheus.
In my book, Noomie Rapace showing a lot of skin certainly doesn't hurt either

I'll definitely add it to my collection and if you haven't seen it I would recommend it highly.

However that said, I've been told my tastes can be a little quirky

 

[Foxbat]

I've never seen it yet. I hated Lost and, because it has the same scriptwriter used in Prometheus, I'm a bit dubious. However, one thing about Ridley Scott - his movies always look stunning. So, if it's rubbish then it's probably going to be very good looking rubbish. On that basis, I'll probably buy it (if only to have it next to my Alien films).

 

[kshRox]

I've never seen it yet. I hated Lost and, because it has the same scriptwriter used in Prometheus, I'm a bit dubious. However, one thing about Ridley Scott - his movies always look stunning. So, if it's rubbish then it's probably going to be very good looking rubbish. On that basis, I'll probably buy it (if only to have it next to my Alien films).

I agree with you about Lost.
I tried to watch an episode or two because a friend highly recommended it. Never made it through a whole episode and won't elaborate upon my opinion of Lost since there are probably Lost fans here.

That said, I very much enjoyed Prometheus.

 

[MattC]

I think I will take the plunge based on the above responses - thanks everyone. I'm a sucker for thoughtful SF (didn't think Solaris or The Fountain were bad movies at all), and so I'm not actually bothered if Prometheus is ponderous and lacking too much cinematic drive - as long as it makes me, dazzles in places and leaves me wanting more (answers that is), I'll be happy.

I saw a copy in the local Kwik-E-Mart, and it did look good.

All I need now is the time to watch it.

 

[MattC]

PS: Alchemist, love that avatar ... Nemesis is - IMHO - one of the best creations ever committed to paper and ink.

 

[Dave]

...very good looking rubbish...

Yes, that's exactly what it is.

You should watch Prometheus because you need to make up your own mind. If you read the thread on it in the Alien & Predator forum you will see that at least one person thought it was one of the best films they had ever seen. However, maybe too many spoilers in that thread if you haven't seen it. Personally, I'll not be buying a copy of it.

I'm going to move this thread to that forum also.

 

[alchemist]

PS: Alchemist, love that avatar ... Nemesis is - IMHO - one of the best creations ever committed to paper and ink.

Damn right!

If you get it, enjoy it. The visuals are brilliant and maybe, just maybe, the extras will quell some of the misgivings.

 

[Foxbat]

Well. Got it and watched it. Audio and visually impressive as expected. In many ways it ticks all the boxes. The first part of the film is basically Alien all over again - Message/distress (delete as required) call to planet....strange room full of objects..Android working at cross purposes..couple of unimportant griping characters left in the room...eventually one gets impregnated blah blah blah).

Attempt to have a strong female character fails miserably.

I think the worst thing about it was the very clumsy dialogue which left me distinctly unmoved and uncaring about the characters. If it were a school report card it would say 'could do better'.

Don't get me started on that medical procedure. A few minutes later she's running around as if all she had was a dose of xenomorphic flatulence.


Ah well, at least they had the sense to throw in a bone at the end for all the Alien fanboys.

 

[Huttman]

I am really curious to see all the extras for this film, especially the deleted scenes. I really wanted to like this movie...It was such a beautiful crappy film (star trek reboot, too.....trend?) He marketed it as a prequel, as it had the space jockey and his bite-taken-out donut ship, but he had the audacity to say they are not related...per say. Same universe, yes...but..OH! wait! all your questions will be answered! They were not. It felt like we got played and never received what should have been. What was the harm in tying in a few subtle ties to Alien? Why change a number of a planet a few digits off just to make this a different film? It's late, I'm rambling, I know there are more small changes that would have made even a few bad character decisions more tolerable, But Scott dropped the ball with what could have been an awesome film.

I look forward to the sequelDamn! His ploy worked.

 

[cyrusDCmonster]

see i'm one of those people who enjoyed Alien vs Predator, but i enjoyed them for what they were, mindless sci-fi action films based on two great franchises. this movie is in the same world as Alien but isn't exactly a prequel. i love Prometheus. i got it without the extended scenes (whats not to get) and enjoyed from start to finish and bought it day of release. but thats me. i agree with what someone else wrote, if you get it enjoy it.