1979 - Ripley |
"lots of candy for the eye and just about nothing for the brain"
now, cut that out! |
2012 - "We must go one better! I want a whole bunch of mysterious black objects!" |
I've seen many observers who interpret an early scene in Prometheus (see "oil crisis", below) as depicting aliens who come to planets like Earth and "seed their DNA patterns" into the environment, leading to the evolution of creatures like we humans...creatures who are chemically and structurally similar to the aliens. Why do this? Obviously, this ensures that there will be an endless parade of actresses in underwear who can play roles in horror movies about slimy alien snake-like creatures doing nasty things inside their bodies. However, the movie never says that Earth was seeded with alien DNA. The "oil crisis" scene at the start of the movie might be LV-223 about 2,000 years ago.
1968 2001: A Space Odyssey One mysterious black object |
Take my liver, please! |
Any other questions?
mmm...liver! |
“What the hell? Is that it?!”
Prometheus 1 can't tell us anything coherent about the aliens because there must be a Prometheus 2 and a Prometheus 3. And then the Prometheus the Next Generation trilogy.
"pseudo sciency mumbo jumbo about DNA"
oil crisis |
dinner is served |
"one of the most disappointing movies I have seen"
I like the idea that human-like creatures might visit Earth and tell Earthlings their story, resulting in cave paintings and other evidence of "ancient astronauts". Why haven't we seen those human-like creatures lately? Maybe those human-like visitors to Earth suffered a technological disaster similar to "gray goo"...nanites-gone-wrong. Hey, these things happen when you let Hollywood script writers get involved.
If "shit happens" does not satisfy you, then blame everything on Jesus.
How do I get out of this movie? |
Science fiction is a rational exploration of a speculative fiction idea. Prometheus puts a boat-load of scientists into what can be interpreted as an antiscience fiction horror story. In Prometheus some old and dying rich dude (who wants to find the Fountain of Youth) loads up a crew of low-quality scientists and flies off to the stars. Prometheus is lost in a Hollywood fantasy where scientists are as ignorant about science as your average film school graduate and Hollywood script writer. Nothing need be explained or make sense in any horror movie, including Prometheus; just $plash the big $creen with enough blood and play plenty of loud annoying music....the $ummer turnstile$ will whirl. Ka-ching!
Antiscience? Lindelof: "It's definitely not anti-science" ..... "there are certain questions that we as humans should not be asking. ....That was the story that Ridley wanted to tell, and the story that I felt was really cool." Lindelof says that questions like where do we come from? are nonscientific questions, according to Lindelof they are spiritual questions. So, do I have this correct...humans are programmed to use science to explore philosophical questions and that inevitably leads to a horror story? As Lindelof says, "That's Frankenstein 101." I'm sorry Damon, but I don't agree. As far as I can tell, science is the only thing that gives humanity a chance to answering the question: where do we come from? True horror stories of humanity come from ignorance, often ignorance dressed up in the form if indisputable religious and philosophical doctrines.
Prometheus might be an equal opportunity offender. Some observers feel it is antiscience and others feel it is anti-religion (example). Maybe the film must be judged a success if people are discussing it.
2001 lights |
X marks the disposable sperm donor? |
A sense of wonder |
As a fictional scientist trying to achieve First Contact, I'll take Carl Sagan's Contact and Ellie Arroway over horror sperm donor Charlie Holloway. But then, I hate horror stories.
"Scott seduces audiences with thought-provoking possibilities, then pulls a bait-and-switch, subbing in a familiar monster thriller and fiery explosion-fest"
Caesarean section, anyone? |
Rated R for "Relentless Hollywood money machine".
Wait! Remember, this is a horror movie, where is the axe?
source |
God vs. Aliens
Creationism for Geeks echo |
Imagine that Ridley Scott is able to make a sequel (or two, or three or whatever the market will allow) to Prometheus: what are the chances that such a movie would say something interesting about aliens? Four puzzle pieces need to be fit in:
David, I am your father. |
2) Why is it that when humans finally make first contact, after 4,000,000,000 years of evolution, the aliens are very close to our level of technological development? Just so that humans can always defeat the Evil Aliens and allow for next year's $equel?
3) Are all humanoids blundering fools who will eventually unleashed a destructive "dark liquid" upon the universe, causing all biological lifeforms to be exterminated, leaving only their machines to continue into the future?
2020 - They want to put what inside of me? |
In the spirit of Prometheus, where the Big Answers are purposefully withheld, I'll leave this puzzle as an exercise for the reader. Answers are due before Noomi wakes up for the sequel.
"the weaknesses of Prometheus might be said to illustrate ... the negative impact of the large, greedy corporations that now govern the production of science fiction films"
Related news....
Apparently there was a decade-long effort to bring At the Mountains of Madness to the big screen. Since the plot of Prometheus is so similar to that in the 1931 H. P. Lovecraft horror story, that effort might need to wait until audience memories fade. I wonder how they planned to depict ancient alien ruins in a remote corner of Earth. Given the James Cameron connection, maybe the plan was to discover evidence for past visitors to Earth under water. Just think of the horrors that Cameron might dredge up from Lake Vostok.__________________________________________________
My fantasy about of how Hollywood is likely to complete the story told in Prometheus....
2015: Prometheus 2, or, Take Me to My Maker
I just wanted to get a head |
At the alien home world David Headroom and the Alien Birther will learn the truth of humanity's past. Lucky for corporate, there will be many "engineers" in suspended animation on the "engineer" home world who can be awakened and infected with black slime in order to satisfy every Hollywood horror fetish. Then it will be time for Elizabeth and David to return triumphantly to Earth.
2020: Prometheus 3: The Voyage Home
But on the flight to Earth poor David will have his doubts. Logic will demand empirical evidence that worthy humans such as Elizabeth the Faithful are able to survive direct contact with the black slime. So, during their return flight to Earth, David will infect Noomi with black goo and something will grow inside her. Will it be the next stage human Star Child from 2001? In a horror movie? Get real. Well, maybe a Star Child with a giant prehensile snake-like organ (with teeth) that will emerge from Queen Elizabeth whenever an unworthy Earthling needs to be eliminated. Earth will be full of unworthy redshirts, more than enough to satisfy the casting call for yet another Hollywood horror movie.
Coming in 2025: a Prometheus the Next Generation trilogy.
___________________________________________________
See the exciting conclusion to the 2012 Search for Interesting Hollywood Aliens
Click here to see how I would convert Prometheus from a horror movie into an intellectually-stimulating SciFi adventure flick.
2013 SIHA Award.
2014 SIHA.
Related reading: how ancient? 2,000,000,000 years; the alien Huaoshy.
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