I found this essay (http://cavalorn.livejournal.com/584135.html) explaining Scott's original vision (hint: ALIEN SPACE JESUS), after which characters' actions in the movie make much more sense, because they're making decisions in order to push the metaphor and not because they make any rational sense.
That is the single most OBNOXIOUS thing I took away from the movie. The whole "Everything's fucked but we have hope because FAITH" bit.
The whole Alien franchise *worked* for me (at least the first two movies, and *maybe* the third - what fourth?) because it looked, acted and felt like a Lovecraft story. A cold, cruel universe where the slightest mistake in an unfamiliar environment means death or worse, and where monsters are OH SO VERY REAL, and which operate by rules that would drive you mad even if you *could* comprehend them. A universe where the BEST POSSIBLE OUTCOME for humanity is to proceed with EXTREME CAUTION IF AT ALL, and pray that nothing out there happens to *notice us*. Truly existential horror with no effective recourse to comforting myths.
The constant references to "Because I choose to believe" from SCIENTISTS, and their *reliance* on that, was something I found damn near offensive. You don't catch Ellen Ripley spouting that horseshit.
My friend lindentreeisle said it reminded her of the bit in Hitchhiker's where they sent the stupid people off on a bullshit mission and actually intended them to crash and burn. NGL, the movie makes a lot more sense that way.
It sure was pretty though. Forever bitter that the only guy who took his shirt off was the most annoying dude in the movie.
Ha! Yeah, between that and Alien Space Jesus (in my comment above), the movie makes much more sense if you're assuming stuff going on that's not actually depicted in the movie.
Prometheus is the most frightening horror movie of the past 20 years. And the horror is that this is what American science will look like after a century of teaching Creationism in our schools. (http://www.sfwa.org/2012/06/guest-review-prometheus-the-horror/)
This guy breaks down how stupid everyone was and why.
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"Yo' mama so dumb, the Borg refused to assimilate her!"
"Oh yeah? Well *YO'* mama so dumb, she qualified for the crew of the Prometheus!"
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That is the single most OBNOXIOUS thing I took away from the movie. The whole "Everything's fucked but we have hope because FAITH" bit.
The whole Alien franchise *worked* for me (at least the first two movies, and *maybe* the third - what fourth?) because it looked, acted and felt like a Lovecraft story. A cold, cruel universe where the slightest mistake in an unfamiliar environment means death or worse, and where monsters are OH SO VERY REAL, and which operate by rules that would drive you mad even if you *could* comprehend them. A universe where the BEST POSSIBLE OUTCOME for humanity is to proceed with EXTREME CAUTION IF AT ALL, and pray that nothing out there happens to *notice us*. Truly existential horror with no effective recourse to comforting myths.
The constant references to "Because I choose to believe" from SCIENTISTS, and their *reliance* on that, was something I found damn near offensive. You don't catch Ellen Ripley spouting that horseshit.
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It sure was pretty though.
Forever bitter that the only guy who took his shirt off was the most annoying dude in the movie.no subject
edited for spleling
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This guy breaks down how stupid everyone was and why.
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Yup, he about nails it.