What are your feelings comparing "Prometheus" to "Alien"?

1. 61

   Clark-Savage-jrposted 10 years ago

   What are your feelings comparing "Prometheus" to "Alien"?
   
   This is ONLY for those who have already seen the movie. "Aliens" and the rest are not directed by Ridley Scott.
   
   I'm interested in how people compare the original Ridley Scott "Alien" to the new "Prometheus" which was also directed by Scott.
   
   If you have not seen the movie, please don't respond, and if you don't want spoilers, don't read the responses.
   
   

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2. 64

   SportsBetterposted 10 years ago

   It doesn't compare to the original.  It has similar aspects but the storyline has nothing to do with the original.  It seemed more like all the horror movies that have been being released over the past four years, where there is either a plague, some zombie, or a big monster and everyone dies in the end.  It was entertaining for a while though and definitely was a decent movie.  I didn't see it in 3d though, It's cheaper and if I wear those 3d glasses for too long they hurt my eyes.  Hopefully one day they make it where there aren't glasses.

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      Clark-Savage-jrposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I'm also hoping for a 3D that avoids glasses. Since this was filmed in 3D, I had to see it that way.  But I'm sure it was still enjoyable in 2D

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3. 62

   Steve Orionposted 10 years ago

   I feel they are similar, but it's been a good long while since I've seen Alien. I enjoyed Prometheus, but it relied very heavily on visuals where Alien relied on the plot itself and suspense. Worth the watch, but the new movie won't be a classic as Alien is.

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4. 61

   Clark-Savage-jrposted 10 years ago

   Now that I'm not the first, I'll toss my answer into the ring.
   
   I think Prometheus is a VERY good film.  I also think it's very close in style and feel to the original.  Is it the same?  No. The audience of today is different from the audience of 1979. Today, if you want a film to be a commercial success, you have to meet a certain level of activity and visual appeal. If you have more than about 10 minutes without an adrenaline s[pike, audiences will say the movie was "slow" (yes, a bit of sarcasm here, but just a bit). I also think the rest of the Alien series has a much higher level of action vs. suspense, which colors some peoples memories.
   
   I'm going to give a very high level outline of Alien, which I watched the Friday before  the Prometheus opening, just to refresh my memory and recapture the feel.
   
   The film opens with a ship is in deep space on a mission that requires sleep capsules during the travel. The computer wakes the crew to investigate an anomaly. The crew finds a planet with a harsh environment requiring suits to breath. Signs of industrial manufacture are found. A room of containers is located. The containers hold a mysterious living thing. Someone becomes infected. A living creature gestates within a member of the crew. The creature gets out and grows larger in a very short time. The crew begins dying off through a series of events, all violent. At the end you have a female member of the crew leave the original ship in a "lifeboat" with a non-human. They are the only survivors.
   
   Now, I could do the same thing for the Prometheus film.  But you'd get annoyed reading the same text twice. It's the same plot. There are significant differences, this isn't just a cheap remake. Alien has the planet as an unexpected anomaly, while Prometheus has the planet as the intended destination. The infection is through a "face-hugger" in one movie, and through a microbial infection that altered the DNA of someone in the new film. And the list of differences goes on. It is a new film.  It is much faster paced and less exposition based.  But the big major plot points are the same, or at least close enough to see the the master plot outline similarities.
   
   So, thoughts, comments, rebuttals?

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   1. 62

      Steve Orionposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      While I wasn't aware that the misconception that this was a remake of Alien existed, I agree with your evaluation of the film. At the risk of sounding like your example of today's audience, I thought it was rather lacking in suspense/action.

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   2. 61

      Clark-Savage-jrposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I never said today's audience was bad. Just that we have a different expectations than over 30 years ago. Also, it's not so much that people think remake, as they say it's not true to the source material since it's the same universe.

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5. 80

   Garlonussposted 10 years ago

   The way Scott described it, the two movies simply happen to occur in the same universe, but one does not necessarily lead directly into the other. You can see a very basic foundation being laid, but you really need to take Prometheus as its own separate thing entirely.
   Now, comparing the two as separate movies, I think Alien is a little more focused than Prometheus. It knows exactly where its going and takes the viewer there very deliberately. Prometheus, however, raises many questions that don't get answered. I don't mind that, but it does dilute the focus of the movie.
   But if you really look at it, Alien was not made with any kind of eye toward sequels, even though it spawned a franchise. But Prometheus definitely has the intention of possible sequels. Hopefully those questions will be answered (at least partially) in subsequent movies.
   Also, I don't think this one was intended to be as much of a horror movie as Alien, so if you want your pants scared off, they may just get down around your knees here.
   So, since the movies were made with very different intents, of course they're not going to exactly match expectations from one to the other. Basically, don't try to compare the movies. Just enjoy each on their own merits.

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   1. 61

      Clark-Savage-jrposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You and several others have mentioned how it raises more questions and seems to set up a sequel. I think you're right, but I'd submit that Alien raised just as many questions, but not blatantly stated, while Prometheus practically shouted them.

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      Garlonussposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I would say that Alien didn't so much raise questions as it made you want to know more. But Prometheus has people actually asking deep, important questions out loud that are never answered.

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