Prometheus

[Balder]

Has anyone here seen Ridley Scott's Prometheus yet?  I've been hearing mixed reviews, with a common theme being "disappointing" (my father's verdict last night), so my expectations are not running high.  But I plan to watch it over vacation later this week, if possible, so am starting a thread here as a place holder for future discussions.

 

[Douglas R Wallack]

Hi Bruce,

Four of us in a local group here in LA saw it after our last meeting on the ninth. I think 3 of us totally loved it and one had some reservations. Probably related to interest in the previous films in the series.

For myself, one who read science fiction under the covers with a flash light at age~9 (~1957), I was in pig heaven exploring the possibilities of the cosmos at large. And this story imaginative as it is, is very tightly keyed to our own origin as species. I found it just fascinating to hold the perspectives of possibilities as an exercise of keeping an open mind.

So as I'm point to here, with the necessary suspension of disbelief, I really enjoyed the film immensely.

One of the other members loaned out a DVD documentary on the entire Alien film series that further enriched the overall history, story-line and technology of making the films that added much to the appreciation to cast, crew, studio politics and other interesting side notes.

Cheers,

[Balder]

Interesting... Thank you, Doug!  I'm glad to hear your positive report, since I'd quite been looking forward to seeing this one (having been a sci-fi geek in my youth as well, as well as a fan of Alien and Bladerunner...), and have been disappointed to hear so many lukewarm or negative reviews.  I'll report on it once I've had a chance to watch it.

[Edward theurj Berge]

I'm a huge Ridley Scott fan and enjoyed it, but understand the reservations some of which I share. Visually stunning but the idea of the movie, humanity's origin, wasn't satisfying. I do appreciate that we are 'man-made' and not of the Gods, but there was no clue as to why our creators felt it was a mistake and engineered Aliens to destroy us. I know, that leaves open the next movie, but that's part of my disappointment. That should have been dealt with in this 'prequel' instead of used as a plot-ploy for more movies and money, and would have added depth to the predominant spectacle of this one. And as I recall, this topic was never addressed in the other movies, which technically come after this prequel. I guess maybe in the afterquel? Don't hold your breath, for no one can hear you scream in space.

PS: I was also disappointed to see that my sex Goddess Charlize Theron has cellulite from her exercise scene in revealing underwear. I know, she's only human and I'm sexist, but still...

[Balder]

Many years ago, before any movies about manned travel to Mars, my father had a very vivid dream about a drone ship flying over the surface of the Red Planet and coming across the ruins of an ancient civilization tucked down in the deep canyons.  He described the dream with such vividness to me, that I've longed to "see" it ever since -- and halfway hoped that this movie, involving a quest to find an extraterrestrial, progenitor civilization, would satisfy that itch.  (I had attempted to write a novel about an archeological mission to Mars years ago, but abandoned it after about 20 pages, and have lazily been waiting for someone else to do a movie like this ever since.  I've been watching for Rendezvous with Rama to finally get made, but it keeps stalling out...)

[Balder]

On a tangent (till I see the movie):  a dream of mine has been to read (or write) a really satisfying, philosophically (and spiritually) deep "alien encounter" movie.  Although I didn't have this particular language for it at the time I first started thinking about such a book or film, I think it would be very interesting to explore alternate (and cognitively expanding and challenging) modes of intelligence rooted enactively in very alien bodies.  I expect, a la OOO and fractal thinking, to find commonalities across "bodies" which would provide us with a thread to follow, as these intelligences try to meet in the chiasmic space of intercorporeality or flesh; but I expect there could nevertheless be significant enough variation in how those threads are woven (in an alien body [and structurally coupled worldspace]) to provide some intellectual thrills and spills in our efforts to communicatively bridge that space and "make contact."

[Douglas R Wallack]

Ha Ha Ha, thanks Ed. Got a kick out of that ;-)

theurj said:

Don't hold your breath, for no one can hear you scream in space.

PS: I was also disappointed to see that my sex Goddess Charlize Theron has cellulite from her exercise scene in revealing underwear. I know, she's only human and I'm sexist, but still...

[Douglas R Wallack]

Funny you would say that Bruce. I have had the same itch about "Childhood's End", an older, smaller novel of Clarke's that has fascinated me for years. Interesting response to childish religion, eh?

Balder said:

  I've been watching for Rendezvous with Rama to finally get made, but it keeps stalling out...)

[Edward theurj Berge]

This is the one I'd like to be seen made into a movie: Stranger in a Strange Land. It's one of those classics that requires periodic re-reads and I'm due. (Like The Transmigration of Timothy Archer, another favorite that should be a movie.) According to this SIASL the movie is in development! One can (re)read it at Scribd.

[Douglas R Wallack]

You're stirring some great memories, Ed. Heinlein's novel was a sort of psychedelic collective catechism for me in 1968.

Thanks for the other links, not familiar, but looks interesting.

[Balder]

Sci Fi and fantasy movies I'd like to see made:

Rendezvous with Rama

Ringworld

Stranger in a Strange Land

The Martian Chronicles (a better version)

The Riddle Master of Hed

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever

Journey to Ixtlan

(Others I'll think of soon -- it has been years since I read this stuff!)

[Mary W.]

Doug -- Re: Childhood's End, which is also one of my favorite sci-fi novels --

Did you ever watch any of the "V" TV series? First version came out in the 80s, then a remake appeared in 2009 & lasted 2 seasons before it was cancelled. While it's not really a rendition of Clarke's novel, it was a kind of "theme and variations" on a couple of its chapters. The "overlord" reptilian aliens disguise themselves in human flesh and have sinister intentions. The 2009 series -- at least the first season (here's a trailer) was actually pretty good (although it was also an obvious, and somewhat unfair & paranoid, imo, criticism of the  Obama administration, particularly "Obamacare"). Second season went downhill. 

So, yeah -- I too am awaiting a full-on movie version of Childhood's End.

I would love to see movie versions of Ursula LeGuin's works -- eg, The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. There are a couple of versions of The Lathe of Heaven --both are decent, but I think there's someone out there who could it better ....

[Balder]

I was going to mention Ursula K. LeGuin's works, Mary -- and, in fact, had been skimming her website earlier this evening, to see what she is up to these days. 

I read Childhood's End so long ago, I remember virtually nothing about it.  It was one of those books on my dad's nightstand that caught my attention and inspired me to read it -- along with his Stephen King books.  I don't recall the plot, though.