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Thanks to Fox Movies Singapore, I was lucky enough to get a chance to catch an advanced 3D screening, on Tuesday night at Shaw Lido, of Ridley Scott's Prometheus. I had been following some of the viral ads going around for the film, and based on what Ridley Scott mentioned in his open dialogue at Comic Con last year, I was expecting this film to have some pretty close ties to the Alien universe and mythology. Here's the whole segment from last year's Comic Con below:
With a running time of about 125mins, Prometheus strings along complex theories about Darwinism, creationism, religion, what it means to be truly human and to have a "soul" so to speak, all the while having a group of explorers attempt to find the origins to the universe.
The viral marketing for Prometheus has been consistent, and of good quality. Just take a look at these (The last one's my favourite):
The soundtrack and visuals for the film are excellent. The opening shots of sweeping vistas, the interiors of the ship, even simple scenes with two characters talking to each other, looked great in 3D, and not once did I feel the need to remove the glasses. Even with the 3D glasses, dark scenes were still clearly visible. Kudos to Ridley for choosing to actually properly shoot the film for 3D with Red EPIC Cameras. My eyeballs thank you :D
As for the scares, there are just enough to keep you cringing in terror as all hell breaks loose. The eyeball scene and the scene where one character gets a C-section were just intense. Most often, films tend to overexert or force down one scare after another. In this film, Ridley Scott takes his time to beautifully set up all the elements in place, taking a full half hour before slowly turning up the ante on trying to, in his own words, "scare the living shit out of [us]". And boy, must he enjoy doing this to the audience!
The script relies very heavily on the mood and atmosphere of the film to drive it through, which works pretty well, as long as you don't stop and try to dissect everything that's going on. Perhaps this was deliberate, and Ridley and company may have plans to expand this with another one or two more movies. But then again, maybe some scenes could have been cut out or modified. If I'm not wrong, there were some scenes and lines of dialogue in the trailers and tv spots which did not make it to the final cut.
Michael Fassbender as the robot David 8, steals the show. He just fits the role to a T. The introduction scenes, with no dialogue, of David with him exploring the ship, walking around, monitoring those in hypersleep, playing basketball by himself, were simply just beautiful.
My favourite David 8 line: "That's why it's called a thesis." ;)
It was definitely nice to see a strong female lead after such a long time, and in this film, we get two (Noomi Rapace and Charlize Theron). Noomi Rapace's character gets a strong push in the film, as someone who rediscovers and reaffirms her faith in what is out there and what lies beyond the stars. Charlize Theron's character as Meredith Vickers comes across as a no-nonsense boss who will not let the mission at hand be compromised by anything, or anyone.
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| Grabbed via screencrush.com |
The reveal at the end of Prometheus left me wanting to see what happened next. It felt as though the film had only just started on unveiling the mysterious. But instead, I was left with facing the rolling credits. Perhaps this is exactly the reaction others may get. Alien fans may only be left with more unanswered questions about...everything? Non-fans of the franchise may find this to be a good sci fi flick which checks off all the boxes, but skimps out by avoiding etching out all these vague ideas, theories and assumptions further. Guess we'll have to wait for another sequel..or is it a prequel to a prequel? Gosh this is confusing.
Prometheus: Worth exploring.
Some extra stuff:
Trailers screened during this screening were (in order):
"The Campaign" starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis
- Looks like a hilarious satire on the elections. Will Ferrell punching the baby was the highlight. :)
"The Three Stooges", wtih Sean Hayes, Will Sasso and Chris Diamantopolous
- Slapstick comedy at it's best (or worst).
"The Dark Knight Rises" with Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy
- Epic. Epic. Epic.
"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"
- This was a 3D trailer, looks ...alright. Exactly what the title says. Abraham Lincoln, killing vampires. Axe turning into a shotgun = Stuff of legend :)
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