Prometheus

4-Disc Collector's Edition Analysis
I'm reviewing the 4-Disc Collector's Edition. I'll go through each disc individually to give you a good idea of what you will be getting, and which version you should purchase. But first, let's briefly discuss the movie itself.

If you haven't seen the film yet, you will still undoubtedly be aware of the polarized reception it received. Some love it, some hate it. Instead of giving you another opinion on why it's the best/worst film ever, let me tell you what to expect. PROMETHEUS is not a horror film. Certainly it has structural similarities to ALIEN, and there is one scene that I would consider very "stressful." But overall, the film is what I would classify as a "concept drama." That is, a drama that doesn't focus on characters, but rather on concept. Don't let any of the tense trailers fool you, this movie was meant as a discussion piece, not an adrenaline rush. You can decide whether it succeeds or fails when you watch it yourself.

Onto the discs...

Take the Scientist's Survival Pop Quiz v2.0!
Are your survival skills as finely honed as the scientists aboard Prometheus? Let's find out...

You, a scientist, have landed on a distant planet with a team of fellow scientists in search of alien life. What would you do in the following scenarios?

1. Upon first arrival and entrance into what appears to be a manufactured cave structure, you deploy very high tech scanning and mapping probes. Do you:
A) Also send out your android crew member to evaluate any possible danger and then wait for the probes to finish scanning and mapping before you begin exploring?
B) Brazenly charge forward into the unknown and maybe consult your equipment's discoveries later, shrugging off any blips of alien life as an equipment malfunction?

2. While traveling through the cave structure on this alien planet you discover the presence of oxygen in the air. Do you:
A) Keep your space helmet secured tightly because there may be any number of unknown elements,...

Technically Fine but Lacks Something
The purpose of Ridley Scott's film "Prometheus" apparently is to explain the origin of what was found on the hostile planet by the group of space travelers in the beginning of the original film "Alien" (1979). The conclusion of "Prometheus" may be rather ambiguous to those not have seen it and seems to be setting us up for yet another sequel.

There are, as expected, amazing optical effects compared to the earlier "Alien" films, but I had difficulty in becoming emotionally involved with the characters in "Prometheus" as I did not in "Alien" and especially in the later film "Aliens." I have had the complete Alien collection for a couple of years now and I still haven't gotten around to watching the third and fourth films in the series and possibly never will.

I'm not sure why, but I am coming to regard "Bladerunner" as my favorite Ridley Scott sci-fi film. In its odd way it perhaps creates characters and a universe you can believe. The Blu-ray release of this...

Click to Editorial Reviews