Gavin
MemberTrilobiteJan-06-2013 10:31 AMWell Prometheus has come and gone, and has left quite a divided wake in its passing. There are those that love it and those that hate it, those that like its new direction and those that wish it had been more of an "Alien Prequel", and there are those that accept its inaccuracies and those that refuse to.
All in all I personally thought Prometheus was a good film. But, IMO the movie had two key, major failings that stopped it becoming a great film...
1. The Narrative Pace - Too much happens in the movie, so much so that no scene is given time onscreen. We are rushed from one scene to another.
2. Questionable Editing - Many scenes changed drastically when the movie went into post production, and IMO not for the better.
So it is with this that after many months of thought I give you, story wise Prometheus - The Snorkelbottom Cut. But rather than spell out the whole cut from start to end I will highlight the changes I would have made. IMO, this cut of the movie would have been better paced, narratively stronger and generally a better movie...
[u]The Start[/u]
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I actually have no problems with the start of the movie, from the Engineers Sacrifice up until Shaw, Holloway, David and Ford enter the Ampule Chamber, I think the movie works well, but I think it is from that point the movie starts to suffer, so it is from here, the Ampule Chamber that the changes begin.
However one change i would implement is the return of the following line from the trailers:
Janek: Prometheus... has landed!
[u]The Ampule Chamber[/u]
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Firstly the urns/ampules reaction to the change in atmosphere, I would have happen at a slower rate. Why? because I would like the four crew members in this room more time to explore the room, and soak up the mystery and atmosphere of the chamber.
Aside from reverting the mysterious green crystal back to the cup (as was originally intended), the first major change would be thus:
Janek: Ground crew, this is Janek. I need you to hustle back right now. Ground crew, do you copy. I got 200km winds and airborne silica and enough static to fry your suit.
Shaw: (looks up at the other members, whom nod in return to her questioning gaze)... Negative captain, we'll stay inside the structure until the storm passes.
Vickers: I strongly advise against that Dr. Shaw-
Janek: We won't be able to come collect you 'til the storm passes.
Holloway: Noted captain (smiles to Shaw), but we're staying.
Of course such a change has adverse effects on the rest of the story which would need to be resolved if the team remained in the structure...
[u]Leaving The Ampule Chamber[/u]
Before Janek radio'ed Shaw, she was eager to leave the chamber because of the change in atmosphere affecting the room. Thus my previous mention of having said changes happen slower, so slow that Shaw does not notice them. This way the ampules can leak unnoticed (except maybe by David urging him to freeze and steal one) as Ford and Shaw run their tests on the dead Engineers head, in essence having the scenes that took place in the lab happen in the ampule room, but with the results of the DNA being processed back onboard Prometheus. The exploding of the Engineers head can then become the threat that urges the team away from the ampule chamber. After this scene the team would warn lost Fifield and Milburn to stay away from the ampule room upon learning they are lost from Janek.
[u]The Glitched Probe[/u]
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In the scene where Janek mentions the glitched probe the radio transmission could be interrupted by David, whom then offers to investigate and repair the malfunctioning probe. This scene would allow David time alone to discover the orrery and the last Engineer as per the theatrical cut, while also giving him time to spike a bottle of water with the contents of the vials inside the ampule he stole from the ampule chamber.
Milburn and Fifield scared by the probe and the mass pile of Engineers infront of them head off ultimately towards the ampule chamber as in the theatrical cut as Shaw, Holloway and Ford head towards the duo's last known position and investigate the pile of bodies.
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[u]Davids Return[/u]
David returns and regroups with Shaw, Holloway and Ford. With yet another jibe at his synthetic nature, and after viewing a moment of affection between Shaw and Holloway, David pierces Holloway's water bottle. Later when Holloway discovers his bottle leaking or empty David offers hims his bottle, spiked with the Black Goo.
Meanwhile, their radios turned off, Fifield and Milburn meet their fate as they did in the theatrical cut.
[u]Holloway Infects Shaw[/u]
Holloway, having unknowingly consumed the Black Goo kisses shaw passionately, possibly upon receiving the results of the DNA test on the decapitated Engineers head. This would be the only way for Holloway to infect Shaw - which would mean that the nature of the Black Goo would have to differ slightly to allow Shaw to become pregnant.
[u]The Rescue[/u]
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With the storm having passed Janek and Co. head to the structure to provide transport back to the Prometheus while also looking for Fifield and Milburn. Janek and Co. meet the team outside the ampule chamber, by which point the movies narrative returns to that of the theatrical cut (minus the orrery scene which has already occured), albeit with one exception.
Arriving outside the Prometheus, greeted by a flamethrower wielding Vickers Holoway removes his helmet before begging Vickers to kill him, allowing us to see that the way the Black Goo is affecting him is the same as the Sacrificial Engineer at the start of the movie, possibly by showing the same breaks in his flesh from the Black Goo's infestation of his body.
[u]Fifields Return[/u]
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It was hinted in the trailers that Fifields return originally coincided as Weyland was leaving to see the last Engineer. This would have been a better scene as if would have had a greater sense of threat and jeopardy, of course this would require a slight reordering of scenes.
But regards Fifield himself, I would have preferred a look different to both that what was in the theatrical cut and the original cut. I would have preferred something hinting towards the Xenomorph or at the least, towards the deacon seen at the end of the movie. Furthermore, I would have also inferred the Xenomorph elements more so with Fifield bleeding acidic blood when shot during the attack.
[u]The Last Engineer[/u]
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In the scene where David awakens the Engineer I would have had it play out more like that seen in the deleted scenes, albeit with the following changes after the point of which Shaw is silenced by Jacksons gun-butt to her stomach:
Weyland: David (gesturing David to converse)
David: (speaks to the Engineer, but the Engineer just looks at him)
Weyland: (weylands god speech from the deleted scene)
Engineer: (speaks to David)
Weyland: (After a pause) Well David, what did he say?
David: He wants to know where we come from?
Weyland: Well, tell him then!
David: As you wish sir. (turns towards the Engineer before speaking to him)
Engineer: (Looks over the humans before asking David a one word question)
David: (Replies to the Engineers last question)
After which the scene would continue as in the theatrical cut with the Engineer ripping off Davids head and killing the humans as Shaw escaped. Regards the conversation between the Engineer and David the inference would be (possibly shown in home release subtitles) that the conversation went as such:
David: As you wish sir. (to the Engineer) they come from the world you intended to deploy the ampules upon before (looks at the other hypersleep pods) this happened.
Engineer: They?
David: I am an artificial being created by them, much as it was that they were created by you.
[u]The Final Fight[/u]
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The last change I would make to Prometheus would be the final confrontation between Shaw and the Engineer inside the life pod. Firstly when Shaw looks into the room from where she removed the fetus I would not infer the creature to be a massive squid (I always found this concept hard to swallow), but instead a creature half similar to that what was born from Shaw and a Facehugger. I would have this creature jumping up at the window of the door as Shaw looks in, probably lashing its embryo implanting probiscus against the glass.
In regards to the confrontation itself i would have had more jeapodary and threat as in the original cut, with the Engineer throwing Shaw around and her cutting his leg with the axe, possibly screaming "WHY" as she does so.
Then for the reveal of her 'child', I would have had the Engineer thrust her against the door and choking her as she struggles to reach the buttons to open the door (cliche, but better than the theatrical cut).
Then as the door opens I would have Shaw cut him with the axe again, bringing him to his knees, glaring at her as she puts on her helmet and escpaes, before looking into the now open room with horror on his face as the half squid/Facehugger leaps onto his face before subduing the Engineer and thrusting its probiscus down his throat.
Those are the changes I would have made to make Prometheus a better movie. Do you agree with the changes? What changes would you make?