Haters Gonna Hate

Heated discussion seems to be in vogue over the past week. With Prometheus having hit theaters last Friday, the reviews on the blogosphere has been anything but positive. Many were disappointed by its merely casual relation to Alien (1979) the sci-fi horror that put director Ridley Scott on the map. Others didn't like the open ending which left everything, cosmologically speaking up in the air. And some (myself included) just didn't like the litany of horror movie cliches.

I shall call you Cuddles

I'm partially to blame for my own disappointment with the film. The trailer and positive buzz around the movie built it up to be the go-to sci-fi of the year. Placing the ad side-by-side with The Dark Knight Rises (2012) trailer only made it look more exciting than it should have been. With friends galvanized by the thought of Ridley Scott returning to form, it seemed nearly impossible for Prometheus to exceed expectations and the hype.

Or maybe it was the other way

The fact remains Prometheus is a solid film. Not a masterpiece but if it was part of a double feature with Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964) I'd feel I got my moneys worth. Those who have been cursing Prometheus as a monstrous failure or worse yet, a prattling and pretentious mess are only trying to defuse their own unrealized visions. The fact is Prometheus is not your vision nor mine, it stems from the expanded universe created by Ridley Scott. To put it in terms a fan-boy can understand, just like George Lucas can ruin Star Wars (1977) or Spielberg can ruin Indiana Jones (1981), so too can Scott "ruin" Alien.

But what exactly was ruined? Prometheus isn't Alien anymore than Star Trek is Star Wars. It has a completely different feel, different cinematography, different themes. Alien didn't ask a lot of cosmological questions but Prometheus at least tried. Anything that attempts to solve eternal questions while inserting facets from both faith and science is worth spending a little extra time and effort discussing.

So that's how many licks it take to get to the middle of a Tootsie pop

And I have, as should you if you've seen it. Try not to focus on the bad-decision syndrome (BDS) most of the crew seem to suffer from. Instead revel in the atmosphere, the grandeur and the various existential quandaries that excite your brain. If you watch the film with those things in mind and have a good time; bully for you. If not, watch The Tree of Life (2011) and/or 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Both pose and answer such questions much better.

Yea, I know, totally gay right?

Its ridiculous how much of the ire seems to be directed towards Ridley Scott. One of my friends mentioned she didn't like Scott very much because of his pomposity, especially in the light of Prometheus. This reminded me of a similar argument I had with one of my managers over the work of James Cameron. He was of the opinion that Cameron is a hack who makes movies that are shallow, unoriginal and overly dependent on special-effects. I defended Cameron as best as I could. I'm in the minority here I know, few people my age, manner and gender like Titanic and fewer still like Avatar (2009). He even went further to say that Titanic (1997) is the reason for Hollywood's love affair with CGI and big budget spectacles.

Hey look a convenient excuse for good storytelling!

First off, if you want to blame CGI on someone, blame it on John Lasseter and the success of Toy Story (1995) if you want to blame anyone for big budget spectacles blame Louis B. Mayer and Cecil B. DeMille; Though my belief is if you have a movie without spectacle its not a movie its a slide show. The idea that Cameron, Scott or even Michael "bang-crash" Bay is somehow to blame for bloated blockbusters is just absurd. The basis for such arguments are mostly due to the accessibility of such films coupled with the specific auteurs' success. To some people, the fact that something is popular means its somehow bad or at least worth a sharper critical eye.

I suggest after watching Prometheus you sit down and give Titanic and Avatar another try. They're all strong movies that try to do big things. I like big things. I like it when people express big ideas and do so with a sense of style, wizardry, and yes even a little bit of hokum. Those who are overly critical of mass culture risk being alienated and can't see that these films can actually enrich them if they let their guard down. But you know what they say...