But I don't think it should be used as a dismissive point to ignore the fact that an improved version was subsequently released. Don't you agree? If we're talking about the full value of a film, and the talent of the filmmaker involved, the most complete version of what is offered should be used as a benchmark for that. The theatrical version might only indicate the compromises the director was willing to make to get the film out initially, and that is a different argument in itself.
-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
PROMETHEUS Full Theatrical Trailer (2:32) + International UK trailer (2:47)
- Thread starter SCULLIBUNDO
- Start date
- Status
But I don't think it should be used as a dismissive point to ignore the fact that an improved version was subsequently released. Don't you agree? If we're talking about the full value of a film, and the talent of the filmmaker involved, the most complete version of what is offered should be used as a benchmark for that. The theatrical version might only indicate the compromises the director was willing to make to get the film out initially, and that is a different argument in itself.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
That Cameron could have easily had those scenes inserted if it wasn't for his monetary greed. FOX was still footing the bulk of the bill and whether you believe it or not, when your budget is over $300m, they have a big say in whether or not things need to get cut down.
Then after it made money, Cameron did appeal to them for extra money to finish scenes for the extended edition. He pushed that amount of money ($20m or so) to finish the scenes he could, but asking for another $50m for a specialty home release is asking a bit much.
My point is it isn't like Cameron didn't shoot those scenes. He shot ALL of them. You can watch them in their unfinished, rough-rendered and stage-acted form on the Extended Edition extras. He wanted them as part of the film. Unfortunately it would have just cost too much.
Sure, I just think, if Cameron thought that scene was important, he should have kept it in, and cut out every scene with Michelle Rodriguez to even things out. Kill two birds with one stone.
I mean, at the end of the day, when youre looking at a film that without a doubt cost more than 400 million dollars, theres no doubt going to be sacrifices made, regardless of the supposed clout the director has.
Like I said, Titanic made almost 2 billion dollars, but not even that is enough for a major studio (who had to dragged kicking and screaming it seems to even be involved) to indulge a director to release a 200+ minute blue movie that is essentially a drug influenced geek fantasy trip brought to life
Like I said, Titanic made almost 2 billion dollars, but not even that is enough for a major studio (who had to dragged kicking and screaming it seems to even be involved) to indulge a director to release a 200+ minute blue movie that is essentially a drug influenced geek fantasy trip brought to life
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
He cut out a whole subplot with her.
Goddamn I hate Norm.
She's still in the movie, IT'S NOT ENOUGH. It's impossible to cut too much of Michelle Rodriguez from something.
Jamesways
Member
Prome... what? I'm sorry, this is the this is the Avatar thread.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
I actually thought this was the one instance where she was tolerable. She was even smiling throughout most of the film. It wasn't that bullshit bravado chick/B-grade Vasquez that she usually plays.
Edit - Dead, my man!
Yeah, but that's like saying getting stabbed with that knife hurts less than usual. I'd prefer to just avoid the stabbing altogether.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
This reminds me that if FOX had put out the Avatar that Cameron shot, it would have been R. If you watch the B-rolls, you can see Grace saying 'You need to muzzle your fuckin' dog.' and in the movie where Quaritch says to Jake 'What the matter? You find yourself some local TAIL and forget which team you're playing for?', the cut away from his face comes on tail because he originally said pussy.
MilesWebber
Member
reflection
The way you can twist everything back to JC is really impressive. I mean really, not even I can do that. lol.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
I didn't even mean to today. I was joking and then people started talking and got me started! DONT YOU GET ME STARTED!
(That's really something you should be telling Michael Bay though.)Leave my giant robots alone!
Hopefully not, for the second half.
But I never said anything about monetary greed. I said the problem with Cameron is that his pursuit of pushing the boundaries to technology in his films is what limits what he can do because they end up being too expensive to do "right" as you put it, because scenes are simply too expensive sometimes. If he actually felt that the actual material was that important, and that telling the best story he could was the most important point, he would find a cheaper way to make his films. Clearly, that is not his preference.
His desire to sacrifice runtime for IMAX is not out of greed, as I already stated in another post, but one of fiscal responsibility. He has to ensure that the movie makes tons of money because of the heavy amount of trust the investors of his film has put in him. I don't think that is a bad thing, it is a good thing and a realistic approach.
I'm simply saying that if telling the best story with the narrative and writing alone is Cameron's most valued aspect of the work, he would not be making movies like this. But he is, and that's neither entirely a good or bad thing, just a conscious choice. But that choice can be criticized.
Jamesways
Member
Let's not get off topic here. This is all about Cameron and the mechinations of the studio's control when trying to make Avatar.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Ah, okay. I misunderstood you.
Anyway, you really should rent the extended edition and check out all the crazy stuff that was cut from the film. Some of it is really great and makes the exclusion of these scenes really disappointing. There actually is a scene that was pretty much finished which has no good reason for not being in the film. It is where Selfridge sees that Quaritch has gone off the deep end and is turning the entire mining workers force into a militia and tries to stop him, before Quaritch threatens to kill him.
Dude, I own the 3 disc blu-ray. I bought it when it first came out. I've watched it once, liked it quite a bit, but it was kinda weird seeing it in 2D for the first time. I haven't seen all the unfinished deleted scenes though. Some day.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Oh, cool. Well yeah, definitely check out those deleted scenes. You have a treasure trove waiting for you.
Theatrical or Extended Edition?
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Can I say that I absolutely love the ship design of the Prometheus? Wildly different to the behemoth that is the Nostromo. I doesn't look nearly as big.
I have the Theatrical Blu-Ray one that first came out. Never did snag the Extended.
Haha
That's always a good idea.
I think what I like most about the set design in Prometheus so far is that everything looks and feel real. It's hard to describe exactly why they feel that way, because the designs can be pretty far out, but I have no issues believing that somewhere on a planet there are these structures, and this ship, and so on. It's very consistent and believable. District 9 was the same way.
Sub_Level
wants to fuck an Asian grill.
Yes. It's called LV-426.
So I pulled out my CED copy of Alien to show my wife what the space Jockey ship looks like because she saw the promo spot that aired during Walking Dead and wanted to know what this film is about and I realized the ship pictured, the one that gets explored in Alien, is nicely parked out in the open yet the previews show it lifting out of the ground and then getting blown up mid air. Pretty much means thats not the same ship and/or not the same planet.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Yep. Ever since the first pictures I've been in love with them. The Bubble-domes are my favourite part. 360 viewing that also lends itself to that pulpy 1950s hard sci-fi look.
Ridley Scott goes for the old school (meheh) love of practical sets as opposed to CGI in many cases, and this tends to not only give his films a striking verisimilitude, but they tend to age very well. Alien still looks stunning and its visuals have a nice air of realism to them.
AgentChris
Member
Everything has a slick look. Got goosebumps when it said from the director of Blade Runner.
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
So psyched for the movie. Plus the trailer had Max Richter music. Definitely sold. I hope he is prominently featured in the soundtrack.
It's called a perfect marriage of production design and cinematography choices. Everything needs to have just the right amount of texture for the light to play off of, and the lighting needs to be visually interesting without being so flashy that it feels unrealistic. When the prawn in D9 stepped from his shack doorway into the harsh african sunlight for the first time, I couldn't quite fathom how seamless he looked next to a real actor. All the props were top notch work done by Weta Workshop.
Just as an example, the amount of colored lighting on display in this trailer is incredible looking. The yellow lights in the cryo tubes and necks of the space suits, the red lasers playing off the cave walls, blue light of the star map on fassbender, all of it feels like those photons actually exist in the same environment as the actors. It's not just orange/blue contrast added in with post processing color correction like Transformers or something.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
This film also looks to be the best looking digitally-shot film outside of Fincher's endeavors.
No, I've never seen it. Is any of that shit going to be in Elysium?
- Status