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Preparing for Prometheus – Part Two: What We Know So Far…

Prometheus 2-1Preparing for Prometheus is a series of blogs leading up to the release of Ridley Scott’s new sci-fi feature film. Set in the same universe as Scott’s sci-fi classic, Alien, Prometheus tells the story of a team of humans who travel across the galaxy seeking the origins of humanity. Unfortunately, their search for our beginning could lead to our end…

Stop your grinnin’ and drop your linen, fellow geeks, because Prometheus is just over a week away from landing. In my last blog in this series, I reviewed the various appearances of the Space Jockey (now known as “Engineers” in the Prometheus script) in the pages of Dark Horse Comics, some of the best Alien extended universe material out there. In this edition of Preparing for Prometheus, I cover every terrifying detail that I’ve been able to uncover regarding the upcoming film. Now remember, in space no one can hear your spoilers…but given that we’re not in space, here comes the warning:

POTENTIAL MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW

Prometheus Uncovered

While some would argue that the trailers for Prometheus have already given away too much, details of the plot have remained elusive for some time. Yes, we know from the trailers that there is a mission to an alien world in the attempt to explain the origins of human life, and yes, we know that it goes horrible wrong, but that’s about all. What the Prometheus crew encounters and the effect it has on them is all pretty vague at this point. That said, if you’re more than the casual fan when it comes Ridley Scott or the Alien franchise, you can certainly uncover more than you’d ever thought possible:

– Our first look into the details of Prometheus’ plot brings us to a leaked synopsis that appeared on our charts in August of 2011. This story is INSANE, involving time travel, the “evolution” of crew members into horrible “protoforms,” and the possibility that an android was the origin of the human race. It has been dismissed by most fan-fiction, but it’s mind-bending enough that it still warrants a look. Even if you refuse to spoil yourself, stop by and check this out after you see the film!

– Not buying the “leaked synopsis?” Well, you may be correct. According to the Prometheus Wikipedia entry, the plot to the film is very different, but still just as stomach-churning and terrifying. Given that the film has now been shown in early screenings in the UK, it’s quite possible that this is coming straight from someone who has already seen the film. While not as cerebral as the “leaked synopsis,” the tale is still seriously disturbing and features betrayals among the crew, Cthulhu-like creatures, and plot points that are sure to rival the infamous oral-rape and gut-slinging combo of the facehugger and chestburster from Alien!

– There’s one other point for the Prometheus Wikipedia entry, and that is courtesy of the international poster for the film. Inside the explosion, we can clearly see that The Prometheus is colliding with the alien ship from Alien. Why the marketing team chose to reveal such a large plot point on a poster for the film is beyond my estimation, but it synchs with the plot description found on Wikipedia.

Prometheus 2-2Dissecting Prometheus

It can be almost guaranteed that the creatures of Prometheus will be the beating heart of the horror element of the film. The atmosphere of Alien can not be denied, but the dead space jockey, the facehugger, the chestburster, and the alien itself are what have been burned into the memory of the public consciousness. While some of the glimpses we’ve gotten of the critters in Prometheus may make them look familiar, I think it’s fair warning to say they will be like nothing we’ve seen before.

In this creature-focused breakdown of the Prometheus trailer provided by io9.com, one can get an unsettling introduction to the extra-terrestrials of Scott’s latest foray into science-fiction.

The presence of Alien DNA in Prometheus

Despite all of the disinformation surrounding Prometheus and the denial that the film was a prequel to Alien, the connections with the 1979 film are numerous and undeniable.

– The first hint we got that Prometheus had a clear connection Alien came with the release of the first trailer. Not only is the structure and title lettering hauntingly reminiscent of the classic trailer for Alien, but it even uses the same unnerving alien scream in the same insanity inducing loop. Here are links to the 1979 Alien trailer and the first trailer for Prometheus, so that you can compare them at your leisure.

– More “Alien-DNA” is apparent in some of the ingenious viral marketing employed by the Prometheus marketing team. Weyland-Yutani (a.k.a. “The Company”) has earned its place in the hall of evil, soulless corporations from sci-fi films long ago. Weyland-Yutani’s evil fingerprints are all over the Alien franchise, but with Prometheus we enter a time before the merger, when Weyland and Yutani weren’t housed under the same roof.

We see both sides of “The Company” in the following viral marketing videos:

In this vid, Peter Weyland, played by Guy Pearce, takes part in the world famous TED conference in the year 2023.

In this vid, Elizabeth Shaw, played by Noomi Rapace, begs for help from Weyland Industries for her scientific endeavors. While we don’t know in what capacity they are involved, it is clearly visible that the Yutani company is monitoring the call.

We also get a look at a familiar “product” from Weyland Industries in this vid, which introduces Weyland’s first synthetic, David, played by Michael Fassbender. Given the powerful part the synthetic Ash played in Alien and the way he was used to infiltrate the crew and attempt to acquire the alien creature “The Company” desired, should we be suspicious of David? I’ve read a theory online that states that we’ve seen both the malevolent (Ash) and benevolent (Bishop) versions of artificial life in the Alien franchise, therefore David should represent the balance between the two: innocence.

Rumor Control

– There are plans for a Prometheus sequel (No, it will not be directed by James Cameron. That was a very cruel April Fool’s joke.), and Scott is on board to direct once again. Screenwriter Damon Lindelof has stated that the sequel will not tie Prometheus into the Alien saga and will instead serve as a sequel to Prometheus alone and will take the story even further away from the Alien mythos.

This stuff will blow the @#$% out into space

– Nothing is ever completely perfect, and the Alien franchise has been through some painful, painful moments (AVP – I am looking at you!), but this Prometheus-themed Coors beer commercial really pushes it to the limit. Whoever thought this was a good idea deserves to a visit from a plucky facehugger.

That’s the end of this transmission, gang. Preparing for Prometheus will return next week with a focus on what other stories from the Alien universe deserve their own feature film. Until then, stay frosty and let it rock.

This is Bryant Dillon, President of Fanboy Comics…signing off.

 

 

Bryant Dillon, Fanbase Press President

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Favorite Comic BookPreacher by Garth Ennis and Steve DillonFavorite TV ShowBuffy the Vampire Slayer Favorite BookThe Beach by Alex Garland

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