I like this movie very much, not to say how excellent it is or how famous it is. It can be seen from "Prometheus" that director Ridley Scott has I am old, 75 years old, and I feel inadequate in many aspects of character portrayal, or due to considerations of film business factors, the film has not been able to further achieve perfection. But what I like is that this film has a super grand theme about the origin of mankind, involving religious and mythological metaphors, and it is presented in a hard science fiction flavor. It can be said that this film has a central idea as profound as "Blade Runner", which is powerful and pessimistic.

Of course, such a profound concept may cause some friends to lack understanding. This is understandable, because after all, this film is a commercial film, with dazzling 3D effects and director paranoia. Under the influence of the concept, what the movie finally presents is a mixture of trying to run a very grand and advanced proposition but longing for great entertainment effects. The following article will answer some of the questions in this movie one by one, and smooth out the issues of human origin in "Prometheus".

1. What is Prometheus?

Prometheus comes from Greek mythology and is one of the gods of the Titans. Prometheus helped humans steal fire from Olympus and taught humans how to use fire, but was abandoned and punished by the gods. In this film, "Prometheus" has two major meanings.

First of all, Prometheus is the name of Wieland-Yutani Company’s plan to find the origin of mankind. It is also the ship that carried 17 crew members to the planet LV-233 to find The name of the spaceship of the lost race "Space Jockey". Generally speaking, later generations often compare Prometheus to a person who is willing to sacrifice himself to fulfill others. The spacecraft that scientists ride on is named after this name, and its ending seems to be destined...

In another sense, Prometheus is referred to as the huge "space jockey" (engineer), which does not refer to everyone, but to the one who came to the earth in the opening film and created Humanity's "space jockey". He drank the black liquid, and his body disintegrated into the river. The genes produced humans, and humans became the descendants of engineers. The punishment that Prometheus had to suffer was grafted onto humans. Prometheus' behavior Giving humans equal access to fire as gods, and here, that engineer's actions produced humans with the same DNA as theirs.

2. What is the punishment of human beings?

Prometheus suffered an "eternal and terrible punishment" for stealing fire, and this punishment was the kind cultivated by the engineer in the film Organic creatures, the predecessors of aliens, would have a devastating impact on the future of mankind, and took over the later "Alien" works.

3. What are aliens?

In the "Alien" tetralogy, the audience learned about the alien, a terrifying creature with thick acid blood and sharp teeth, and the race's complete and complex social system like an ant colony, which became the most important thing in human history. A nightmare from which one can never wake up. In "Prometheus", the audience's attention is drawn back to the time when the alien was born, and we can see the initial form of the alien.

1. Protozoa

The alien protozoa is a deadly biological weapon created by the "Space Jockey" race and is used to destroy mankind. The protozoa are stored in a cylindrical petri dish and are just a black liquid. The protozoa are very sensitive to the surrounding environment. Any slight environmental change can trigger the protozoa in the petri dish, causing the protozoa to leak. Once an organism comes into contact with the protozoa, it will cause infection, which will make the organism rigid and have extremely strong growth ability. And become aggressive. Due to the optimized DNA selection characteristics of protozoa, when protozoa attach to an organism, their structure will mutate and take on the form of the host. In "Prometheus", the protozoa first infect worms in the soil, turning them into snake-like creatures with highly acidic blood.

2. Protozoan embryo

Later, the protozoan infected Field, turning him into a zombie-like creature and was killed by the crew. Halloway was not spared after drinking wine containing the protozoa. After having sex with Elizabeth, the latter carried the protozoa's embryo. Since Elizabeth did not have direct contact with the protozoa, she was not a host but was cultivated in the womb. The protozoa's embryo The appearance does not have a human shape at this time, but looks like an octopus. If you look closely, you will find that they are actually "six-clawed fish". The setting comes from the shape of the facehugger in the alien queen's egg. Moreover, the DNA of the protozoal embryo was optimized to carry the female gene.

3. The birth of the Alien Queen

When the protozoal embryo takes the Engineer as its host and bursts out of its body, we can see that this creature has chosen the Engineer's space suit. From the appearance, it can be understood that the engineer's spacesuit has the characteristics of integrating with the body and has the characteristics of genetic selection, just like the nano armor in "Crysis 2", which integrates with the human body.

That black solid appearance, coupled with female genes, is how the alien queen familiar to the audience in "Alien 2" was born.

It can be said that the engineer created the protozoa, which is just a tiny genetic body without a form. Just like a virus, it infects different species and makes them zombies and become aggressive, but because Elizabeth's female genes and the Engineer's body structure gave rise to a new species - the Alien.

The setting of "DNA optimization selection" strengthens the terrifying nature of the alien creature. It is not only a hunter with a terrifying appearance and sharp teeth, but also the agile movement in "Alien 3" The alien dog and the New-born that were combined with human embryos in "Alien 4" are all the result of this choice.

4. Why should human beings be destroyed?

It can be seen from the film that engineers created a terrible creature and prepared to release it to the earth, but the backlash of the creature led to the extinction of the race. But why should human beings be destroyed? The movie does not explain why the engineer in the opening scene drank poison to cause his body to disintegrate, but combined with the meaning of "Prometheus", it can be seen that the birth of human beings was completely an accident. There are two explanations here:

First, the suicide of an engineer who was exiled to the wild earth led to the emergence of advanced intelligent humans on this planet. Human beings should not be created.

Second, engineers cultivate a species with the same genetic structure as engineers for a certain purpose, including changing the earth's atmospheric environment so that it can become a new home for their own race in the future. Experimental human beings, when it is time for the engineer race to occupy the earth, human beings will have no meaning in their existence.

Just like David asked why he was created in the film, and the answer was because humans have this ability, Theron also said that we are fully capable of turning you into a pile of scrap metal. It basically refers to the relationship between the creator and the created. In fact, it is like a toy. When you have a more advanced toy, the original one will probably be useless. The movie here bypasses the question of "why it was created" , it just emphasizes that the Creator has the ability to create a thing and it is reasonable. It is also my decision to destroy it without any reason.

In fact, no matter which explanation, or there are other explanations, the movie does not give a clear answer. Prometheus, who stole fire, created humans, and humans are destined to be punished and destroyed no matter what. The way to destroy humans is terrible creatures like aliens.

5. What are bionic people?

Why is it called a bionic man instead of a robot? First of all, this is the world's first product developed by Wieland that can perfectly imitate humans. They not only have human appearance, skin and hair, but can even imitate human movements and behaviors without any deviation, which is enough to achieve the purpose of replicating the real thing. Secondly, the development of bionic humans ignores the "Three Laws of Robotics" set by science fiction master Asimov. Although the real purpose of Wieland Company in developing bionic humans is still unknown, it is certain that bionic humans do not Serve humanity, but take orders directly from the company.

Ridley Scott has a soft spot for androids, including the "where we come from, where we go" concept of androids in "Blade Runner" Exploring, it is not difficult to find the profound discussion of the "Creator" in "Prometheus". When the Creator is no longer above oneself, does it mean that he can fly to his own free sky like a child breaking away from his parents' hands? Woolen cloth?

6. Why does the android David poison humans?

David is the first bionic person of Wieland Company. His position in the film is not only a character serving the company, but also bridges the theme of the film. The relationship between creator and created.

It can be seen from the film that the perfect human appearance of the androids makes David always imitate humans, like to watch human movies, and imitate the characters in "Lawrence of Arabia" The hairstyle and lines are different, and even when there is no need to breathe, you still have to wear an oxygen mask. It can be said that it has achieved a "cottage" effect that is the same as that of human beings. But the bionic man has characteristics that are incomparable to humans. He has no emotions. He can peek into the dreams of all the crew members when they are sleeping and grasp their emotional information. It is like a person going to the zoo. Is it a person looking at the animals or the animals? The problem of animals looking at people is the same, which leads to a game between the creator and the created.

Human beings can come to their planet when the creator Engineer is extinct, and even obtain an Engineer's head for experiments, and androids can also use it to create themselves humans for experiments. "Destruction must precede creation." This is what David said. From here we can see that bionic people have some kind of "special thoughts". Their appearance is the same as humans, but they have abilities beyond humans. Learning ability, but also the ability to view human dreams and grasp human weaknesses. Therefore we can understand that "special mind" as "a species higher than human beings".

The androids believe that they exist above humans, and even in the dialogue between humans and their creators, this is conveyed through David. Moreover, after the engineer woke up, he directly ignored the human being and touched David's head, as if he was recognized by his creator's creator beyond his level. At this time, David smiled. This is definitely not what a robot can show. From this point, we can see the seriousness of the theme of the movie, from engineers to humans, from humans to androids, which is equivalent to "Blade Runner" "The same thinking about the fate of replicants in "Can the creator control the created? Which leads to the next question.

In addition, this film does not emphasize the rebellion of machines and breaks the three laws like "I Robot" and "A Space Odyssey". The three laws are completely bypassed here.

David, a bionic man, completely follows the behavior and purpose of the bionic man in the Alien series. First of all, he does not serve humans, but humans have been using him. And he did not obey orders at all. It can be seen from many places in the film that he has been working against humans, including peeping into human dreams, privately opening the door to the alien gene bank, taking a genetic sample to the spaceship, and entering the bridge to shut down Theron. videos and more.

　 He has a Hive mind that directly takes orders from the company. What is the purpose of the company? It’s about “creating a better world.” I still remember the special instructions Ripley exchanged with his computer mother in Alien 1. In order to obtain the alien life form, he would do anything at any cost, including the crew, which is exactly the same as the setting in this film.

David’s behavior fully represents the company’s philosophy, which is to create a better world at all costs, but the “price” mentioned by the company also includes humans themselves. In itself, it's like a mad scientist built some kind of killing machine that said it would kill all humans, but he was the first to be killed. David's poisoning, because it can produce life forms that are more advanced than humans, is destructive to humans, but for David, it can really create more powerful life forms and create a better world. The line "Creation must first be destroyed" in the film fully illustrates this point.

7. The relationship between engineers, humans, bionics, and aliens?

Engineers created humans, but they want to destroy them.

Engineers created aliens in order to destroy mankind, but they led to the destruction of their own race.

Human beings are looking for their creator, the Engineer, but they use the engineer's remains for experiments.

Human beings created bionic people, but the bionic people experimented on humans, leading to the destruction of humankind in the future.

From the above points, we can see the circular causal relationship between the creator and the created. The creators are destroyed by the creatures they created, and they are the bitter fruits planted by themselves. Engineers were ended by the aliens they created, and humans were led into the endless abyss by the androids they created.

David represents the possible consequences of humans creating machines. He did not cause extreme conflicts with humans like HAL in "2001: A Space Odyssey", but he made an inadvertent move. , dominant humanity inherits the punishment borne by Prometheus. But no matter how it is explained, the real value of the movie lies in its philosophical proposition, which throws the audience an extremely confusing hydrangea, so seamlessly integrating the most concrete film art with the most abstract philosophy, shaking the senses and mind.

Director Ridley Scott is British, and "Prometheus" is like a British novel, with the complexity of reality. In the movie, everyone, including the androids, is pursuing an answer: Where do we come from? What is the meaning of our existence? It seems like a simple problem, but it is always troubled. "Prometheus" is like a pyramid, majestic and mysterious, but the results of exploration are confusing. The movie seems to be expressing a theme: the pessimistic view that human beings cannot transcend themselves and must rely on higher-level extraterrestrial beings in order to achieve progress and evolution. At this time, the audience no longer examines the story as a bystander, but becomes a participant, an identity influenced by the creator, and gets lost as the characters in the film explore the lifeline of the story.

In fact, the main source of inspiration for this film and the birth of this film are completely inseparable from the Cthulhu Mythology. There is a central idea in the Cthulhu Mythology created by Lovecraft, that That is, "Human beings are inferior and their existence is meaningless. All explorations into the mysterious and unknown will lead to disaster.

8. "Prometheus" and "Alien" "What's the difference?

1. There is no obvious connection.

Although "Prometheus" explains the origin of the aliens, the focus of the film's story is not simple. Turning back the clock of the alien incident, the movie was inspired by the remains of the giant "space jockey" in "Alien", and thus developed a story that is very different from "Alien". Therefore, this film. It can be regarded as a stand-alone work and may lead to sequels.

2. Excavation of depth and breadth

"Prometheus" creates a huge worldview, sets the origin of mankind, and answers The film explores the origin and role of aliens and deepens the series of "Alien". Due to the influence of the format of the main story of "Alien", this film cannot start another new movie series here with great fanfare, but the significance of this film is that it will be the future of Alien. It has been elevated from a simple science fiction horror film to the realm of philosophy and creation.

3. From horror films to science fiction films

The "Alien" series has become a film history due to its unique claustrophobia and heinous horror monsters. The horror classics in "The Movie" are, at best, just horror films disguised as science fiction. "Prometheus" uses its profound philosophy and religious beliefs to turn the film into a science fiction film with serious themes, which is different from hard science fiction films such as Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Blade Runner" The work maintains consistency, while at the same time answering mythological factors in a science fiction way.

In addition, if you want to fully understand "Prometheus" and fully understand the horror of alien creatures, it is recommended that you watch the "Alien" tetralogy. Understand the entire worldview.

9. Is there a director's cut of "Prometheus"?

Many times, film studios will cut out the released version of a movie due to commercial considerations, such as length and entertainment effect. Because many parts of the movie are unclear, many movie fans think the movie is not good enough. Will there be a full version?

There will definitely be a director's cut. Ridley Scott said in an interview that 20-30 minutes of deletion will be added to the Blu-ray disc of this film. content. But don’t have too much hope. Generally speaking, the deleted content in the movie is some rough and shabby content, including branch plots and characterization. For plots that affect the overall integrity of the movie, the film company will never delete it. . Therefore, it can be concluded that the director's version of the film is likely to include the scene where Wieland CEO Peter Wieland created David when he was young. There is a section in the promotional video, or it may make other soy sauce crew members more three-dimensional. With these plots, the final length of the film will reach 150 minutes, and it is unknown whether the ultimate question of "Why engineers create humans" will be left to be answered in the director's cut. It can be understood that the director does not want to answer this question at all, but Some of these lapses in understanding are less likely to appear in the director's cut.

10. Will there be a sequel to "Prometheus"?

The answer is yes. The sequel will be released in 2014. At the end of the film, Elizabeth continues to search for unknown areas, including wanting to know how engineers were born. These will be left to the sequel to answer, but I am not optimistic about it personally. For a sequel, the huge propositions in this film are enough to support a movie. Many of the problems are best left as they are. If the sequel continues to discuss this issue, it will be superfluous. I can only hope that the sequel will not become a money-making movie. One topic was discussed after another.

The question that’s not a question: Is Prometheus worth watching?

All in all, this is not a movie for popular entertainment. It has profound themes, serious content, and even a dull plot. But this is a mind-blowing movie that goes beyond the scope of a popcorn movie. It is the first choice for science fiction fans and alien fans. Moreover, the 3D effects of this film are very outstanding and majestic. The 3D effects of the alien origin sequence can be called terrifying. In terms of pure visual effects, this film is definitely the most worth watching in the cinema this year. However, the deceptive effect of domestic 3D projectors has made many originally dark scenes even darker. Only the part where David is in the whole series " The scene of "playing with" the earth is very three-dimensional, and the androids are above the earth, which also highlights the moral of the film.