Prometheus

The Alien franchise has always been one that I have enjoyed watching (Though the newer ones have fallen far from the originals). One problem with the collection of movies is that they have not been made in chronological order. Prometheus is the prequel of the series.

After discovering a series of ancient artifacts depicting tall beings and a cluster of stars, a team of scientists locate a distant moon in the cluster that could support life. An expedition is funded and the team is sent lightyears away from earth to find out what is so important on this moon.

A very nice example of the CG effects in the movie

That head may or may not be to scale...

Upon arrival, the team discovers a structure that does not appear to be natural (God doesn't make work in straight lines). The team begins exploring and piecing together the events that occurred before their arrival. Extreme weather ends up stranding members of the expedition inside of the strange structure for several hours, and their presence inside sets something into motion.

With their discoveries creating more questions than answers, events quickly begin to spiral out of control. The history of what happened on the moon is pieced together, and the crew becomes divided on what the course of action should be.

This is what happens when you mess with the air conditioning

Visual: 4 out of 5
  The Alien franchise has always done a good job when it comes to special effects, making good use of the technology of the time. The environments are fascinating (though hard to see in the darkness most of the movie takes place in), and the CG effects are great as always. A few of the biological effects are a little cheesy, and reminiscent of the older Alien movies.

Story: 3 out of 5
  A lot is left unexplained (Prometheus 2, maybe?). It also follows pretty closely to the other Alien movies. Team arrives, team gets separated, team member does something stupid, team member gives "birth" to alien, most of the cast ends up dead. It's a little reused of a story arc at this point, but it still works.

Overall: 3 out of 5
  The effects are updated, but the story is similar to the other Alien movies. Having seen them first, this one is more of a nostalgic nod to the older movies. Still, if you liked the other movies this is just another way to watch the aliens make mincemeat out of scientists.

Toodles!

The Grey

Some movies are just better to see them in theatres. There's something about the darkness, the huge screen, the massive subwoofers. It just makes the experience so much different than seeing a movie at home or on Netflix. The Grey is one of those movies. I saw it in theatres when it first came out and really enjoyed it. As someone who doesn't normally enjoy thriller or horror movies, the fact that I liked The Grey was an impressive feat in my mind. I guess it goes to show that Liam Neeson can make anything better.

The Grey follows the story of a man hired to protect pipeline workers in the north. He is a sharpshooter who takes down wolves that try to attack the workers. It is quickly established that the man is a seriously tortured soul, with the story almost ending in the first few minutes.

After surviving a terrible accident, a small group of workers are left to find their way back to civilization and safety. Unfortunately for them, injuries, hunger, freezing weather, are only the first of their problems. A predatory threat stalks them, and the battle between species begins.

Things done well:

  -Uses Liam Neeson quieter voice to draw you in, then scare you back with loud attacks

 -*SPOILER* Once a few of the less likeable characters get killed off, the handful that remain actually get some character development. There are some real moments shared amongst the group, where they get to act like actual people instead of terrified survivors. They share pieces of their past with each other, and you grow much more attached to the smaller group. When one of the characters succumbs to the cold instead of an attack, you can feel the emotion the remaining men experience.

Things not so great

  -Almost all of the characters are total assholes until the second half of the movie

  -There is incredibly bad language (it's a bunch of men working a crap job in the cold, what did you expect?)

  -It can get a little graphic at times, with some gruesome deaths, some emotionally difficult deaths, and if you can't handle seeing animals (even CG ones) hurt then you should be warned now.

The movie was amazing in theatres when it first came out. The massive sound system and darkness of the theatre really added to the atmosphere of the movie. Seeing it again on Netflix wasn't quite the same experience. It might have been the different setting I saw it under, or the fact that I wasn't surprised by the jump-scare attacks by the wolves

All in all, the second half of the movie was immensely more interesting and engaging than the first half. I will warn the faint of heart though. The way that some of these characters die is heartbreaking. I don't want to give anything away, but more than a few die without being attacked by wolves and those ones are honestly the most emotional deaths.

Visual: 3 out of 5

The wolves are a little fake looking, and the rest of the movie is about guys in the frozen middle of nowhere. Some of the scenic shots are beautifully done, but a lot of the movie takes place during a snowstorm. Not a lot to see there.

Story: 3 out of 5

It's hard to get far enough into the movie where you connect with the characters without getting a little bored. The jump scares are front loaded into the movie, so you get a weird combination of a thriller at the beginning and sort of a heartbreaking adventure at the end.

Overall: 3 out of 5

While the first viewing was certainly the best, with the environment of the theatre adding to the pure surprise of the wolf attacks, the second viewing at home was still not a bad time. The second half of the movie makes up for the lack of depth at the beginning, in my opinion.

Toodles!