Prometheus: Giftbearer
Hot
Updated
User reviews
30 reviews
Overall rating
9.1
Audio/Video Quality
9.1(30)
Audio Editing
8.9(30)
Visual Editing
9.2(30)
Narrative
9.0(30)
Enjoyment
9.0(30)
Overall rating
8.5
Audio/Video Quality
9.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Narrative
7.0
Enjoyment
8.0
This is a great fanedit, made all the greater with the knowledge that this is Severian's first submission.
I have been quietly waiting for a bold Prometheus edit to come along. The original is visually stunning, but I still left the theater disgusted. The original narrative is a complete mess. It would be one thing if some things were just left a mystery. That I am totally ok with and usually even prefer, but the truth is that Ridley Scott did have a specific agenda with specific answers in mind. In interviews he has made certain specific claims about why the engineers turned on humanity but I won't go into that here. The bottom line is that I think this story works a lot better with more mystery surrounding the motives of the engineers. All we need to know as an audience is that this was a weapons testing facility, an accident occurred and all except (presumably the captain) died, and that the engineers were working on weapons that might potentially be used against Earth. This edit much more effectively conveys all that.
Simultaneously there needs to be less mystery surrounding the motives of the actual characters we are following. This edit succeeds with some details in this department. Unfortunately I still don't buy into the motive of why the android would so casually infect one of the crew's top scientists with an unknown substance in such an uncontrolled way or why everyone reacts so casually to the c-section events that follow.
Lastly, the scientists need to come across as less stupid than the original. The edit succeeds here as well.
I can't really think of a way to resolve my remaining problems with the story, and so I am grateful to have this fanedit. I daresay it makes Prometheus actually watchable for me. It is a better, more philosophical treatment of the film, and I can now suspend my disbelief for the most part.
Kudos! I watched the 720p mp4 version. Detected no major video or audio issues other than technical decisions made by the editor to do a 2.0 audio track and not release as a DVD or BD with a full-featured menu.
I would put my overall enjoyment of the original at a 4 or 5, whereas this was probably a 7 or 8.
I have been quietly waiting for a bold Prometheus edit to come along. The original is visually stunning, but I still left the theater disgusted. The original narrative is a complete mess. It would be one thing if some things were just left a mystery. That I am totally ok with and usually even prefer, but the truth is that Ridley Scott did have a specific agenda with specific answers in mind. In interviews he has made certain specific claims about why the engineers turned on humanity but I won't go into that here. The bottom line is that I think this story works a lot better with more mystery surrounding the motives of the engineers. All we need to know as an audience is that this was a weapons testing facility, an accident occurred and all except (presumably the captain) died, and that the engineers were working on weapons that might potentially be used against Earth. This edit much more effectively conveys all that.
Simultaneously there needs to be less mystery surrounding the motives of the actual characters we are following. This edit succeeds with some details in this department. Unfortunately I still don't buy into the motive of why the android would so casually infect one of the crew's top scientists with an unknown substance in such an uncontrolled way or why everyone reacts so casually to the c-section events that follow.
Lastly, the scientists need to come across as less stupid than the original. The edit succeeds here as well.
I can't really think of a way to resolve my remaining problems with the story, and so I am grateful to have this fanedit. I daresay it makes Prometheus actually watchable for me. It is a better, more philosophical treatment of the film, and I can now suspend my disbelief for the most part.
Kudos! I watched the 720p mp4 version. Detected no major video or audio issues other than technical decisions made by the editor to do a 2.0 audio track and not release as a DVD or BD with a full-featured menu.
I would put my overall enjoyment of the original at a 4 or 5, whereas this was probably a 7 or 8.
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
First off, I have to admit I never saw the theatrical cut of Prometheus (even though I grew up with the Alien films). From all the negative talk I heard about it, I guess I figured it wasn't really worth the time. In the end, I'm thankful I waited.
This edit was enjoyable throughout, and never once, did I spot a strange cut or transition.
It would be odd for me to call it my go-to version, because to me it's the only true version. Very, very well done!
This edit was enjoyable throughout, and never once, did I spot a strange cut or transition.
It would be odd for me to call it my go-to version, because to me it's the only true version. Very, very well done!
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
(Updated: April 29, 2013)
Overall rating
9.5
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
Prometheus always had one problem. It wasn't goofy biologists trying to pet Geiger-esque phallic symbols, nor was it running straight away from a gigantic wheel. It wasn't even Charlize Theron being, well, Charlize Theron.
The problem was the lack of character development that permeated the whole movie. Brilliant lines and revealing moments were dashed aside in lieu of ship captains accentuating their bitchiness or unnecessarily exploding heads and it ultimately turned every character that wasn't Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace (and to a lesser degree Idris Elba, who can't not be awesome even if he tried) into a barebones tool to push the plot on to the next special effect.
I am very pleased to say that Prometheus: Giftbearer solves this problem with gusto. So, let's tackle this one at a time, shall we?
Audio/Video Quality: 10
As Futurama's interpretation of God once said, "When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all." This absolutely applies here. What recoloring was done to the deleted scenes fit flawlessly and had me questioning whether or not I'd actually viewed certain scenes in the initial cut.
Visual Editing: 9
This is one of the better visual editing jobs I've seen. The cut scenes were both welcome and necessary to the overall plot. The shortening of drawn-out moments and the removal of the sillier scenes were mostly spot-on. Also I can't stress enough how happy I was to see less Charlize Theron in this cut. I actually liked her character better as a result.
One complaint I've been reading in the earlier reviews was over the "In the Beginning" prologue turning into a dream sequence just after Noomi's character witnesses a horrible trauma. This is up to the viewer, of course, but I didn't find a single thing wrong with this decision. If anything it only spiced up the scene and ended up giving me a chill I didn't feel when I watched the theatrical cut (then I only felt confused), so no points removed there.
That said there was an occasional odd cut (I can count two welcome, albeit a tad clumsy, changes), but nothing that hindered my enjoyment of the film.
Audio Editing: 9
Changed and removed lines abound and for the better, though I did notice that it occasionally got very loud. I'm kind of stretching for a complaint on this regard, however. I did like how the creature at the end was muted, though. Nice touch there; added to the creepy factor a bit.
Narrative: 10
This is where I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this recut was absolutely necessary. As I said before the character development was completely removed from the theatrical cut of the film despite the fact that the very scenes that made one care about those characters were actually shot. Severian restored the hell out of the best of those scenes. Now you can see Guy Pierce sans old-guy prosthetics making a powerful speech about the importance of to going too far with science. Suddenly Idris Elba's stand against the alien menace is more powerful thanks to a beautifully spoken monologue that details a similar dark chapter of his past. I found myself actually emotionally engaged in the characters presented. They were people, not plot devices, and the whole movie was far far better for it.
Enjoyment: 10
Recuts like this are the reason I love fanedits. When someone takes his or her own personal time to turn a bad movie good or a decent movie great, and then brings it to the world, I have this odd feeling of being rescued. While I would sit around complaining about a bad movie someone out there would rather bite the bullet and actually do something about it. It's a beautiful thing.
As for this particular recut, I'll say that it was very aptly titled. This is a gift, and its bearer is Severian. Thank you.
The problem was the lack of character development that permeated the whole movie. Brilliant lines and revealing moments were dashed aside in lieu of ship captains accentuating their bitchiness or unnecessarily exploding heads and it ultimately turned every character that wasn't Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace (and to a lesser degree Idris Elba, who can't not be awesome even if he tried) into a barebones tool to push the plot on to the next special effect.
I am very pleased to say that Prometheus: Giftbearer solves this problem with gusto. So, let's tackle this one at a time, shall we?
Audio/Video Quality: 10
As Futurama's interpretation of God once said, "When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all." This absolutely applies here. What recoloring was done to the deleted scenes fit flawlessly and had me questioning whether or not I'd actually viewed certain scenes in the initial cut.
Visual Editing: 9
This is one of the better visual editing jobs I've seen. The cut scenes were both welcome and necessary to the overall plot. The shortening of drawn-out moments and the removal of the sillier scenes were mostly spot-on. Also I can't stress enough how happy I was to see less Charlize Theron in this cut. I actually liked her character better as a result.
One complaint I've been reading in the earlier reviews was over the "In the Beginning" prologue turning into a dream sequence just after Noomi's character witnesses a horrible trauma. This is up to the viewer, of course, but I didn't find a single thing wrong with this decision. If anything it only spiced up the scene and ended up giving me a chill I didn't feel when I watched the theatrical cut (then I only felt confused), so no points removed there.
That said there was an occasional odd cut (I can count two welcome, albeit a tad clumsy, changes), but nothing that hindered my enjoyment of the film.
Audio Editing: 9
Changed and removed lines abound and for the better, though I did notice that it occasionally got very loud. I'm kind of stretching for a complaint on this regard, however. I did like how the creature at the end was muted, though. Nice touch there; added to the creepy factor a bit.
Narrative: 10
This is where I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this recut was absolutely necessary. As I said before the character development was completely removed from the theatrical cut of the film despite the fact that the very scenes that made one care about those characters were actually shot. Severian restored the hell out of the best of those scenes. Now you can see Guy Pierce sans old-guy prosthetics making a powerful speech about the importance of to going too far with science. Suddenly Idris Elba's stand against the alien menace is more powerful thanks to a beautifully spoken monologue that details a similar dark chapter of his past. I found myself actually emotionally engaged in the characters presented. They were people, not plot devices, and the whole movie was far far better for it.
Enjoyment: 10
Recuts like this are the reason I love fanedits. When someone takes his or her own personal time to turn a bad movie good or a decent movie great, and then brings it to the world, I have this odd feeling of being rescued. While I would sit around complaining about a bad movie someone out there would rather bite the bullet and actually do something about it. It's a beautiful thing.
As for this particular recut, I'll say that it was very aptly titled. This is a gift, and its bearer is Severian. Thank you.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
Overall rating
9.8
Audio/Video Quality
9.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
I'm a huge movie guy and I've been on the site for about a year checking out all the great work all the editors have done. In true cliche fashion, it was Adywan's Star Wars edit that brought me to the site but I've been a devoted follower ever since. I mention Adywan in this review because his edit is what I think a fanedit should accomplish: polishing the rougher parts of a film to make it into something better or something new. Quite like Adywan's edit, Severian has most definitely achieved this feat and in seemingly simple ways.
I've loved the Alien films since I was a kid and Ridley Scott is (maybe used to be at this point) a master of SF. I was so incredibly pumped for the film and then I remember leaving the theater scratching my head. There were so many fantastic ideas in the film, and it looked gorgeous, but it was missing a core experience for me to connect to. Once I saw that an edit had been done for the film, and that Severian seemed to feel the same way about the original cut, I had to check out his edit and I was not disappointed. Here's my breakdown on each category:
The film still looks gorgeous and there were only a few moments where the image was slightly fuzzy.
The visual editing is amazing. I honestly could not tell that this was a fanedit (aside from seeing the original film of course). Every scene was treated with care and the changes all flowed easily into one another. I was also scratching my head at the end of Severian's work but for a different reason: how in the world did he make something so soulless find it's way again so easily? Reading the cut/changes list doesn't do this edit justice. Severian has taken an original work and made it insanely better by adding a real connection to it.
The audio editing is also flawless. I didn't notice any issues in the sound and it played quite well over my surround sound.
Like I've said a few times, I honestly disliked the original cut and Severian delivered an Alien movie that I proudly display next to the first two. I can only hope that Ridley Scott takes a page from Severian's book as he continues the franchies; if not, at least I know Severian will be there to give the fans good films. Honestly, if you liked the original or hated it, check out Severian's cut. The cuts are all flawless and it is impossible to tell that it is a fanedit; this is the version that should have been shown in theaters. Thanks for the experience!
I've loved the Alien films since I was a kid and Ridley Scott is (maybe used to be at this point) a master of SF. I was so incredibly pumped for the film and then I remember leaving the theater scratching my head. There were so many fantastic ideas in the film, and it looked gorgeous, but it was missing a core experience for me to connect to. Once I saw that an edit had been done for the film, and that Severian seemed to feel the same way about the original cut, I had to check out his edit and I was not disappointed. Here's my breakdown on each category:
The film still looks gorgeous and there were only a few moments where the image was slightly fuzzy.
The visual editing is amazing. I honestly could not tell that this was a fanedit (aside from seeing the original film of course). Every scene was treated with care and the changes all flowed easily into one another. I was also scratching my head at the end of Severian's work but for a different reason: how in the world did he make something so soulless find it's way again so easily? Reading the cut/changes list doesn't do this edit justice. Severian has taken an original work and made it insanely better by adding a real connection to it.
The audio editing is also flawless. I didn't notice any issues in the sound and it played quite well over my surround sound.
Like I've said a few times, I honestly disliked the original cut and Severian delivered an Alien movie that I proudly display next to the first two. I can only hope that Ridley Scott takes a page from Severian's book as he continues the franchies; if not, at least I know Severian will be there to give the fans good films. Honestly, if you liked the original or hated it, check out Severian's cut. The cuts are all flawless and it is impossible to tell that it is a fanedit; this is the version that should have been shown in theaters. Thanks for the experience!
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
DVD
Overall rating
9.5
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
This is the first fanedit I've ever watched, and I absolutely loved it! Prometheus is a movie that I've watched often, and although I was quite disappointed during my initial viewings, I've always enjoyed it a little more with each viewing. I think this is partly due to my desire to like the film and partly due to overlooking/expecting the odd/sometimes wacky things that happen in the original film. I feel like this edit is superior to the original in every way, and I thank Severian for putting in the effort to make this!
While I felt detached from the characters in the original movie, this edit made me really feel connected to the characters. I especially liked the Shaw clip in the beginning because it made her quest seem more personal and the tech interface was also kinda creepy in the way it analyzed her facial movements. I also liked moving the cave scene because it had a more emotional impact (reminding us that the innocent-not sure if this is the right word but can't think of a better one at the moment-exploration for truth led to some really horrible consequences).
My two (extremely minor) gripes are: (1) the clip of Shaw saying "what I choose to believe" felt a little rushed. I liked switching the lines but something about the transition from when she gets asked what engineers "engineered" and her answer felt too fast. It would have been nice if the picture stayed on Shaw's face a bit before she said "what I choose to believe" but there may not have been enough picture for that. (2) the placement of the engineer scene after the flashback to the cave was a bit jarring, like it seemed out of place, but I can't really think of a better place for it. And the echoing words "we come from them" was a very nice touch.
Again, thanks a bunch for the great edit!
While I felt detached from the characters in the original movie, this edit made me really feel connected to the characters. I especially liked the Shaw clip in the beginning because it made her quest seem more personal and the tech interface was also kinda creepy in the way it analyzed her facial movements. I also liked moving the cave scene because it had a more emotional impact (reminding us that the innocent-not sure if this is the right word but can't think of a better one at the moment-exploration for truth led to some really horrible consequences).
My two (extremely minor) gripes are: (1) the clip of Shaw saying "what I choose to believe" felt a little rushed. I liked switching the lines but something about the transition from when she gets asked what engineers "engineered" and her answer felt too fast. It would have been nice if the picture stayed on Shaw's face a bit before she said "what I choose to believe" but there may not have been enough picture for that. (2) the placement of the engineer scene after the flashback to the cave was a bit jarring, like it seemed out of place, but I can't really think of a better place for it. And the echoing words "we come from them" was a very nice touch.
Again, thanks a bunch for the great edit!
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital