@Tawganator: I see what you're saying. I don't bother forming my own personal opinion based on those of others until I've experienced the film myself, but the thing is, sometimes knowing what others think (when taking from trusted sources) can save you from wasting your time. In the past I used to simply keep what they said in mind and then go in and watch a movie. More times than not, good sources can be absolutely correct in saying whether a film is total shit or worth a watch.
I believe the phrase "don't trust the critics" is a bit misguided. All you've got to do is find the critics worth trusting. I mean, look at it this way: Critics are dumbasses when we disagree with them, but once they like a movie that we do, suddenly they're geniuses? Um... what?
@Xeno-Hunter:
I refer you to Pv2's old thread...
Dave said: I feel people just try to deconstruct films too much. Break away all the layers and find fault with the smallest of things. Bottom line is, unless you're making the film, there's very little your griping will achieve. Just sit back and take it for what it is.
Basically most of the complaints come from fan boys who piss and whine about subtle details like 'Oh nos....da space Jockey dimensions are all wrong, he too small for da chair, its not da same as alien, brah!' When you get that petty, you're not going to enjoy anything becuase you've already settled into a negative frame of mind.
This. Just this.
I tend to disagree with the general consensus that Prometheus was a bad film. What I appreciate about most of the opposition I quoted was that they're level-headed people with whom I've spent almost as much time on the internet as you guys, and they're an intelligent lot. What I'm saying is, even as they bash the movie, at least they're doing it with somewhat solid-sounding arguments rather than with the bullshit that you pointed out in your post (and they like to point out just as much as we do that Anderson and the Fuck-Up bros are ass hats, which is appreciated).
And honestly, while we're talking about breaths of fresh air, the contrasting opinions they offer represents that phrase finely.
Deathdrop said: But most of all, as a hard-core Alien nerd, I appreciated how much speculation it left.
Interestingly, the third quote up there was a response to opinions like this. I know where he's coming from, but I fail to be totally let down by the movie just because of this. Like you said, the good outweighs the bad.
Anyway, on the subject of the sequel, that's also something that magnificently splits the fanbase into whiners, optimists and people who just don't give a shit. I'm somewhere in between the last two.
What I think we shouldn't try to expect is the difference between Alien and Aliens. Why? It's going to be directed by the same guy, of course. I'm personally curious about what exactly Scott's gonna do with a story about a girl and her head.