Book Review: Prometheus The Art of the Film (contains movie spoilers)

June 12th 2012, 10:07am

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

It’s a MUST OWN for fans of the film!- John “The Arrow” Fallon

Needless to say that if you haven’t seen PROMETHEUS yet (READ MY REVIEW HERE) then don’t gander at this book or even read this “review” of it as it will contain SOME SPOILERS PERTAINING TO THE MOVIE. You have been warned! Run while you can! RUN!

SPOILERS COMING!

Still here? Coolio.

PROMETHEUS THE ART OF THE FILM is a big ass, high end and generous book (from the fine folks at TIITAN BOOKS) that chronicled the evolution of the film via text and varied pictures. Am talking production designs, sketches, Ridley Scott’s storyboards, some paintings and countless ideas conveyed via concept art. We also get on set pictures and stills of the many effects wizards behind this sucka at work! The book is 192 pages long and every single one of them mattered! My favorite part had to be the FOREWORD/ ARTICLE (called A Return to Science Fiction) by director RIDLEY SCOTT.

The man gave me lots of insight as to why he returned to Sci Fi and explained his fascination with the Space Jockey and the fact that after ALIEN nobody ever asked the question “Who was that dude?” He also went on to elucidate how the film started off as a 100% prequel to ALIEN, why he then tried to get away from it whilst covering the evolution of the production till it became the quasi ALIEN prequel that is is, existing in a similar yet separate urn.

Alternate opening… ritual in the house!

Production designer ARTHUR MAX’S three cents via the piece Designing Prometheus was compelling too in its own rights. He addressed the research and logic that was behind the designing of the film’s technology and the many life forms that inhabits its world. Moreover, the book covered the MAKING OF the film in a fairly in depth fashion, having a variety of people involved in the show chime in. I was personally fascinated by the unused ideas/alternate scenes that were depicted here, with the one having to do with a different opening (Two Engineers going through a ritual to launch life on earth – see pic above) popping to mind.

And the book went on to confirm my theory that PROMETHEUS did in fact use two DISCARDED ideas they initially had for ALIEN. 1- The Pyramid like facility where the urns were found (in an early draft of ALIEN they found the eggs in a pyramid like structure) and the giant Facehugger like creature (called a TRILOBITE). In ALIEN Giger’s original Facehugger design was a big ass mofo; Scott had it scaled down to fit one’s helpless to-be-raped face. Well as we all know, Mr. Tentacles resurfaced in PROMETHEUS to some capacity and did some major hugging of its own!

The Facehugger’s grand daddy!

Speaking of Giger, the book stated how they wanted to retain SOME of Giger’s vibe in terms of the PROMETHEUS designs, but scaled back the organic part of the man’s style. Even though he was not DIRECTLY involved with PROMETHEUS, Giger was there in spirit. Now, I read this book AFTER having seen PROMETHEUS for a second time and I found it to be an ideal complement to it.

I got more juice as to what they were going for and yes, the book actually filled in some gaps that the film had left me with. Word has it that this tome will be the ONLY publication to be released in tandem with PROMETHEUS. So if you crave further meat about the movie or you just like owning a top quality book that will surely become a collector’s piece…GET IT! It’s a MUST OWN for fans of the film! I worship my copy!:)

Final shot of the book. Xenomorph running towards alien ship. Did it fly it and crash on LV-426?

GET THE BOOK HERE!