Prometheus 3D reviews (theater) - Page 3

Your IMAX screen is the equivalent of the first "Traffic" Blu-ray: an inferior disc that is in no way representative of the format's capabilities.

The only motive I saw for the majority of the d-bag characters was being hungry for was money, since they didn't even know ANYTHING about the mission prior to arriving. I guess they had to have been offered quite a substational amount in order to go along with voyaging through space for two years (maybe didn't know that as well) not knowing a thing, or having a plan, or a goal(s) set. This movie might fall in line and actually be a prequel to Idiocracy's timeline and story - "I like money"

The amount of depth or pop-out is decided by the filmmakers, not the theater. The benefits of one 3D technology over another mainly come down to brightness and unwanted artifacts such as crosstalk.

In theory, IMAX 3D should be brighter than RealD, because IMAX theaters use two projectors synced onto the screen. That's why it surprises me to hear people say that RealD is brighter. However, the size of the screen and the amount of light that the glasses pass through may contribute to that.

Go to an IMAX screening and tilt your head, then tell me that there's no crosstalk in IMAX. This is an inherent quality of linearly-polarized glasses, and is the reason why RealD chose to use circular polarization in its own glasses.

There are plenty of people who risk their lives right here on Planet Earth if the money is good enough. Nothing idiotic about that, just risky but with potential rewards that can help them give their families a better life. A few examples would include Ice Road Truckers, construction & security workers in the Middle East and deep sea divers working in the oil industries.

The age of the bulbs in the theater matter too. Just FYI, and I've said this about 8 billion times now so I'm getting pretty pissed at the illiteracy--- theaters differ based on the owner and operator, so don't pretend that one complaint about one theater is in any way representative of the entire IMAX brand. It's stupid.
Why would I want to tilt my head during a 3D movie? That will cause eyestrain over extended periods of time. I've never watched a 3D movie with my head tilted. If I'm too tired or bored to keep my head straight I won't watch a movie.

The only way it would ever impact me is if the projector filters themselves were misaligned.

Yeah, and at least they know what the job is and what all it entails. These jobs provide descriptions and proper training beforehand. Risky and dangerous is one thing, being completely in the dark on such an incredible mission is totally different. Not a fair comparison in my view. I found how they handled the team and mission completely illogical and offensive. I like what someone else had to say in the main thread:

"The fact that the team assembled on a trillion dollar intergalactic space mission act like hired mercenaries. They are not going to Isla Sorna (Jurassic Park) in the French Polynesia, but going to a potentially suicidal mission on an alien planet light years away. Immediately after they get woken up from cryostasis, one of the scientists tries to INTRODUCE himself to the guy with the mohawk and tattoos. The mohawk guy (Fillmore??) rebuffs the attempt at civility saying "I am not here to make friends"!! Lolwut??? Are we to believe that the team members on this trillion dollar mission were not introduced to each other, nor worked together in training before going on a space mission? Is it human nature to throw a bunch of hoons that might not work together as a team, minimizing the chances of success of the mission?

Then there is the stupidity of the team repeatedly taking off their helmets inside the cave, even after seeing the super-protohumans running scared clueless from something. Now we are to believe "scientists" would just take off their helmets and risk breathing in potentially lethal microbes just because the air had enough oxygen?

Again there is the scene where the lost guys come across the snake-like alien creatures in the chamber, and Fillmore(?) leans in trying to pet the snake-like alien creature that was clearly hissing at him? Is this normal human behavior from someone who was clearly shaken enough to want to abandon the cave-mission to return to the safety of the ship? Despite the fact that he and his buddy just witnessed the holograms of the big and powerful alien-humans running like scared chickens from something, and after seeing a huge pile of these alien-humans with burst-open chest cavities a couple of steps away from the chamber?

This is as far from human behavior, especially from someone who were clearly spooked to the extent they were running back to the ship abandoning their mission".

My local IMAX was bright and beautiful, and the only theater I care to visit. I'm just in the minority that thought the 3d wasn't all that.

I enjoyed the film. I can see a directors cut filling in a lot of what i felt might've been missing especially in character development.

I thought the 3d was great overall. I feel popout is overrated in general. This will be an excellent title to translate into home 3D viewing and i look forward to it!

I just read today on AICN that the 3D BluRay will indeed include 20 minutes of additional footage supervised by Ridley Scott. It'll be interesting to see what he includes and if it addresses any of the complaints people had about the film. While he's at it, he may also want to revisit that scene with Fifield and Milburn....

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/56336

Yeah well I am inclined to agree with you on some of these points. They did have scanners mapping the surrounding so we can assume any microbes would have been picked up and their instrumemtation told them the air was breathable. I think they can be forgiven for taking off their helmets, allowing for the technology at their disposal.

But more often than not people do behave stupidly in movies, allowing their curiosity to override their sense of self preservation with inevitable results. If we are going to critisise movies where characters behave stupidly, it would be a VERY long list!
Edited by cbcdesign - 6/12/12 at 3:45am

I take it that you always sit upright at attention and never slouch or move in your chair? And of course, you've never attended a movie with a Significant Other who likes to rest his/her head on your shoulder.

Ha, so true..I definitely can't argue against that!

Interview with an IMAX chief projectionist/certified IMAX technician.
http://www.kxan.com/dpp/entertainment/IMAX-projectionist-one-of-a-rare-breed

I saw Prometheus Sunday morning at an Imax. It was the first time I noticed cross talk at a 3d movie. I've seen other 3d presentation in the exact theater so I figure it may have had more to do with where/how I was sitting, bulb life, etc. It wasn't that bad and only occasionally noticeable. I have noticed that both realD 3d viewing I've seen where underwhelming. One was Wrath of the Titans which had a bit of depth, but not a lot (post convert?). The other was Pirates of the Caribbean 4. I was very disappointed withe Pirates 4 in 3d, but on a whim I bought the 3d blu-ray and found it outstanding at home. It was only a notch below Alice in Wonderland (post convert, but mostly CG effects so almost native 3d) and the last Resident Evil. The only movie I liked in 3d better at theaters then at home was Avatar and I don't have the 3d blu ray so I can't compare. I enjoyed the 3d home presentation of the last Underworld more then the Imax showing.

Anyway, I enjoyed Prometheus. Some of the writing was weak in parts, but forgivable (except not running sideways). I watch Alien a few hours after Prometheus.

1) It is still good but it does lose something over time.

2) The characters do stupid things. The captain ignoring protocol being the most obvious. Charlize damn sure new better in Prometheus. The execution of the cat fight outside the infirmary in Alien had me shaking my head.

3) The alien in Alien seemed very human like in some of its actions.

4) There were only 3 characters I cared for in Alien. Ripley and the two mechanics. The others were either stupid or just fodder to me. The science officer was well done though, and was a character you weren't supposed to care for.

I agree Prometheus could have been better, but just about all the complaints to me were forgivable.

I very much enjoyed that. Thanks.

His theory seems to hold up. Especially where he is quoting Ridley directly.

I slouch, I shift my weight to one armrest or both, but I don't tilt my head- especially not in 3D. Not because of crosstalk, but because it would muck up the vertical alignment, which can lead to discomfort.

It's unfortunate for the hundreds of wives who tilt their heads in an IMAX 3D show, but it's not really valid for the millions who keep their heads straight.

Yeah theaters don't maintain their equipment. Far too often some flaw on the screen distracts me, like a dark spot or just a dark image overall.

I'm going to start complaining to the management, because tickets are expensive and we deserve no less than a flawless presentation.

For those who dislike post converted 3D, I was amused that Michael Fassbender's robotic David was watching "Lawrence of Arabia" in 3D on the ship. And it appered to be an excellent conversion! I guess 2D to 3D conversion improves in the future.

Overall I thought this was possibly the best native 3D film since Hugo. I saw it in realD and felt the number of visual layers and roundness of faces and objects did put even the best conversion to shame, although I must admit I enjoy a good conversion. Maybe 3D will get a "second wind" with these better concieved 3D films out lately.

Not to get off topic, but I don't understand this statement. How could you determine that you don't like it as much at home, when you don't have it to view at home?

Better wording was needed.

Every movie that I have seen in 3d in theaters I also own at home with the exception of two movies. The presentations at home on my 3d blu rays was always better than at the theater. The two 3d blu rays I don't have to compare to theater presentations are not available to purchase. One is Wrath of the Titans. It was ok as far as popcorn flicks go and I probably won't buy it. The other is Avatar which I will buy once they decide they want my money.

Avatar is very good at home, every bit as good as the theatre presentation in my opinion. I am lucky enough to have the 3D Avatar Blu-Ray from Panasonic!

I also own the 3D BluRay and I'll go so far as to say the presentation was way better for me at home on my 63" plasma than at the 3D Imax presentation. On the Imax screen, the image was soft, the colors washed out and the 3D effect was very flat other than maybe a handful of scenes. At home the colors were vibrant, the image razor sharp, the sense of depth constant throughout and sitting at a distance of 7 feet from my 63" screen I was every bit as immersed in the experience.

I saw Avatar in three random 3D theaters, and it looked 3D every time. Not that it needed to be said.

Has anyone noticed crosstalk in this movie? I did and it was the first time I've seen crosstalk in theater but mostly in dark scenes.

Yeah, I saw it half a dozen times or so, nothing major. There's a little crosstalk in pretty much every movie*. Some movies have more than others due to the story. For instance, scenes involving bright objects in a dark environment, like the holograms in the dark caves in Prometheus, increases the likelihood of crosstalk. There are a couple things you can do but they compromise the quality of the 3D- like reducing the intensity of the 3D or reducing the contrast.

*Unless you own a DLP active shutter display or a head mounted display.

Prometheus, are you seeing this!?

I saw Prometheus in digital IMAX 3D today. (The IMAX cut has a more vertical 2.0:1 aspect ratio, so I definitely recommend upgrading over RealD if that's an option.) It was absolutely the best theater experience I've had since Avatar. The futuristic visuals and the musical score are outstanding. The story leaves a lot of questions and plot holes to be interpreted and discussed by the viewers. I love movies like this that make you want to research symbolism and theorize about character motivations and overall message. (Read this essay AFTER you see the film.) It is a very stylish sci-fi horror prequel that ties in well with Alien and makes you think about creation, life, death, religion, and science.

The 3D is very good. Scenes are usually layered with back-,mid-, and foreground objects. Thankfully, the director never employs the 2D conventions of overusing depth of focus and over-the-shoulder conversation cams. Negative parallax objects are usually present, and pop-out is extended in a subtle, non-gimmicky manner to intensify certain scenes. The depth script didn't sabotage non-action moments.

The 3D reminded me most of Avatar's, but it doesn't maintain stereoscopic roundness nearly as well. There are many scenes where the interaxial distance between the cameras needed to be increased a little bit to achieve realistic volumetric dimensions. There are other shining moments, however, where depth is nice and strong. These included holograms, cockpits, rock formations, and dirtstorms.

Prometheus is one of the rare live-action movies filmed with 3D cameras that actually has a clever story and good 3D. I am excited at the prospect of owning the BD3D in October. Here's hoping they give us a full director's cut in 3D with the IMAX aspect ratio!

Movie - 5/5
Stereography - 4.5/5
Depth - 4/5
Pop-out - 3.5/5
Dimensionality - 4.5/5

Yeah, I'm finding that moons in a dark sky are major culprits for ghosting. (Hugo, Prometheus, Despicable Me, probably others)
Edited by BleedOrange11 - 6/18/12 at 12:44am

Shrek had this as well.

3d and dark scenes generally don't go together. A Christmas Carol had a lot of dark scenes and I didn't enjoy watching it in 3d that much. The new Underworld is often dark but doesn't have this problem.

Saw this at the Burbank 16 IMAX. One of the best cinema experiences I've had in awhile. For 2K it looked stunning!

question here for those with knowledge about digital 3d cinema projection.. went to see it again last weekend at the same digital imax 3d theater i saw it in 2 weeks ago. amc saratoga.

whereas i was blown away with the f/x on my original viewing, best use of 3d since avatar, this time i was disappointed. the film seemed too dark, the 3d didn't pop. and it almost looked out of focus.

i kept cleaning my 3d glasses to no avail, and after the movie examined them for scratches or blemishes and found none. my 15 year old said the same thing, that is seemed
fuzzy and didn't really look like anything special. he thought i was crazy for comparing the 3d to avatar.

it seemed to be more of a problem viewing from the left eye than the right. the left side of the image was not sharp and did not have a
good 3d image. it wasn't much better than a 2d theater.

after reading problems with the inconsistency of 3d presentations in theaters, i suppose it could have been the bulb, crosstalk somehow appearing on the 2nd viewing but not on the first,
or any of those dozens of problems listed in that article link about 3d projection.

it does really bother me that we paid almost $20 a ticket for a unsatisfactory viewing experience.

it was bad enough that i tried to find a manager to complain but of course
none was found.