I'm going to use deleted scenes here, because some of it wasn't so much bad writing, as bad decisions in editing.
Here I go into the fray!
Just watched the movie for (just) the second time last night, and while I enjoyed it a lot and got caught up in a lot of the excitement and visuals, most of the things that bothered me the first time around still bothered me a lot the second time.
Off the top of my head:
- David being able to see Shaw's (and presumably everybody else's "dreams"). How convenient. Just so you can get some heavy handed exposition on your main character... You just couldn't do it in some intense emotional conversation between Shaw and some other character, could you? No no, let's go with some amazing technology that has absolutely no other discernible function throughout the movie, let's go with exposition. My opinion? Terrible writing.
It was the only way David could communicate with Weyland. They had a lot more scenes planned with it. David ended up talking to a younger Weyland on his super yacht in his dreams, which gave him a good two years worth of pleasant dreams before he dies.
- Holloway. His first speech pretty much sets him up as a very unlikable character IMO. He just seems so smug and full of himself I wanted to punch him in the face. His further actions and condescending tone towards David make him look like a ******. He never even seemed to get David's irony and sarcasm. And this is supposed to be a brilliant scientist? Again, just too full of himself. I couldn't relate to the character at all. Even Fifield was more interesting/likeable. Holloway's self-sacrifice also seemed utterly rushed and hollow. "Hey, I'm infected with some weird bugs, but what the hell, I'm not going to tell anyone, go out on a dangerous mission and when I start feeling sick I'm going to let that crazy woman burn me to death!" What? That's got bad writing err... well, written all over it.
He wasn't supposed to be likable. He was supposed to be a jackass. You can write unlikable characters. You were supposed to understand his anger, but not agree with it.
The whole "Im sick, but I won't tell anyone" thing isn't bad writing, it's a character trait. He's arrogant, and not too bright. He plays everything off, and doesn't take much seriously. He may have good intentions, but he's not that intelligent. So, unless anyone tells me different, he was purposefully dumb written character.
- As Prometheus arrives at LV223, they just blast right down! No survey? No exploration from orbit? They just zoom down into a planet to see if they can find anything? Are you kidding me? That's just dumb. Surely you could've spent a minute or two to set up that they identified "structures" and then go down. As it is, it just seems so "convenient". Again, poor writing IMO.
Because Holloway, one of the two leaders on this expedtion, said **** it, lets go. Because he's a impatient ass.
- Fifield and the biologist getting lost. Really? Maybe I missed something, if so, please explain it to me. It's just really dumb, especially because they are being monitored the entire time from Prometheus. All they had to do was say "hey guys, which is the way out?". Actually, go back a few scenes. How in the hell did they get left behind? Prometheus could've easily told the team that two were still inside. At least it wouldn't be a surprise to them when they are not in the rover.
They didn't have the map, and by the time they realized they were lost, the storm had already passed over the pyramid. It was ****ing with the video monitors. And also, they couldn't do come get them anyway.
Everything was dead in there, so they just said whatever, and didn't care. I mean, what did they have to worry about? No one knew about the goo, or anything. It was a dead tomb.
- The biologist's reaction to the hammerpede. It din't strike me as stupid as the first time, but it's still irritatingly silly.
It is. There's a deleted scene showing him doing the same thing to another worm like creature. But whatever. He got what he deserved. Dumb character action.
- Shaw's c-section and amazing recovery. Again, it didn't leave me slack-jawed in disbelief this time around, I kinda bought it more, but it's still a bit of a stretch.
Lots of drugs into your body and SPACE STAPLES.
- Janek's amazing deductive skills. This dude is even better than Auguste Dupin, Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot put together! Was it too much to ask for a small scene to explain how he might have come to such an astonishing conclusion?
'
The deleted scene made his conclusion have weight, and meaning. He told Vickers he used to work at a military biological research outpost, and one day the chemical got out, and everyone died. He said it seemed like the same sort of situation happened there. Bad decision in editing. It also gave Vickers more character.
- Janek's (and his pilots') sacrifice. Ok, I can buy Janek (provided I buy that he discovered the Engineers were set upon destroying earth, which is a bit iffy...). But the other two guys? Why the hell would they willingly accept Janek's decision without any serious explanation? At the very least I'd expect any normal human being to try and take his chances on the lifeboat. But to just say "sure, let's ram the alien ship and kill ourselves on a hunch that it might be headed to earth to wipe it off". No way. That is just not bad, but terrible writing.
Add that deleted scene, and you have more weight. But the other two probably have been flying with him for years. They would rather all go down saving the world, then letting their friend die alone. And probably because there was little hope of getting off the ship anyway.
- Shaw and Vickers' amazing straight-line running. Didn't piss me off so much this time, but only because I had rationalized it already, and had accepted that Vickers died. Thing is, if everybody goes WTF in reaction to a scene, you know there's something wrong with it. You can spin it as much as you want, it just doesn't work too well.
No it doesn't. I'm not sure why they had to kill Vickers off that way. I could say fear and stuff...but eh. It's not clear, and not a good death.
I think those are the most salient points. I enjoy the movie, it's just that I find such bad writing pretty much inexcusable. Most of those things weren't that complicated to write well IMO.
I think some of your points have merit. But like I said, it's more of the deleted scenes should've been kept in...and silly characters.
I mean, people love the Walking Dead, even though that show has some of the dumbest characters i've seen on TV. People can be dumb. Even scientists.
