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June Movies: Prometheus, Brave, Madagascar 3, and.....


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Saw Prometheus over the weekend, and loved it! Not sure what all the fuss is about regarding plot holes. Everything made sense to me. But then again, Im a pretty big LOST/Lindelof fan as well.

 

Something very interesting I read regarding

why the Engineers were going to wipe us out:

 

Movies.com: We had heard it was scripted that the Engineers were targeting our planet for destruction because we had crucified one of their representatives, and that Jesus Christ might have been an alien. Was that ever considered?

 

Ridley Scott: We definitely did, and then we thought it was a little too on the nose. But if you look at it as an “our children are misbehaving down there” scenario, there are moments where it looks like we’ve gone out of control, running around with armor and skirts, which of course would be the Roman Empire. And they were given a long run. A thousand years before their disintegration actually started to happen. And you can say, “Let’s send down one more of our emissaries to see if he can stop it.” Guess what? They crucified him.

 

 

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Saw Prometheus over the weekend, and loved it! Not sure what all the fuss is about regarding plot holes. Everything made sense to me. But then again, Im a pretty big LOST/Lindelof fan as well.

 

Something very interesting I read regarding

why the Engineers were going to wipe us out:

 

Movies.com: We had heard it was scripted that the Engineers were targeting our planet for destruction because we had crucified one of their representatives, and that Jesus Christ might have been an alien. Was that ever considered?

 

Ridley Scott: We definitely did, and then we thought it was a little too on the nose. But if you look at it as an “our children are misbehaving down there” scenario, there are moments where it looks like we’ve gone out of control, running around with armor and skirts, which of course would be the Roman Empire. And they were given a long run. A thousand years before their disintegration actually started to happen. And you can say, “Let’s send down one more of our emissaries to see if he can stop it.” Guess what? They crucified him.

 

 

 

That's pretty interesting. It would also explain how Dr. Shaw's totemic crucifix worked into the symbolism.

 

My issue wasn't necessarily plot holes as much as how the script seemed to abandon its philosophical nature in the 2nd Act. For example, the remaining Engineer is a being from a race that mastered intergalactic travel 5,000 years before us...and yet his role in the movie is essentially bashing people's brains in like a gorilla.

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Since people have now thrown out enough spoiler material on Prometheus, here are my two big problems with it:

 

1.) If Peter Weyland has enough resources to mount an expedition to the Engineer planet, why does he hire the most inept crew ever assembled? Did he have someone drive down to the bario and ask if anyone wanted day work? "Ah, look at the cute alien snake-like thing. I've got to pet it." LOL...

 

2.) If the Engineers truely were on their way to Earth with the intent to wipe out life, why use such a lame ass weapon--stockpiles of alien spawn that needs to incubate inside a living host?? Who's bright idea was that?? Why not just blow up the planet and be done with it.

 

$100 million+ visuals with a buck ninety-five script, IMO...

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Since people have now thrown out enough spoiler material on Prometheus, here are my two big problems with it:

 

1.) If Peter Weyland has enough resources to mount an expedition to the Engineer planet, why does he hire the most inept crew ever assembled? Did he have someone drive down to the bario and ask if anyone wanted day work? "Ah, look at the cute alien snake-like thing. I've got to pet it." LOL...

 

2.) If the Engineers truely were on their way to Earth with the intent to wipe out life, why use such a lame ass weapon--stockpiles of alien spawn that needs to incubate inside a living host?? Who's bright idea was that?? Why not just blow up the planet and be done with it.

 

$100 million+ visuals with a buck ninety-five script, IMO...

 

For question 1, the answer is: If he hired a competent crew, then there wouldnt have been anyone to die first in the movie! :nana:

 

In question 2, you question the backbone of the entire Alien franchise. The Xenomorphs were the Engineers' tool used to wipe out life on a planet. They dont blow up the planet because they want to re-use it and re-seed it. Kind of like a reboot. So they send in the ultimate killers to wipeout all life. Jumping over to the "Alien VS Predator" universe, the Engineers sent the Xenomorphs in to wipe out the Predators, but some Predators survived and evolved into the highly trained killers we saw in their movies.

 

IMO, the details of the script didnt have to be perfect because the concept was strong enough, "Where do Humans come from?". And when you are dealing with concepts such as religion, our creators, and why we are here... no few lines of conversation will ever do it justice and encompass everything. Instead, the writers need to lay out the concepts and let us do some thinking for ourselves.

 

Much like LOST, I didnt need to be spoon fed the meaning behind every detail. IMO, the fun part is filling in those blanks, and the discussions that go along with doing so.

Edited by DrDareustein
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For question 1, the answer is: If he hired a competent crew, then there wouldnt have been anyone to die first in the movie! :nana:

 

In question 2, you question the backbone of the entire Alien franchise. The Xenomorphs were the Engineers' tool used to wipe out life on a planet. They dont blow up the planet because they want to re-use it and re-seed it. Kind of like a reboot. So they send in the ultimate killers to wipeout all life. Jumping over to the "Alien VS Predator" universe, the Engineers sent the Xenomorphs in to wipe out the Predators, but some Predators survived and evolved into the highly trained killers we saw in their movies.

 

IMO, the details of the script didnt have to be perfect because the concept was strong enough, "Where do Humans come from?". And when you are dealing with concepts such as religion, our creators, and why we are here... no few lines of conversation will ever do it justice and encompass everything. Instead, the writers need to lay out the concepts and let us do some thinking for ourselves.

 

Much like LOST, I didnt need to be spoon fed the meaning behind every detail. IMO, the fun part is filling in those blanks, and the discussions that go along with doing so.

 

Then I guess, Point 2 calls Point 1 into question. If this is truly a movie that can survive on its own concepts, why fall back on old-school terror elements like incompetent secondary characters dying off one by one? Not every big budget movie requires an ensemble cast, in my opinion, especially when they're so obviously just lambs being led to slaughter for our amusement.

 

And of course you have the black guy sacrificing himself...Trey and Matt would be proud :P

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Then I guess, Point 2 calls Point 1 into question. If this is truly a movie that can survive on its own concepts, why fall back on old-school terror elements like incompetent secondary characters dying off one by one? Not every big budget movie requires an ensemble cast, in my opinion, especially when they're so obviously just lambs being led to slaughter for our amusement.

 

And of course you have the black guy sacrificing himself...Trey and Matt would be proud :P

 

I dunno, because it's easy? I guess if you are making a movie about aliens attacking/killing their human visitors, someone is going to have to die somehow sooner or later. And it's usually the stupid ones that make the bad decisions that go first! B-)

 

This isnt a groundbreaking, landmark display of movie-making. It's just a really good scifi flick. They arent going to reinvent the wheel.

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Much like LOST, I didnt need to be spoon fed the meaning behind every detail. IMO, the fun part is filling in those blanks, and the discussions that go along with doing so.

I thought he concept was terrific as well. It was just the questionable plot (i.e., horror) elements that muddled it for me. A much better script could have made this thing the 2001 (or even Alien) of its generation.

 

Oh, and if the Xenomorphs were the best idea the Engineers could come up with as a de-population tool, maybe they should have been looking over their own shoulders to see if any of their creators were reconsidering their options...

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Here are this month's Independent Films.

 

From director Woody Allen comes "To Rome With Love". The story of a number of people in Italy and the romances and adventures and predicaments they get into. Starring Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penelope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig & Ellen Page.

 

In "People Like Us", A man is tasked with delivering $150,000 of his deceased father's fortune to the sister he has never met. Starring Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Jon Favreau & Michelle Pfeiffer.

 

From director Todd Solondz comes "Dark Horse". The story of a thirtysomething man in arrested development who lives with his parents, reluctantly works for his father and avidly collects toys. He seeks out a thirtysomething woman in arrested development in an attempt to shed the "dark horse" status in his family and finally accomplish something. Starring Christopher Walken, Mia Farrow, Jordan Gelber & Selma Blair.

 

Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Sarah Silverman & Luke Kirby star in "Take This Waltz". 28-year-old Margot lives in Toronto with her husband Lou, but when she meets Daniel, there is an immediate connection between them. Directed by Sarah Polley.

 

Adrien Brody, Michael Chiklis, Matt Bush & Colin Hanks star in "High School", A high school valedictorian who gets baked with the local stoner finds himself the subject of a drug test. The situation causes him to concoct an ambitious plan to get his entire graduating class to face the same fate, and fail.

 

Mark Duplass, Emily Blunt & Rosemarie DeWitt star in "Your Sister's Sister". Iris invites her friend Jack to stay at her family's island getaway after the death of his brother. At their remote cabin, Jack's drunken encounter with Hannah, Iris' sister, kicks off a revealing stretch of days.

 

Ethan Hawke & Kristen Scott Thomas star in "The Woman in the Fifth". A college lecturer flees to Paris after a scandal costs him his job. In the City of Light, he meets a widow who might be involved in a series of murders.

 

Robert Pattinson stars in "Bel Ami". Biopic about 19th Century French writer Guy de Maupassant, a young man who scandalously slept his way to the top of Paris' high society in the 1890's with some of the city's most influential women. Also starring Uma Thurman, Kristen Scott Thomas & Christina Ricci.

 

Martin Sheen stars in "Stella Days". A small town cinema in rural Ireland becomes the setting for a dramatic struggle between faith and passion, Rome and Hollywood and a man and his conscience.

 

In "30 Beats", A summer heat wave and a series of sexual encounters connect a group of New Yorkers. Starring Jennifer Tilly, Lee Pace, Paz De La Huerta & Justin Kirk.

 

Jane Fonda & Catherine Keener star in "Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding". An uptight NYC lawyer takes her two teenagers to her hippie mother's farmhouse upstate for a family vacation. Also starring Elizabeth Olson, Chace Crawford & Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

 

Greta Gerwig stars in "Lola Versus", Dumped by her boyfriend just three weeks before their wedding, Lola enlists her close friends for a series of adventures she hopes will help her come to terms with approaching 30 as a single woman.

 

In "The Tortured", An upper-middle-class couple's life is destroyed when their only child is kidnapped and killed. Obsessed with revenge, the couple seizes an opportunity to kidnap the killer. Starring Erika Christensen, Jesse Metcalfe & Bill Moseley.

 

In "6 Month Rule", A womanizer teaches his clueless friend the rules about being single and avoiding emotional attachment. Starring Blayne Weaver, Martin Starr & Natalie Morales.

 

In "Apartment 143", A team of parapsychologists try to figure out a strange phenomenon occurring in an apartment building. Starring Kai Lennox, Gia Mantegna and Michael O'Keefe.

 

In "Cellmates", Worlds collide when hardened Ku Klux Klansman Leroy Lowe (Tom Sizemore) and Mexican field laborer Emilio (Hector Jimenez) are forced to share a prison cell. Starring Tom Sizemore, Hector Jimenez, & Stacy Keach.

 

In "Piranha 3DD", The prehistoric man-eating piranhas travel through plumping and pipes and into a newly opened water park called "The Big Wet Water Park". Starring Danielle Panabaker, Matt Bush, David Hasselhoff & Christopher Lloyd.

 

In "The Loved Ones", Lola Stone asked Brent Mitchell to the prom, but Brent said no, and now he's screwed. What happens when Lola doesn't get what she wants? Starring Robin McLeavy & Xavier Samuel.

 

In "Safety Not Guaranteed", Three magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified ad seeking a companion for time travel. Starring Aubrey Plaza, Jake M. Johnson & Karan Soni.

 

In "Beasts of the Southern Wild", Faced with her father's fading health and environmental changes that release an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy leaves her Delta-community home in search of her mother. Starring Quvenzhane Wallis, Dwight Henry & Levy Easterly.

 

Several documentaries are released this month:

 

In "5 Broken Cameras", A documentary on a Palestinian farmer's chronicle of his nonviolent resistance to the actions of the Israeli army.

 

In "Wish Me Away", After a lifetime of hiding, Chely Wright becomes the first commercial country music singer to come out as gay, shattering cultural stereotypes within Nashville, per conservative heartland family and, most importantly, within herself.

 

In "Pink Ribbons, Inc.", Breast cancer has become the poster child of corporate cause-related marketing campaigns. Countless women and men walk, bike, climb and shop for the cure. Each year, millions of dollars are raised in the name of breast cancer, but where does this money go and what does it actually achieve?

 

In "Kumare", A documentary about a man who impersonates a wise Indian Guru and builds a following in Arizona. At the height of his popularity, the Guru Kumaré must reveal his true identity to his disciples and unveil his greatest teaching of all.

 

In "Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap", Ice-T travels coast to coast, visiting with the likes of Afrika Bambaata, Grandmaster Flash, Nas, Mos Def, Eminem, Chuck D, Run-DMC, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg to trace the inspiration for an American art form, hip-hop.

 

"The Invisible War" is an investigative documentary about the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the US military.

 

Finally in "Neil Young Journeys", This past May, Neil Young brought his solo tour to Toronto's Massey Hall, an iconic venue in the city of his birth.

 

Calendar with trailers. Note: These dates are for Exclusive or Limited release. These movies may appear in your area at a later date.

 

6/1

"30 Beats": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1505993241/

 

"5 Broken Cameras": http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2617811481/

 

"6 Month Rule": http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1964942105/

 

"Apartment 143": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1157210137/

 

"Cellmates": http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi3165036825/

 

"Wish Me Away": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3502350873/

 

"High School": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1597481753/

 

"Pink Ribbons, Inc.": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2814485017/

 

"Piranha 3DD": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1902617369/

 

"The Loved Ones": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3477840665/

 

6/8

"Bel Ami": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1555342105/

 

"Dark Horse": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi516268569/

 

"Lola Versus": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2340594457/

 

"Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3109659417/

 

"Safety Not Guaranteed": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2693636121/

 

6/15

"Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3138560793/

 

"The Tortured": http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2334237209/

 

"The Woman In the Fifth": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2166202905/

 

"Your Sister's Sister": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3810304793/

 

6/20

"Kumare": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1843241497/

 

6/22

"Stella Days": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3474891289/

 

"The Invisible War": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3355550233/

 

"To Rome With Love": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3170738201/

 

6/27

"Beasts of the Southern Wild": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi877306649/

 

6/29

"Neil Young Journeys": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3988234777/

 

"People Like Us": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1072734233/

 

"Take This Waltz": http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1654694681/

 

That's all for now. I'll have the July Movies up soon. Until then, Enjoy!!!

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Saw Prometheus thought it was very good but not great. I think that it did a good job of not spelling everything out for you but it also did leave a lot of unanswered questions in a bad way too. Very good flick just needed to answer some more questions than it did.

 

It also had a ton of plot holes as well. Although its ambiguous nature helped hide that there was still a ton of what why the !@#$ did that happen or why did he do that type stuff in there.

Edited by billsfan89
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Saw "Brave" this weekend. Overall a good movie. As always the animation is superb.

 

The story has it's share of laughs and lessons. Still there is something missing from this movie that prevents it from being great.

 

IMO, it's better than last year's "Cars 2", but nowhere near the level of recent films like "Wall-E", "Up", & "Toy Story 3".

 

Let's see how Disney/Pixar does with "Monsters University" next year.

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Saw Prometheus thought it was very good but not great. I think that it did a good job of not spelling everything out for you but it also did leave a lot of unanswered questions in a bad way too. Very good flick just needed to answer some more questions than it did.

 

It also had a ton of plot holes as well. Although its ambiguous nature helped hide that there was still a ton of what why the !@#$ did that happen or why did he do that type stuff in there.

Alien at the beginning was good from earths perspective, bad from the aliens. He was trying to do thing to help and enlighten the creatures he found on earth. The aliens on the ship disapproved and assassinated him. But by doing so allowed his "good" DNA to mix with earth creatures. Now that we've reached a certain level of technology sophistication (ours was not much behind theirs by time we reached that planet) they feel threatened and want to come back and destroy us.

 

Remember this is a retelling of the Greek tragedy of the same name, in a sci fi setting. He was kicked off of mount Olympus for giving fire and other knowledge to humans. Zeus condemned him to perpetual torture, the aliens just blew their Prometheus up.

 

Question is what will they find when they go to their planet of origin? Look to the original Greek tragedy again for guidance ...

Edited by Joe_the_6_pack
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Here are this month's Independent Films.

 

 

 

Thanks Mark!!!

 

You have gone way and beyond this time!!

 

I saw the trailer of "People Like Us"

when I saw "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel".

 

It's my kind of movie except for one thing.

As a bank teller,it won't be much fun

seeing all that money while watching the

movie!!!

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Looks like I had the same problem with Prometheus as a lot of other people. Beautiful looking film, but unfortunately massive plot holes and character motivations that made little to no sense. It felt like the script was a few drafts away from being done. Some of my issues (SPOILERS):

 

David and Vickers were set up as ersatz brother and sister, but that implied conflict was abandoned soon as it was acknowledged.

 

Dr. Holloway(?) throwing a drunken temper tantrum after not immediately getting all the answers he wanted. You've traveled for two years and millions of miles...maybe give it a couple days before you call the whole trip a failure. Also the line "I'm here for money not to make friends" from the geologist. Are these things mutually exclusive? Also why is the whole crew so dismissive of the mission. You've traveled for two years and millions of miles, is that not impressive enough of a feat to keep an open mind for a little bit? You're all scientists for tit's sake, not a high school basketball team. It's all just conflict for that sake of conflict/terrible character development.

 

Why was Holloway poisoned by David?

 

Everything about the pregnancy.

 

So the engineers want to kill all of us...so going to their home planet for an explanation will accomplish what now? Because I'm thinking the land of murderous giants may be a place to avoid. Although I realize that makes for an unexciting sequel.

 

the two guys who freaked out over everything try to make friends with the space cobra? Seems like coming across alien wildlife might be more unnerving than seeing an engineer corpse.

 

So there's a lot of alien life out there that can turn humans into monsters. How do you suppose something like that evolves?

 

So was that a xenomorph at the end? Is that how they are made? A human lady gets impregnated by alien monster semen, gives birth to a squid monster, which plants itself in an engineer....I'm already confused. Good thing none of it was fleshed out. Embrace the mystery I guess.

 

That engineer really rebounded from his ship crashing. And Shaw running around immediately after having her stomach muscle cut open? And Shaw running into a crowded room nearly naked and covered with blood and no one finds that surprising? Also if I left a baby squid monster in someone's quarters I may say something to someone. But maybe that's just how I was raised.

 

I'm sure there's more, I just don't want to think about it anymore. But you get the point. Plot holes and character motivations that are seriously divorced from reality. If I handed that script into one of my screenwriting classes I probably would have gotten a C.

 

Now I realize spending most of my adult life in film school has made me overly critical of movies, but this time I don't think it's me. I re-watched Alien before I saw Prometheus and was blown away. Alien is structured beautifully. Everything builds logically and organically. Prometheus just seemed to have stuff happen because it was time for another plot turn. Ultimately a horrible disappointment. Drag since I had really been looking forward to seeing it. Ah well, Spiderman next week Batman a couple after that Moonrise Kingdom is finally out. Plenty of good films left.

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I'm trying not to read the parts you guys identify as spoilers, but I do have a question:

 

When you guys talk about plot holes, are these the sort of plot holes that fall into the category of "things that could be addressed in a future sequel/prequel", or are they aspects of the plot that just make no sense at all? Please answer in general terms for those - like me - who haven't seen the film yet.

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I'm trying not to read the parts you guys identify as spoilers, but I do have a question:

 

When you guys talk about plot holes, are these the sort of plot holes that fall into the category of "things that could be addressed in a future sequel/prequel", or are they aspects of the plot that just make no sense at all? Please answer in general terms for those - like me - who haven't seen the film yet.

 

I'd say the plot holes generally make no sense at all. Major actions in the film do not get fleshed out at all. Things happen because the plot needs something to happen, but these plot moves come out of nowhere and are anchored neither to actual human logic or the logic of the film.

 

The film is really beautiful looking, which alone makes it worth seeing. However I would suggest waiting for the $1 theater or dvd. The movie is so frustrating if you ended up dropping $15 on it you'd probably end up punching a car.

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I'd say the plot holes generally make no sense at all. Major actions in the film do not get fleshed out at all. Things happen because the plot needs something to happen, but these plot moves come out of nowhere and are anchored neither to actual human logic or the logic of the film.

 

The film is really beautiful looking, which alone makes it worth seeing. However I would suggest waiting for the $1 theater or dvd. The movie is so frustrating if you ended up dropping $15 on it you'd probably end up punching a car.

 

I can't even tell you how disappointed I am to hear that, especially given that Ridley Scott is involved. There are an awful lot of people who seem to echo your comments, so I think I may take that advice and wait to watch it on Vudu or bluray in a few months.

 

I don't have to ask about M.Fassbender, cause he gives a great performance in every role, but how did Charlize do? Seems like the few clips I've seen of her she seems to be overacting a little. Was she the right choice for the female lead?

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SPOILER ALERT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I agree with your plot holes, Astro. One of my first problems was all those scientists agreeing to be frozen for 2 years and travel millions of miles away, without any idea why. Did they just answer a posting on Peterslist? I understand why they did it like that, but it still didn't sit right with me.

 

I also don't know how this fits-in with "Alien," since this is supposed to pre-date that movie.

 

As for the Engineer who dies in the beginning, I don't know how that will be explained. I assume he's the progenitor of humans, but there is an evolutionary history that got us to our present form, and the Engineers were theoretically perfect. Why the de-evolution?

 

As for Vickers and David, they're brother and sister of sorts. David is an android created by Peter Weyland and Vickers was his human daughter. No doubt David is everything Weyland wanted Vickers to be, and the source of the conflict.

 

Personally, I would have gone with the mad scientist laboratory gone wrong. The Engineers were creating all sorts of life and depositing it on various planets, checking on it and leaving clues where to find them in the pictograms, when they were advanced enough. But along the way, they created the aliens, who were too much for them, and they wiped the Engineers out. And when the crew of the Prometheus found the planet, wiped them out as well, along with the other creations. Doesn't leave room for a sequel, though.

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