When is an Alien movie not an Alien movie? When it’s a sci-fi movie, it seems.
In preparation for Prometheus I watched Alien, Alien3 and Alien: Resurrection during the week*. Truth is, I was never massively into the first two Alien films. I don’t have a problem with them per se, my hazily remembered impressions were positive… I just don’t care about them. I’d never seen the last two so now seemed as good a time as any to “get around to it”.
Read More**## COMPETITION CLOSED ##**
Universal Pictures Ireland have chosen to be especially kind to us here at average film reviews today… They’ve given us some extra special prizes to give away. Have a look at the picture below if you don’t believe me!
To celebrate the release of Snow White and the Huntsman on 30th May we have two of these generous prize packs just waiting to wing their way over to new owners.
The prize packs consist of…
* A sparkling apple shaped clutch bag
* An apple charm
* A t-shirt
* A Huntsman bag
… and you can see them at the bottom of this post.
To be in with a chance to get your hands on one of these great prize pack, just answer this simple question.
**## COMPETITION CLOSED ##**
Q. In Snow White and the Huntsman, who plays the role of the evil Queen Ravenna?
a) Charlize Theron
b) Tyra Banks
c) Cobie Smulders
For a hint, watch the trailer below.
To enter, e-mail your name, address, phone number and answer to competitions at averagefilmreviews dot com, with the subject line “Snow White Competition”.
Also, for an extra chance to win, visit our facebook page (facebook.com/averagefilmreviews) and like and share the competition post – it starts with the words ** SNOW WHITE COMPETITION ** 
**## COMPETITION CLOSED ##**
The closing date is Sunday 3rd June 2012 at 6pm. Please note, you must be resident in the Republic of Ireland to enter this competition and afr’s general competition terms and conditions apply.
You can also check out more Snow White and the Huntsman videos over on the dedicated clips and trailers post
It’s funny how things work in the world of cinema sometimes… Now Snow White is of course a popular tale for adaptation, but Snow White and the Huntsman is the second big studio version this year.
This version looks to be an altogether darker take on the story than Mirror Mirror, the Julia Robert’s family friendly affair we saw back in March. Of course, dark is just the way I like it but the biggest surprise about this is that Snow White and the Huntsman is the version from the “Producers of Alice in Wonderland” while Mirror Mirror was the one from Tarsem Singh, director of Immortals and The Cell… I guess everyone likes to try something different from time to time.
Just in case you didn’t know, Snow White is one of the many European fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm back in early 1800s. There are many variations but the best known version of the tale is probably the Disney one from 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
In the Disney version, Snow White is the step daughter of an evil Queen. Obessesed with being the most beautiful in the kingdom and jealous when she hears Snow White will surpass her, the Queen sends a huntsman out into the woods to kill Snow White and bring back her heart as proof. The huntsman however finds it impossible to kill her, he sends her away and brings back an animal heart in an attempt to fool the Queen. Meanwhile, Snow White meets a group of dwarves and hides in the forest. Eventually the Queen, through her magic mirror, discovers Snow White is still alive, poisons an apple and disguises herself as a hag in a plan to feed to apple to Snow White and send her into an endless slumber. The plan is successful but the dwarfs find out what the Queen has done, find her and, after a struggle, the Queen falls to her death. The dwarfs place Snow White in a glass coffin where she sleeps on until, one day, a Prince finds Snow White, kisses her and awakens her from her sleep… and everyone lives happily ever after.
I get the impression that Snow White and the Huntsman is going to be a little different from the Disney one. For starters it appears the Huntsman (played by Chris Hemsworth) has a bigger role. And somewhere along the way Snow White appears to be raising an army! I certainly have no problem with a bigger role for Hemsworth and I’m intrigued to see where they go with Snow White as a warrior Princess. I’m not gonna lie, I’m a bit worried that we’ve got Kristen Stewart as the lead… but who knows, she was alright in Welcome to the Rileys, maybe she’ll pull this one off…
… oh, and Charlize Theron looks fantastic. All things equal, I think this could be fun.
I guess all will be revealed on 30th May.
In the meantime I’ve assembled all the clips and trailers I could find. What do you think? Are you looking forward to this darker take on the traditional fairytale?
UPDATE
update: 16 May 2012 New video added – featurette: Snow White and the Huntsman On The Set: Beauty Evil
update: 21 May 2012 New videos added – featurette: Snow White and the Huntsman On The Set: Into the Sewer and featurette: Snow White and the Huntsman – Inside The Action
RELEASE DETAILS
release date: 30 May 2012
director: Rupert Sanders
writers: Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, Hossein Amini (screenplay)
cast: Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Ray Winstone, Toby Jones, Lily Cole
genre: fantasy drama
running time: 127 mins
Official website: Snow White and the Huntsman official website
Official Facebook page: facebook.com/SnowWhiteandtheHuntsman
Official Twitter page: @SnowWhite
Snow White and the Huntsman teaser trailer #1
Snow White and the Huntsman full theatrical trailer #1
Snow White and the Huntsman 60 second tv spot
featurette: Exclusive 5 minute first look at Snow White and the Huntsman
featurette: On The Set: Death in the Throne Room
featurette: Snow White and the Huntsman On The Set: Beauty Evil
featurette: Snow White and the Huntsman On The Set: Into the Sewer
featurette: Snow White and the Huntsman – A Look Inside The Story
featurette: Snow White and the Huntsman – Inside The Action
Snow White and the Huntsman teaser trailer #1
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Snow White and the Huntsman theatrical trailer #1
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Snow White and the Huntsman 60 second tv spot
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featurette: Exclusive 5 minute first look at Snow White and the Huntsman
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featurette: Snow White and the Huntsman On The Set: Death in the Throne Room
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featurette: Snow White and the Huntsman On The Set: Beauty Evil
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featurette: Snow White and the Huntsman On The Set: Into the Sewer
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featurette: Snow White and the Huntsman – A Look Inside The Story
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featurette: Snow White and the Huntsman – Inside the Action
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Last updated: 16 May 2012
Obviously enough, I watch a lot of movies…
And I enjoy a lot of films, every week generally there’s a something out that I want to see. But that doesn’t mean I think they’re going to be great films. Looking forward to a film like Battleship just means that I think that it has the potential to be a decent 2 hours of entertainment. The truth is that in any given year there’s only a handful of films I’m properly looking forward to. A handful that I think may have the potential to be great.
Prometheus is one of those films.
Sure, Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection may not be up there with some of the greatest genre films ever made… but Alien and Aliens are. The pedigree behind Prometheus cannot be denied. Coming back to that world, with the original director… well… this could be the stuff of dreams. Or nightmares, as it were.
Which is why I’m a little scared of Prometheus.
I am a sci-fi nerd. It’s true. I may seem to lean to horror but that’s just because it’s been so long since there’s been a dark, hard-edged sci-fi flick. I’m honestly starting to wonder if people have forgotten how to make them. Prometheus might be everything I’ve been looking for… or it might be a completely disaster. There’s more than a couple of warning signs to suggest that we could have a problem child on our hands.
Firstly, there’s the obvious problem with the fact that Ridley Scott’s output since 1979 has been somewhat patchy. That doesn’t mean Prometheus is going to suck… but ups the chances.
Secondly, you can’t have any kind of conversation about Prometheus without hearing the discontented rumblings over the fact that there’s a fair chance it’s going to be PG-13 rated. A PG-13 would mean that it’s unlikely the film will come close to capturing the horror of the previous films in the Alien universe.
Thirdly, there’s the writers. I’m neither here nor there on Lost’s Damon Lindelof. I never watched past the second season… because I was getting the impression that they had no idea where they were going and it would all in end in tears. Mainly from the audience. I guess I wasn’t entirely vindicated on that one, but it could hardly be called a resounding success either. Then there’s Jon Spaihts, who wrote the story for The Darkest Hour. A film notable for the fact that it appeared that there was a better story happening on the side streets of our protaganists journey. I am not filled with confidence.
By the way, I know I’ve talked about Alien a lot but this isn’t an Alien film, not a prequel, sequel or spin off. It’s just set in the same universe. Clues thus far have not shed light on how closely tied it will be to Alien series, if at all. That’s just a by the by, it makes no odds to me how close it is or not.
Despite all this, I’m hopeful. I have to be because, as I mentioned, this is one of the few chances for a truly great film this year… but also because I’m always hopeful. I always go into a film with an open mind. I always hope for the best. I want to believe.
… besides, it’s got a great cast.
UPDATES
update 17 Apr 12: New video added – viral video: Weyland Industries – “Happy Birthday David”
update 27 Apr 12: New behind the scene featurette added – featurette: Prometheus – The Adventure Begins
update 11 May 12: Two featurettes and 3 tv spots added. Unfortunately I don’t have the proper names of everything but here they are: tv spot #1, tv spot #2, tv spot #3, featurette: Origins and featurette: The Story
update 16 May 12: Running time and new clip and viral added – clip: Prometheus has landed and viral video: Weyland Industries – “Quiet Eye”
RELEASE DETAILS
release date: 01 June 12 (UK / IRL), 08 June 12 (US)
director: Ridley Scott
writers: Jon Spaihts, Damon Lindelof
cast: Guy Pearce, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Idris Elba
genre: sci-fi, horror, action
running time: 124 mins
Official Facebook pages:
facebook.com/PrometheusMovieIreland
facebook.com/PrometheusMovieUK
facebook.com/Prometheus
Official Twitter pages:
@PrometheusMovie
@UK_Prometheus
websites:
Official Prometheus website
Weyland Industries
Project Prometheus
tv spot: Prometheus #1
tv spot: Prometheus #2
tv spot: Prometheus #3 – Agenda
featurette: Prometheus – The Adventure Begins
featurette: Prometheus – Origins
featurette: Prometheus – The Story
Prometheus clip: Prometheus has landed
viral video: Weyland Industries – Peter Weyland’s TED 2023 speech
viral video: Weyland Industries – David 8 announcement – “Big Things Have Small Beginnings”
viral video: Weyland Industries – “Happy Birthday David”
viral video: Weyland Industries – “Quiet Eye”
Prometheus first trailer preview #1
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Prometheus first trailer preview #2
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Prometheus first trailer preview #3
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Prometheus trailer #1 (teaser)
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Prometheus second trailer teaser
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Prometheus trailer #2 – (full theatrical, US version)
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Prometheus trailer #2 (full theatrical, international version)
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tv spot: Prometheus #1
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tv spot: Prometheus #2
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tv spot: Prometheus #3 – Agenda
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featurette: Prometheus – The Adventure Begins
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featurette: Prometheus – Origins
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featurette: Prometheus – The Story
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Prometheus clip: Prometheus has landed
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Weyland Industries – Peter Weyland’s TED 2023 speech
See further information on this speech at the Weyland Industries website.
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Weyland Industries – David 8 announcement – “Big Things Have Small Beginnings”
See further information on the Weyland Industries website.
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Weyland Industries – “Happy Birthday David”
See further information on the Weyland Industries website.
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Weyland Industries – “Quiet Eye”
See further information on the Weyland Industries website.
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