I think we are going to need to put Gladiator into the Alien timeline.
http://www.movies.com/movie-news/rid...interview/8232
- he brings up a theme of children and their parents (creation vs creator)
- he chooses to mention Roman Empire and it's endeavours to explain a 21st century science fiction movie about aliens and their motivations
It just so happens to be that Ridley himself made a movie that takes place in Roman Empire and which's themes (children and their parents, creation vs creator) heavily resonate and even rhyme with Prometheus.
It's called Gladiator.
- Gladiator takes place 2000 years before Prometheus. Around the same time when Engineers decided to invade Earth (via radiocarbon dating of the severed head).
- Marcus Aurelius has the same dysfunctional relationship with his son Commodus as Weyland has with his daughter Vickers. They both also "adopt" surrogate children: Marcus creates Maximus through his military career and molds him to a general (from a farmer) and Weyland literally engineers and puts together David.
There's a strangely similar scene in both of the movies. In Gladiator, Marcus Aurelius welcomes Commodus in his private quarters and denounces him from his natural right to become Caesar (who in turn kills him). And in Prometheus, Weyland gets a visit from his daughter in his private quarters. When he informs her of his plan to become immortal and therefore exclude her from taking over his business empire she wishes him death ("A king has his reign..."). There's even an act of kneeling present in both scenes.
- Maximus is propelled by his family being murdered and seeing them in his dreams/visions. Shawn has similar motivation regarding her father who she also sees in her dreams.
They both also carry items that remember them of this: Maximus with his figurines (keep that in mind for later) and Shawn with her crucifix.
Although Gladiator takes place in a time when practicing religion and worshipping various gods was heavily intertwined with every day activities, there's an extraordinary amount of dialogue that either connects or compares Maximus to gods and their status.
...
MAXIMUS General! Still alive?
QUINTUS Still alive.
MAXIMUS The gods must have a sense of humor.
They fondly embrace, Maximus cupping the back of Quintus head.
QUINTUS The gods must love you.
...
MAXIMUS (quietly) Ancestors, I ask you for your guidance. Blessed Mother, come to me with the god's desire for my future. Blessed Father, watch over my wife and my son with a ready sword. Whisper to them that I live only to hold them again. Ancestors, I honor you and will try to live with the dignity you have taught me.
...
HAGEN The gods favor you. Red is the god's color. You will need their help today.
...
PROXIMO The young Emperor has arranged a series of spectacles to commemorate his father, Marcus Aurelius. I find it amusing since it was Marcus Aurelius, the wise, the all-knowing Marcus Aurelius, who closed us down. So finally after five years of scratching a living in flea infested villages we are finally going back to where we belong, the Colosseum. Oh, you should see the Colosseum, Spaniard. 50,000 Romans watching every movement of your sword, willing you to make that killer blow. The silence before you strike, and the noise afterwards. It rises, rises up like.like.like a storm, as if you were the Thunder God himself.
...
JUBA Is that a sign of your gods?
Maximus nods, a sardonic smile spreading across his face.
JUBA Will that not anger them?
Maximus smiles at the irony of the question and continues to scrape.
...
LUCILLA The gods have spared you. Don't you understand? Today I saw a slave become more powerful than the Emperor of Rome.
MAXIMUS The gods have spared me? I am at their mercy with the power only to amuse a mob.
...
These are all of course either figures of speech or comparisons being made and can't be taken literally...but (and here comes the leap of fate) they can also be seen as allusions to Maximus being one of the emissaries (plural!) that the Engineers send to Earth in order to try to parent us. Bringing over extraordinary individuals that can inspire others and lead.
Saying Maximus is blessed by gods (creators=Engineers). Praying to his ancestors to guide him and to be able to honour them with dignity they taught him. Seen as being favoured by god. Having control over people that can only match those of gods (or god like creatures). Rebelling against his supposed creators (military) that Juba compares to rebelling against gods (again, rhyming with parenthood). And Lucille mentioning his power over Caesar and the people of Rome who Maximus doesn't really care about since he's in it to make it through to afterlife...which brings us to Jesus. There are a lot of things that both Jesus and Maximus have in common:
- they are both seen as blessed
- they personally inspire and lead a group of men
- they believe in afterlife and are ready to sacrifice everything mortal
- they don't use their power for their personal interest (Maximus taking over Rome)
- they are both sure they will meet their families in after life
- they both get stabbed
And Maximus dies inside a Colosseum...a place where many supporters of a new and up and coming religion were brought in and killed...for following ideas and ideals started by Jesus...one of the other emissaries that Engineers sent over.
As the myth goes, Prometheus created man from clay and stole fire from Gods for humans to use. Maximus dominates Barbaric hordes with fire at the beginning and as Juba lays the clay figurines of Maximus' wife and son to rest he symbolically ends the reign of humans that Prometheus started.
What I'm saying is this:
Maximus was, as Jesus, (un)knowingly sent to Earth to try and change us and our way of living and whose death was the breaking point for Engineers to decide to come over here and destroy/change the human species.
Gladiator is a prequel to Prometheus and part of Alien series.
http://www.movies.com/movie-news/rid...interview/8232
- Ridley confirms that there was "a little too on the nose" idea that tried to connect Engineers to Jesus and that Jesus himself was an alien
- he brings up a theme of children and their parents (creation vs creator)
- he chooses to mention Roman Empire and it's endeavours to explain a 21st century science fiction movie about aliens and their motivations
It just so happens to be that Ridley himself made a movie that takes place in Roman Empire and which's themes (children and their parents, creation vs creator) heavily resonate and even rhyme with Prometheus.
It's called Gladiator.
- Gladiator takes place 2000 years before Prometheus. Around the same time when Engineers decided to invade Earth (via radiocarbon dating of the severed head).
- Marcus Aurelius has the same dysfunctional relationship with his son Commodus as Weyland has with his daughter Vickers. They both also "adopt" surrogate children: Marcus creates Maximus through his military career and molds him to a general (from a farmer) and Weyland literally engineers and puts together David.
There's a strangely similar scene in both of the movies. In Gladiator, Marcus Aurelius welcomes Commodus in his private quarters and denounces him from his natural right to become Caesar (who in turn kills him). And in Prometheus, Weyland gets a visit from his daughter in his private quarters. When he informs her of his plan to become immortal and therefore exclude her from taking over his business empire she wishes him death ("A king has his reign..."). There's even an act of kneeling present in both scenes.
- Maximus is propelled by his family being murdered and seeing them in his dreams/visions. Shawn has similar motivation regarding her father who she also sees in her dreams.
They both also carry items that remember them of this: Maximus with his figurines (keep that in mind for later) and Shawn with her crucifix.
Although Gladiator takes place in a time when practicing religion and worshipping various gods was heavily intertwined with every day activities, there's an extraordinary amount of dialogue that either connects or compares Maximus to gods and their status.
...
MAXIMUS General! Still alive?
QUINTUS Still alive.
MAXIMUS The gods must have a sense of humor.
They fondly embrace, Maximus cupping the back of Quintus head.
QUINTUS The gods must love you.
...
MAXIMUS (quietly) Ancestors, I ask you for your guidance. Blessed Mother, come to me with the god's desire for my future. Blessed Father, watch over my wife and my son with a ready sword. Whisper to them that I live only to hold them again. Ancestors, I honor you and will try to live with the dignity you have taught me.
...
HAGEN The gods favor you. Red is the god's color. You will need their help today.
...
PROXIMO The young Emperor has arranged a series of spectacles to commemorate his father, Marcus Aurelius. I find it amusing since it was Marcus Aurelius, the wise, the all-knowing Marcus Aurelius, who closed us down. So finally after five years of scratching a living in flea infested villages we are finally going back to where we belong, the Colosseum. Oh, you should see the Colosseum, Spaniard. 50,000 Romans watching every movement of your sword, willing you to make that killer blow. The silence before you strike, and the noise afterwards. It rises, rises up like.like.like a storm, as if you were the Thunder God himself.
...
JUBA Is that a sign of your gods?
Maximus nods, a sardonic smile spreading across his face.
JUBA Will that not anger them?
Maximus smiles at the irony of the question and continues to scrape.
...
LUCILLA The gods have spared you. Don't you understand? Today I saw a slave become more powerful than the Emperor of Rome.
MAXIMUS The gods have spared me? I am at their mercy with the power only to amuse a mob.
...
These are all of course either figures of speech or comparisons being made and can't be taken literally...but (and here comes the leap of fate) they can also be seen as allusions to Maximus being one of the emissaries (plural!) that the Engineers send to Earth in order to try to parent us. Bringing over extraordinary individuals that can inspire others and lead.
Saying Maximus is blessed by gods (creators=Engineers). Praying to his ancestors to guide him and to be able to honour them with dignity they taught him. Seen as being favoured by god. Having control over people that can only match those of gods (or god like creatures). Rebelling against his supposed creators (military) that Juba compares to rebelling against gods (again, rhyming with parenthood). And Lucille mentioning his power over Caesar and the people of Rome who Maximus doesn't really care about since he's in it to make it through to afterlife...which brings us to Jesus. There are a lot of things that both Jesus and Maximus have in common:
- they are both seen as blessed
- they personally inspire and lead a group of men
- they believe in afterlife and are ready to sacrifice everything mortal
- they don't use their power for their personal interest (Maximus taking over Rome)
- they are both sure they will meet their families in after life
- they both get stabbed
And Maximus dies inside a Colosseum...a place where many supporters of a new and up and coming religion were brought in and killed...for following ideas and ideals started by Jesus...one of the other emissaries that Engineers sent over.
As the myth goes, Prometheus created man from clay and stole fire from Gods for humans to use. Maximus dominates Barbaric hordes with fire at the beginning and as Juba lays the clay figurines of Maximus' wife and son to rest he symbolically ends the reign of humans that Prometheus started.
What I'm saying is this:
Maximus was, as Jesus, (un)knowingly sent to Earth to try and change us and our way of living and whose death was the breaking point for Engineers to decide to come over here and destroy/change the human species.
Gladiator is a prequel to Prometheus and part of Alien series.
