Dvd picks: Effects bolster alien tale

FANS of Ridley Scotts Alien franchise would be fans of Prometheus too. After all, Prometheus hints that it might be a prequel to the Alien series.

Scott is an established director and producer, known for his blockbuster works including Body Of Lies, Robin Hood, Kingdom Of Heaven and White Squall.

Prometheus is also a blockbuster, highly anticipated before its release for its catchy tagline, The search for our beginning could lead to our end. They went looking for our beginning. What they found could be our end.

However, something important seems missing from the storyline. First of all, it moves oh-so-slowly, building viewers anticipation to the point where we might get tired of waiting.

The story is of a group of scientists who discover a clue to the origins of mankind. They travel through the universe on the spaceship Prometheus to find out more. While doing so, they inadvertently unleash the terror that is not only a threat to themselves but to mankind.

There are too many things going on in the film, so much so that some parts are overlooked. The explanation of things are vague. Charlize Theron and Idris Elba are in the cast, but sadly their characters are not worthy of their calibre as good actors.

Theron plays Meredith Vickers, a haughty representative of Weyland Corp which sponsors the scientists travel aboard the Prometheus. She nails Vickers cold behaviour, but it is too bad that she does nothing else except brood and scold. The charismatic Elba, who plays the ship captain, could be in more outdoor and physical scenes.

On the other hand, Michael Fassbender has a unique character and he plays it brilliantly. He portrays an android called David and he nails the emotion-less robot part.

Thankfully, Prometheus is beautiful to watch. The graphics department have worked wonders with technology and have made every little thing look lifelike. One particular scene that will stick in your mind is when Shaw frantically tries to remove an alien foetus f! rom her womb by herself.

You can watch several deleted scenes, which are part of the DVD features.

CHRONICLE
Directed by Josh Trank
Starring Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan
Distributed by Alliance Entertainment

INITIALLY Chronicle may look like an indie film that is poorly constructed, like most movies of the genre. But its a gem, filmmaker Josh Trank uses a simple yet powerful plot and special effects in a big way.

The story revolves around high school friends Andrew, Matt and Steve who gain telekinetic superpowers after discovering a unique force underground.

They play around with their powers, just for mischief. Things take a darker turn when Andrew is over-influenced by his powers.

It is a non-complicated plot, but Trank keeps viewers attention glued from beginning to end. You will be really interested to see how the boys use their powers.

Unfortunately, the alien substance or force that presents the boys with the powers isnt explained.

Andrew uses his HD camera to film the events of his life. The film uses the found footage technique, but not just through Andrews camera but also footage from other cameras the closed-circuit-television, for example.

The boys discover, to their excitement, that they can also levitate. The scenes where they soar and dive in the clouds at full speed are breathtaking.

You understand the reasons behind Andrews emotional outburst and tendency towards his darker side. Trank makes sure viewers see things from Andrews point of view. He builds sympathy by slowly introducing Andrews tough life, which leads to the boys drastic change in attitude.

Chronicle will surprise you by how dark the story turns in the second half. Again, the special effects are excellently executed here.

The DVD specials include the featurettes Camera Test and Pre-Viz. The former is a short clip of teenagers with the same powers and how they test them out. Pre-Viz shows a digital simulation of some of the! crucial ! and intense scenes in the film.