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Want even more evidence that Ridley Scott created multiple variations of his Alien prequel, Prometheus? Several images have now come online that show a completely different version of one of the film’s major set pieces. In the theatrical version of the film, the scene was played with practical effects. However, the entire scene was also completed with a CGI villain in case the practical version didn’t work.
After the jump. we’ll describe the scene, which is from the second act of the film so it’s only a minor spoiler, and show photos from each version of the film.
Going to talk about the scene in question now so spoiler alert from here on out.
The scene in question is when Fifield (Sean Harris) gets infected by the virus/alien/thing and comes back to the Prometheus to wreak havok. In the film he looks like the following.
But in the latest issue of Cinefex (via Bloody Disgusting) they have three images of how the scene looked when rendered primarily with CGI.
The site also has an image of this version of the character done practically. Basically, Scott tried every way imaginable to make it look real.
Here’s the description:
To mutate Fifield beyond what was possible using practical makeup effects, Weta Digital generated a digital character with elongated limbs and an engorged, translucent head, incorporating a semblance of Harris’ face. Scott filmed the sequence both with the actor in makeup and without, providing clean plates that would allow for the insertion of the digital character. The final cut featured mostly makeup effects, which Weta enhanced with digital wire removal, bullet hits, and one shot of the digital creature’s body blended to the actor.
I think the final version seen in the film is totally effective. Practical effects are almost always better. Plus, by keeping the monster mostly human, you avoid confusion between all the different creatures in the film. Adding another hybrid might have created even more questions. I think Scott made the right decision.
The fact that these images have been released, though, suggest they may be included on some kind of Blu-ray extra. 20th Century Fox has yet to confirm if the list of deleted scenes that was released is legitimate or not but, it seems like a feature on an alternate take of this scene – especially one that obviously cost a lot of money – is more likely than a 15 minute alternative ending.
Which version of this scene to do prefer? Do you think this says anything about Scott’s process?
