Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Noomi Repace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron
Year: 2012
Ridley Scott returns to the Xenomorph universe with Prometheus, a prequel to three classic films (and their offshoots): Alien, Aliens, Alien 3. Of the three, Aliens is my favorite, a militarized sci-fi flick that works on every level, layering wild action with stable story in a way that’s pretty near genius. Prometheus is a continuation of that action/thriller mentality, but with enough science to pique the interest of genre junkies like me. However, not every critic got in line behind this film, many claiming that its stiff and unimaginative story arc let the story down, that it was a Hollywood rather than an artistic take on the phenomenal base plot. Don’t count me in that group, I absolutely adore this movie, taking its flaws in stride as I enjoy one of the cooler space films of the last ten years.
Doctors Shaw & Holloway have made a ground-breaking discover that could solve mankind’s greatest mysteries; who are we, where did we come from, and why are were here. Multiple cave paintings show humans worshiping a large figure, that figure pointing to a collection of planets. The ship Prometheus begins a mission to reach that solar system and to meet, if they exist, the benefactors of human life. When the ship arrives at a likely moon, the crew find that the Engineers did live there, but are since dead, and the reason might be the death of us all. Housed on the moon is a black substance that causes terrible reactions in its hosts, and turns men into something much less human. Shaw attempts to unravel the mystery of the Engineer’s installation, the robot David’s purpose, the Weyland Corporation’s reason for funding the mission in the first place, and the dark truth of our existence.
I’ve never been able to pinpoint exactly why some critics can’t accept this movie. I mean, I know the reasons they give, but I will never be able to understand how a fan of Alien and of sci-fi in general couldn’t enjoy an Alien prequel that sticks fairly firmly to modern sci-fi roots. No, it isn’t the horror of Alien, no it isn’t the kick ass of Aliens, but Prometheus is far better than Alien 3, an improvement over the unsuccessful spinoffs, and a strong addition to an awesome franchise. The cast is a pleasure to watch, down to the very last performance: Repace, Fassbender, Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Logan Marshall-Green, Sean Harris, Rafe Spall. David is an incredible character to watch develop, I love the fictional science behind some of the gadgets, and although we don’t get as much what’s-around-the-corner suspense, we are given a step in the right direction for the story arc and a solid two hours of complete entertainment. I stand by my high rating of this film, I think it’s well deserved, and I can’t wait to watch more from this timeline.
My rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆