Plot: When archaeologists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) discover the same ancient pictogram across various civilizations, the two believe they may have found the secret to mankind's earliest beginnings. After convincing the elderly business tycoon Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) of their theory, he funds a massive space exploration to uncover the truth. Accompanying Shaw and Holloway are various members of the Prometheus crew including Company lackey Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), Captain Janek (Idris Elba), and android David (Michael Fassbender). Although Shaw believes she and the crew are embarking on the most significant journey in mankind's history, she soon uncovers that everyone has their own agenda and no one is who they appear to be. Moreover, she finds that their search for humanity's origin may lead to its ultimate destruction.
Review: Although Ridley Scott directed two of the most ground breaking science fiction films of all time (1979's Alien and 1982's Blade Runner), it took three decades for the acclaimed director to return to the genre he helped define. Rumors flew about like agitated face-huggers even before Prometheus started filming. Was this an Alien prequel? Would audiences see a xenomorph in the film? Could Scott strike gold three times? With all these questions circling the production months before the release date, it's no wonder that Prometheus was the most hyped up film of the year...maybe even the decade. And as a movie goer and a critic I find that it is a very VERY rare exception that a film this over-hyped lives up to the fanfare.
Prometheus, thankfully, is one of those rare exceptions.
Director Ridley Scott's third sojourn into the world of science fiction is a nearly flawless film. Wide in scope and addressing one of the fundamental human questions, Prometheus proves to be a dynamic, well acted, visually stunning, and emotionally resonant film. Furthermore, Prometheus boasts a tight script, a few spine wrenching scares, and a plot that captivates and tantalizes.
If people go into Prometheus expecting a straight Alien prequel you will be sorely disappointed. While there are certainly echos of the Alien films in Prometheus and it is set in the same universe as Alien, Prometheus stands on it's own merit as a distinct and separate film. Fore example, whereas Alien's horrific moments often involved silence, Prometheus is saturated with a sweeping and terrific score by Marc Streitenfeld. However, those of you who are fans of the Alien franchise will probably be pleased by the film's final image, although I found it to be unnecessary and slightly annoying.
The great thing about Ridley Scott's directing is that he's always been able to create distinct and awe inspiring worlds. Whether it was the dingy future punk of Blade Runner, or the Roman sands of Gladiator, or the Holy Crusades in Kingdom of Heaven, you can't help but be pulled in by the gravitational vortex of a Ridley Scott film. The same thing holds true with Prometheus.
Of course Ridley Scott's worlds would not exist without some of the special effects wizards behind him, and Prometheus has visual effects in spades. Several companies including WETA Digital and Moving Picture Company help bring the world of Prometheus to life, and let me tell you it's some of the most seamless visual effects I've ever seen captured on film. Bravo!
Memorable science fiction storytelling always begins with a compelling and interesting plot, and Prometheus has that in abundance. Screenwriters Damon Lindeloff (LOST) and Jon Spaihts deliver a script that manages to be part science fiction, part thriller, part mystery, and part existential discussion. The two take a concept that's been around for years (could human life have been generated by extraterrestrial beings?) and flesh it out to the nth degree. Rather than being some Tom-Cruise-jumping-on-couches Scientology derivative, Prometheus dares to ask the hard questions. What if the human race has become more like their makers than they realize? What if the Engineers (as they are referred to by Shaw and Holloway) are more alien than we could possibly imagine? And maybe most terrifying of all, what would happen if the Engineers changed their minds about their creation? Lindeloff and Spaihts' script was a home run that kept me intrigued from the opening credits to the final shot.
No matter how good the script or how talented the director, a film lives and dies on the strength of its actors. Thankfully Ridley Scott tends to surround himself with people of outstanding ability and Prometheus is no different. Idris Elba is charming as the chicken fried southern Captain Janek, a man who believes mostly in the safety of his ship and crew rather than Shaw's mission. There's more than a hint of Tom Skerrit's Captain Dallas from the original Alien but Elba is certainly no carbon copy. Rapace and Marshall-Green play off each other well as archaeologists and lovers Shaw and Holloway. Marshall-Green's character is slightly underdeveloped although the chemistry between he and Rapace was excellent. Rapace's Shaw is definitely the heroine but not in the gritty Ellen Ripley variety of the Alien franchise. There is definitely some vulnerability and a personal struggle with faith that sets her apart from Sigourney Weaver's character.
However, as good as the talented Ms. Rapace was in Prometheus, Michael Fassbender's portrayal of the android David far and away beats any android portrayal I've ever seen in television or film. Although David is physically many times stronger than any human being and able to inculcate vast amounts of knowledge, he still approaches everything with child-like wonder. Shots of David riding a scooter and playing basketball are just as significant as his research of ancient languages. David even incorporates the speech patterns of Peter O'Toole from Lawrence of Arabia because it's his favorite film. (What child hasn't imitated his boyhood idol at some point?) Yet Fassbender's character is also without a firm moral compass, and it's the lack of that compass that causes David to perform some particularly diabolical acts. A tip of the cap again to Mr. Fassbender, whose acting seems to get better with each passing film.
Ironically the only character who came across as a little two dimensional was Charlize Theron's Meredith Vickers. While the Academy Award winning actress was decent in the role, sometimes Vickers came across as a typical corporate stooge. Her connection to another important crew member was also fairly obvious.
Prometheus is an astounding and triumphant return to the world of science fiction by director Ridley Scott. Let's hope audiences don't have to wait another thirty years for the Englishman to bring us another installment.
My rating: 9.5/10
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