There was a time when you could walk into a theatre and be genuinely thrilled, movies could transport you to any point in history or take you on a intergalactic crusade to rid the universe of the dark side. But there was a turning point when movies started to iterate, sequels were being fast tracked as movies made millions within days. Grand scale ambition was replaced with safe recycled tropes. There were detractors of course, people who refused to fall into the mold and those movies were greatly revered and beloved by those who had had enough of the same tripe shit year after year. Now here we are in 2012 with most movies following the same predictable audience pleasing pattern, but a savior has come, or so people have positioned him as; Ridley Scott was finally returning to the science fiction genre he helped define with entries such as Alien and Blade Runner. But can Prometheus capture the same magic and ignite the same sense of wonder and subsequent dread. Short answers yes and no, Prometheus is full of grand ideas and thought provoking questions, it has a sort of magic that coupled with is masterful direction make for an immersive and unique film. But its also hindered by a sub-par script and falls back on genre tropes a few too many times.
Prometheus is a film that should be if at all possible seen without any prior knowledge, trailers show too much and set expectations for an entirely different movie. Prometheus has a lot to say and its best to hear it straight from the mouth of the prophet and not his underlings. The movie begins with the biggest question of all, where did we come from? As an intro sequence quickly explains, aliens of course and from here on out the questions without answers begin to flow freely. Cut to the year 2093 and two archaeologist make a discovery which leads them on a trek to a distant planet where they believe contains the origin of human kind. A ship full of wild caricature introductions later and we are plopped down on LV-223 the aforementioned planet. The ship is filled with characters most not getting screen time and others not even attempted to be develop. Charlize Theron and Idris Elba have interesting characters and give decent performances but aren't given the time to develop. There are two characters amid the 15 plus crew and they are the most thought out and well written. Elizabeth Shaw the archaeologist with aspirations to meet her makers played by Noomi Rapace and David the android with boundless curiosity played by Michael Fassbender. The performances by both of these actors is astounding its just a shame they are the only characters in the movie that are even remotely fleshed out.
The film begins to fall apart just as it gets going, characters make irreverently stupid decisions the script introduces and teases more things than it has any intention of paying off and the movie also falls back on familiar genre tropes when the monsters start to come out. Having said all that, I was floored by this movie, I haven't been whisked off my feet and immersed so deeply in a movie in such a long time. The film is masterfully shot the special effects are beautiful in both design and detail as are the strange alien vistas and ship interiors. The epic scope matches the overarching existential questions perfectly and the constant battle of attrition between faith and skepticism is but one of the themes in the film, along with what it means to be human and the value we place on having the answer to humanity's greatest questions. The film crumbles under the weight of several things not least of which is a simply poor script, its lofty ambitions and serving to many masters. The film is described as a non-linear prequel to the Alien franchise, which if you have to come up with a term to describe your film you clearly aren't confident. The film sets about exploring something entirely new but then remembers it belongs within another franchises history and begins planting seeds and teasing the audience with references to the revered Alien franchise.
This film will undoubtedly and has already been greatly analyzed and debated, the implications of the discoveries made in this film are massive in terms of the Alien franchise as well as simply being fascinating talking points. While I adore this film more than any film since possibly the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which if you knew me you would understand how monumental that statement is, I can still understand people having mixed feelings or feeling outright baffled at an admittedly convoluted and bloated script. A script that is also filled with underdeveloped characters and questionable motives. And while I freely admit the film is riddled with plot holes and unanswered questions, what caused frustration and eventual disappointment for some movie-goers, instead filled me with such excitement and wonder at the prospects of exploring this universe further and possibly getting the answers I so desperately want. It's no surprise then that this film was written by Damon Lindelof one of the minds behind Lost, and the similarities are abundant, tantalizing secrets and red herrings a plenty. This movie is more interested in asking questions then answering and audiences will either love it or hate it.
On to the nitty gritty, quite literally, this film is not for the squeamish as body horror is the focus of its scares and tension. Its unfortunate that once the movie chooses to go down the horror route it make all the rookie mistakes, stupid character decision and predictable outcomes. You'll role your eyes when the biologist meets the first living organism on the planet and proceeds to hold out his hand and edge it on "hey little buddy". The revelations in the film are nill, mostly interested in keeping audiences guessing and introducing new threatening situations. While some people may become frustrated I genuinely think we are not supposed to know what is going on, because in reality it's inconsequential its purposely vague so you have something to discuss and debate, there is no clear cut answer.
Prometheus is a heavily flawed film, that still manages to shine with some fascinating implications on the origin of human life. There was never a chance in hell Prometheus was going to live up to the monumental expectations people have heap upon Ridley Scotts return to science fiction. But even with a less then stellar script, filled with underdeveloped characters terribly predictable horror movie cliches and boundless questions without answers I still loved this movie. Characters while underdeveloped are memorable, performances are strong, visuals are breathtakingly striking, the violence is fist clenchingly intense and the suspense made a grown man behind me squeal. Movies just aren't made like this anymore, with a real sense of wonder and excitement, the question are there to be debated, the movie doesn't suffer from those unanswered questions it simply weeds out those with little patience or simple mindedness. I am hoping with all my heart the movie is a success and they quickly get to work on the sequels that are so clearly set up because I
(4 out of 5)
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