Prometheus

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Sean Harris, Rafe Spall, Patrick Wilson
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Rating: R
Genre: Adventure, Mystery, Science Fiction
2012

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A team of scientists travels to a remote planet seeking answers about the creation of the human race. What they discover there is beyond anything they expected, and more terrifying than they could imagine.

Review:

Tim: Looking at 2012, Prometheus was near the top of my "Most Anticipated" list. It featured the return of Ridley Scott to the science fiction genre, featured an incredible cast, and sounded very cool- it was a "kind of" prequel to Alien, while also being its own stand-alone story. The movie featured jaw-dropping special effects, and just looked incredibly cool. I was very, very excited about seeing this film.

Now, here's the dilemma. In some ways, this movie is incredibly cool, mind-blowing, and awesome. In others, it's horrible disappointing. It's hard to contemplate a film with so many amazing highs, and so many crushing lows. As a whole, the positives outweigh the negatives, but the negatives sink this film. I couldn't in good conscience claim this was a great movie- it's very good, but it's simply too flawed.

Let's start with the positives. In many ways, Prometheus is exactly what I hoped for- it is both a very cool prequel to Alien, but it stands on its own as its own story. The script wisely doesn't make this an overly Alien movie. It hints at that whole mythology, and at the end, connects the film to that franchise in some very cool ways. It was extremely cool seeing the origin story of the xenomorphs. I loved that aspect of the film. Even better, though, is that the Alien aspect really exists on the periphery. The main story is about scientists searching for an alien race who may hold the keys to the creation of humanity. I love that philosophical, controversial, deeper aspect of the film. It felt timely, it felt important, and it was very interesting to watch. This is a science fiction film that isn't afraid to be complex, challenging, and intelligent. That's how I would describe most of the great sci-fi films, and this movie delivers in that regard.

The special effects are incredible. I just loved how this film looked. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, and it deserves the recognition. The ship Prometheus looked incredible, the alien world was insane, the inside of the alien craft was spooky, atmospheric, and unforgettable. The film was just absolutely gorgeous to look at in a dark, scary way. I loved it.

The cast is also incredible. I still am not sure how great of an actress Noomi Rapace is in English, but I have to admit I was impressed with her performance here. She gives such a strong-willed, tough performance. It was exactly what this film needed, as it connected spiritually with Sigourney Weaver's terrific portrayal of Ripley. Rapace was very strong throughout the film, and most of the memorable images involves her Elizabeth Shaw. I think the English language still trips her up a bit and blunts some of her acting ability, but she is still quite good.

I liked Michael Fassbender as the android David. He gives a creepy, fascinating performance that keeps you off balance. It was quite accurate, because I imagine a very human-like android would be a bit difficult to watch. It's even more frightening that he appears to have a hidden agenda. Charlize Theron is fine here, but I felt like she was very under-used in the script. She has nothing of any real consequence to do. That's a shame. The same can be said for Idris Elba- I really like him, and I loved his performance here, but his talents just felt wasted in the film. I wanted more screen time for Elba, and something interesting for him to do. I was glad to see Guy Pearce here, but I was bummed that he disappeared underneath some pretty poor old man makeup. Why bother casting Pearce in this role? The rest of the cast was pretty forgettable.

So, up to this point, everything seems great, right? Here is the problem. There are so many scenes of just insane, ridiculous logic in this film. The scientists say and do some of the most idiotic, stupid things I have ever seen. It completely ruins the movie. We have scientists who take their helmets off after an initial screen of the atmosphere suggested it was believable. Who in their right mind would immediately pop their helmet off? And, people keep doing this throughout the movie, even when all logic dictates this is an idiotic move. We also see two people get lost, and decide not to radio anyone else in their crew until it's far too late to do anything. The movie takes place in the future, when communication is instant. And two people get lost. Are you kidding me? How could that happen? Plus, they don't radio for help. It makes no sense. These two morons only further ruin the movie by acting like complete idiots. They stumble across a strange alien creature. Instead of running, or taking pictures, or radioing the ship, they decide to touch it. And, they are shocked when the alien thing attacks them. Scenes like this just ruined the movie. There was no logic, no sense to so many of these characters' actions, and it was horribly disappointing.

Now, another note about the film- the Prometheus story isn't incredibly accessible. The first time I saw the film (in a theater), I left feeling like I mostly understood the story, but I was a bit confused as to what I'd just seen. I know many people left completely bewildered. I was not in that boat, but I did return home, read up on some theories, which helped me understand it better. I watched the film a second time, and I had no problem understanding the story and following along. So, the movie isn't overly complicated, but it does take some work to truly get the story.

I do want to point out perhaps my favorite scene of the film. It's the most controversial, disgusting scene in the film- the infamous alien abortion scene. I really cringed quite a bit watching this. It's not easy to watch, and is one of the most frightening, unforgettable moments of the whole film. It was exceptionally cool.

There is so much to like about Prometheus. It's an exceptionally made science fiction film. The biggest flaw is the continued moronic actions of the characters (oh, and look for Vickers running the wrong way as the ship falls. Another stupid moments), but there's also the initial density of the script, which makes for a slightly inaccessible first viewing. While these flaws prevent the movie from achieving its full potential, this is still a really, really good movie. I hope Ridley Scott sticks with science fiction, because he is a master of this genre.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Alien, Aliens