Directed by:
Ridley ScottCinematography:
Dariusz WolskiComposer:
Marc StreitenfeldCast:
Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Logan Marshall-Green, Sean Harris, Rafe Spall, Emun Elliott, Benedict Wong (more)VOD (5)
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Returning to the genre he helped define, Sir Ridley Scott has crafted the most unforgettable experience of 2012 in Prometheus. After scientists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) discover mysterious cave drawings that point to the origins of mankind, they soon find themselves aboard the spaceship Prometheus, sponsored by Weyland Industries and on a journey to uncover the secrets of humanity. Overseen by the imperious Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), looked after by the android David (Michael Fassbender), and backed up by a team of scientists Shaw and Holloway arrive on the isolated moon LV-223 to discover an abandoned alien spaceship and the truth... that not all is as it seems. (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)
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I think that there’s about an hour of film missing. An hour to work on the relationships, to say where they found out certain things or else somehow to show that these are just assumptions, to take their time a bit and not to hurry on ahead at breakneck speed. In some places I prayed to be have the time to rummage about in the environments presented. I have no gripes about the story, looking for an answer to the question that has no answer (that guy died immediately in the first scene) is just a catalyst for investigating possibilities and space. An attempt to go further. Visually, it’s top-notch, Ridley made sure of that. Similarly, he took great pains over the casting, each actor fits their role perfectly. Noomi is really fine, but Michael Fassbender easily dominates the picture. It’s a shame too that Guy Pearce made such a brief appearance. The ending was rather surprising the way it broke down into a regular massacre. I have the feeling that Alien DNA harms this movie, the same as the hype and trailers revealing too much. I look forward to the director’s cut.
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Prometheus has landed! The critics have spoken at length about the illogical behaviour of the characters and the unresolved jumps in the plot, so I will write something in its defence. Yes, those complaints are undoubtedly warranted and that’s a real shame, without those issues this film would be almost perfect, because everything except the script is very good. However, part of those flaws in logic could be excused saying that instead of a “team of methodological, 100% reliable and careful scientist” the expedition features “scientists driven by an inner desire for answers and discoveries”; some of the unresolved motifs can be easily guessed and some of the incomprehensible behaviour and weird details aren’t actually that impossible to understand, it’s just the viewers who don’t understand them (e.g. the behaviour of David or the settings of the medical equipment). And I also think it’s good that there are things left unsaid about the mythology, because thinking about a mythology on your own is A LOT of fun (BTW, the often used combo “Scott ruined the mystery around Alien” + “Scott didn’t explain anything” is logically contradictory). What’s left, and can by no means be excused (the scientists getting lost in the mapped galleries, etc.)… well, how you see it will depend on the type of viewer you are. If you demand films should be 100% coherent, with a clear theme that is addressed properly, and where all the questions are answered and all the motifs are addressed, tough luck. If, in contrast, you like a more open text, where the interpretations of and the musings over the meanings (or, rather finding the meanings, in this case :-D) are just as important, if not more, than the film itself, then you will know how to forgive Prometheus’s mistakes. Fortunately, I’m in the second group. /// The visuals are intoxicating, the ideas about the creator-creation relationship (because we can) are interesting, and the mythology, which only peeks behind the curtains, is even more interesting. 8.5/10 and relative satisfaction (!!!), though it certainly had more potential. PS: I want an extended version on DVD and in two years I want a sequel not written by Damon Lindelof :-D PPS: From a certain perspective, this film, together with its advertising campaign, is a brilliant package because it gives the viewers an experience very similar to the protagonist. Elizabeth joins the expedition to find answers to important philosophical questions. Her motivations are not mundane, she expects something like enlightenment (figure out who we are, why we came to be and what is our purpose). The campaign and the film’s first act prepare the viewer for sophisticated and uncompromising science fiction – a genre milestone. Elizabeth gets to the planet and, instead of finding satisfactory answers, she and the entire crew have “their asses kicked” by angry extraterrestrials. The viewer goes to the cinema and, instead of the intellectual sci-fi that was promised, they get brutal horror with notes of B-movie. It’s hard to jump in joy at this, but as a joke it’s good :-D
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No one said this was going to be a prequel to Alien or 2001: A Space Odyssey. The trailers promised me stunning visuals, a generous dose of tension, and a mysterious enemy. The movie delivered on all of that and added the unpredictable David, the determined Elizabeth, and a breathtaking story where the answers to questions must be sought, not just heard. Prometheus thus became a surprisingly refined sci-fi, which will continue to mature for a good few years.
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When white and white together give birth to black, the result is Alien without an Alien, like Jára Cimrman’s “Hamlet" without Hamlet. It’s not compatible with the Alien mythology but it overflows with today already cult and specific “Alien" atmosphere more than anything else made after 1979, you have to give it that. Just a shame that it pretends to be cleverer than it really is (even though it’s hard to say, because it’s just the first half) and double shame for the surplus of unnecessary characters. Visually captivating in some of the scenes it’s without exaggeration impeccable (David’s space routine, birth giving through abortion, fall from the heavens), but as a whole so far (at least till the director’s cut or a sequel is made) it just damn good.
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Pretend you’re going to watch Alien vs. Predator 3 without the Predators and you’ll be ecstatic. The first third is an absolute sci-fi orgasm – exciting, epic, atmospherically captivating, visually engaging, with attractive actors and a promise of great things to come. Everything here is so perfect down to every tiny detail that one wants to cry with happiness. Plus there are some nice ideas conveyed through the dialogue (and monologues). The second third slows the pace down and brings a more intimate tone when it tries to tell us more about the characters. The last third is hastily put together action horror with butchered editing and storytelling, which doesn’t elaborate on the originally outlined themes, and is ridden with genre clichés and Emmerichian heroism. Luckily, the closing scene setting up a sequel somewhat mitigates the disappointment. Fantastically shot piece of screenwriting crap. I feel cheated, Ridley.
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