Expectations for Ridley Scott’s return to the universe he established in Alien have been high, to say the least. So bloody high that the film falls short for lots of people. While I suspect that most viewers went into this movie expecting a deep, mind-blowing cinematic masterpiece, I went in wanting nothing more than a solid piece of science fiction. I didn’t want my mind blown, I didn’t expect the film’s quality to surpass Alien at all, and I didn’t even expect the film to move all that fast.
In spite of that, the film met my expectations. The film is gorgeous throughout, sporting impressive visual effects and camerawork. Its far better paced than I expected; I find Prometheus way more eventful than Alien (even though the two films were originally meant to be separate and distinct, it’s too hard not to compare the two). There are some gnarly, disgusting, and agonizing scenes of creature horror. There’s even a nice bit of action and peril towards the end. With a sense of mystery in the first half and a ton of crazy horror in the last act, the film is pretty darn thrilling. If there’s any drag, it’d be in the middle, after the initial discoveries, and before all heck breaks lose.
The story for this has some interesting ambition (although its achievement will be questionable by some). The nature of the story prompts frequent theological discussion, but it never really states anything conclusive. The plot for this mirrors Alien quite a bit, hitting up a lot of the same plot points. What makes Prometheus more engaging is that it’s not just a straightforward man-vs-alien struggle; it’s fueled by curiosity and the need to solve the universe’s deepest mysteries. The film manages to bring up a lot of strange, interesting, and mysterious things as it goes on, and never fully answers everything. This will leave many to claim that the film is shallow, pretentious, or just plain stupid. Others may be confused and frustrated. Personally, I found myself wishing for more answers, but ultimately arrived to my own conclusions (I’m not even sure if a sequel is really warranted, but if it brings more answers, then I think we’d all welcome it). As far as Prometheus being an Alien prequel: the connections between the two films were very slight, up until the very last shot, which was likely tacked-on to please the fans and provide more sequel bait. And as far as characters go, they met my expectations. It’s not like Alien had really grand depth in their characters, so Prometheus pretty much provides more of the same.
The film is quite slick. I loved the photography and imagery. Acting is swell; I thought Michael Fassbender was perfect; I generally enjoyed Noomi Rapace’s performance; Charlize Theron’s character was not particularly likable, but was still interesting; everybody else fulfilled their roles just fine and dandy. Writing seems to be the culprit of the film’s issues; the dialogue is not very sophisticated (even though it is lively and amusing enough), and the plot overall could have used some refinement. This production does have wonderful-looking sets, props, costumes, and special effects. It is especially interesting to see a lot more influences by HR Giger (including one of his rejected designs for Dune). Music is pretty elegant at times.
Alien was released thirty-three years ago with mixed reviews, but is now regarded as a masterpiece. Blade Runner received a mixed reception on its release thirty years ago. Now Prometheus is out…with mixed reviews. Time will tell whether or not Ridley Scott’s latest film will be revered in the same light as his older works. As it is now, I can only recommend it as a rental when the disc comes out.
4.5/5 (entertainment: 4.5/5, story: 4/5, film: 4.5/5)
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