I’m a little late to the party on this movie, but I finally got around to seeing it in glorious 2-D (ha! suck it 3-D) and I was treated to a great sci-fi story with hints of Alien beginnings. I just wasn’t prepared for the knowledge that “Building Better Worlds” also comes with a lot of unanswered questions. Read on for the rest of the review…
Short nitty-gritty plot description from IMDb is as follows: A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.
It’s hard to review Prometheus without diving into deep spoiler territory, but I’ll be trying my best. If you’re in the mood for spoilers and want to read a great review, check out Titans Terrors & Toys review of Prometheus.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. Is Prometheus a prequel to Alien? The only answer to that is yes and no. The film does go into the history of the ‘Space Jockey’s’, known as The Engineer’s in this film, the same style of ship you see at the beginning of Alien is further explored and Weyland Industries is once again “The Company” that keeps trying to screw humanity over. If you’re expecting a direct prequel though, prepare to be disappointed. The film is set 30 years before Alien, but the events that are happening in this movie don’t directly lead up to Alien. Instead you get to explore a far off planet, weapons of mass destruction and plenty of mythology that is left completely open for a sequel. I know Ridley Scott has gone on record saying that he hopes to do a sequel that will further dive into the history of ‘The Engineer’s and hopefully answer some unanswered questions. Let’s hope that he is given that opportunity.
My feelings coming directly out of the movie were all over the place. I was disappointed at first with it not being a direct prequel and that it left me with more questions than answers, but as a few days passed, I began to better understand where Ridley Scott was going with the film. If you look deep enough into what the story brought, you’ll begin to see strands of how a derelict ship full of alien eggs could end up on a random planet (LV 426), it’s just not in your face exposition. As for the unanswered questions, it only makes me more excited for the “eventual” sequel.
Now you may be asking, how’s the acting? Honestly, besides a few stiffly delivered lines and obvious cannon fodder crew members, I didn’t have any major problems with anyone in this film. Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw, puts in a solid performance as the doctor who’s passion for the answer manages to power her through circumstances out of her control. Charlize Theron’s Meredith Vickers is one woman you don’t want piss off. She’s stern, to the point and cold. Unfortunately, her only downfall is her uncanny ability to not be able to turn left or right, but only run in a straight line. I do wish we would’ve saw more of Guy Pearce’s Peter Weyland. Instead what we got was a thin and predictable storyline. The top award must go to Michael Fassbender’s portrayal as David, the ever obedient “crew member,” who’s knowledge of what’s going on goes far beyond what we think. For a character that really only has one emotion, Fassbender manages to create someone that will have you constantly guessing if he’s on your side or just in it for himself.
Conclusion time! A deep sci-fi story, set in the same universe that brought us Alien. Prometheus manages to provide plenty of backstory, but also sets up plenty of unanswered questions. Your enjoyment of the film will be solely based on whether you can accept that not everything needs an answer. As for myself, I’ll be putting this guaranteed purchase on my shelf, right next to my copy of the Alien Anthology [Blu-ray]
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