Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Logan Marshall-Green, Sean Harris, Rafe Spall, Emun Elliot, Benedict Wong, Kate Dickie, and more.
Directed by: Ridley Scott Written by: Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof Original Music by: Marc Streitenfeld Cinematography by: Dariusz Wolski
Premise: Dr Elizabeth Shaw and Dr Charlie Holloway believe they’ve found messages from a race they call the Engineers in multiple engravings and cave paintings spanning over 35,000 years. Gaining the backing of major corporate player Weyland Industries, they’ve been able to use the drawings to narrow the location depicted in the paintings and carvings down to a specific solar system. After her crew spends over two years in cryogenic sleep, the Prometheus finally reaches the system. But not everyone’s motivations for this trip are what they seem and certain assumptions made are about to be proved terribly wrong. (Rated R)
Review:
1) Acting – Total Thumbs Up: Noomi Rapace made a very convincing Dr Shaw. Michael Fassbender was excellent as the android David 8. He gave great depth and nuance to the character of David, a being both mentally superior to humans and enslaved all the same, in many ways having the same issues as the interesting Meredith Vickers. Charlie Theron was a lot of fun as Vickers. She showed both the woman’s strengths and insecurities quite well.
2) Special Effects – Total Thumbs Up: The special effects in this film were amazing! Seeing them in IMAX 3D just made me appreciate their efforts all the more. The HUD and bridge screens looked fantastic in 3D.
The 3D imager compiling data from the scanner spheres made for a fabulous visual. Overall, the Earth equipment looked advanced yet usable by every day people. The filmmakers even managed to keep and expand on the ‘look and feel’ of the original alien technology seen briefly in the original film Alien, tying the two, at least visually, together.
The sequence at the very beginning of the film was grand and even a clue to the reason of further events. Don’t blink or you might miss the last tiny bit and what it implies.
3) Plot/Story – Neutral: If there was one place the film proved disappointing, it would have to be the story. Syncing anything to preexisting material can be difficult – that is a given. And while several items did get set up to relate back to the 1979 Alien film, there were too many other places where the story had no cohesion or explanations that made sense.
There were a couple of sub story plots that were interesting with regards to Dr Shaw and Dr Holloway as well as between David and Vickers, but the general story and the direction it takes failed to hold up. We meet a lot of people in a short time, but most don’t get filled out before they’re gone. The investment of the audience in what happens to the film characters wasn’t solidified enough before things happened to them.
A lot of the issues stemmed from the ‘convenience factor’. You have a group of people all going together to unknown areas of space yet before they come out of cryo-sleep, most have never even met before. And while several of those on the exploration team are scientists, they make some of the most unbelievable choices possible.
It could be that a lot of the footage which might have helped the story hold together better ended up on the cutting room floor or perhaps not. Either way, this most pivotal of items for a film was very lacking.
What answers the audience is given with regards to what is going on, and why, are few, and several don’t actually make sense when looked at closely. Definitely a negative point for the film.
5) Locations/Cinematography – Total Thumbs Up: From the moment the film begins, the audience is mesmerized by gorgeous sweeping scenes. Real or imagined, the movie watchers are given beautiful awe inspiring images throughout. Between the ‘top-notch’ Special Effects and the wonderful Cinematography, Prometheus should definitely be getting any number of awards.
Conclusion: Worth seeing purely for the fantastic visuals. Don’t expect many answers, and those you do get may not necessarily make any real sense. Left open for a sequel.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5 (Visually 5 out of 5!) (Hubby’s Rating: Worth Full Price Of Admission.)
