Director: Ridley Scott
Writers: Jon Spaihts & Damon Lindelof
Actors: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, & Idris Elba
[Proof that you do not need Sigourney Weaver for a good Alien movie]
Rated R {for non-squeamish adults}
Ridley Scott revisits the world of his science fiction masterpiece Alien (1979) with Prometheus, a daring prequel to the Alien quadrilogy. Fans of the classic series wait eagerly to find out if Prometheus will fall in line with Scott's Alien (1979), and its even more popular sequel directed by James Cameron, Aliens (1986), or if it will leave them wanting like David Fincher's third installment, Alien3 (1992), and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's fourth, Alien: Resurrection (1997). Can Scott bring a thrilling, game-changing performance like he did with Alien (1979)? It will take more than a cool sounding slogan to make me a believer.
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| "In space no one can hear you scream..." - Alien (1979) |
The budget of Prometheus was more than ten times that of Alien (1979). I am not saying that budget makes a movie, because that is far from the truth, but it definitely did not hurt. In fact, in several pre-release interviews Scott mentioned his excitement about the technological advancement and being more able to show his vision for the film.
Two viral clips, called "Prometheus Viral", were released to promote the film and give viewers important back story before they saw the movie. Is this the next stage in movie advertisement evolution? (Both videos can be viewed below)
This movie is all about the thrilling plot twists...
"If the ending to [Prometheus] is just going to be the room that John Hurt walks into that's full of [alien] eggs [in Alien], there's nothing interesting in that, because we know where it's going to end. Good stories, you don't know where they're going to end."
- Damon Lindelof, writer
The story was not spoon fed to the audience. There were several moments in the movie where I had to work plot connections on my own or information was not explained. Some examples of this would be David reporting that crew has been asleep for "2 years, 4 months, 18 days, 36 hours, 15 minutes" [unexplained], Dr. Shaw carbon dating something on a foreign planet [unexplained], director Vickers having sex to prove she is not an android like David [connection] and drug-fueled Dr. Shaw being about to run after traumatic abdominal surgery [unexplained]. While I admit that this bothers me in most movies, the confusion added to the thriller of this film.
Prometheus brought visuals and sound on par with several of Ridley Scott's other masterpieces, like Blade Runner (1982) and Gladiator (2000).
The characters and their interactions with each other were without a doubt the best part of this film. Both Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron really brought it with David and director Vickers, but Noomi Rapace's performance as Dr. Shaw was nothing short of amazing.
WHAT I DID NOT LIKE
I really hate when commercials show you key parts of a film, especially when a movie is in the thriller genre. Prometheus was guilty of this trend in all of its commercials excluding its first teaser. (That trailer can be viewed at the bottom of this post)
The viral clips, which included important back story, were not in the film. This was an huge oversight, as most movie go-ers are not avid Alien Youtube©, Facebook©,and Twitter© fans.
If you go to Prometheus to be startled like you were in Alien (1979), prepare yourself for inevitable disappointment. Prometheus relies more heavily on story than its predecessor, which is not really a bad thing other than it left a hole in my heart in the shape of jumping in my seat/grabbing my neighbor in sudden panic.
Prometheus was far from the best movie of the year, but it was more than refreshing to see a well-made aliens vs. humans film that did not leave me feeling like I wasted my time... and that if I could go back in time and stop myself from doing so, I would have done so five times! *cough* Skyline (2010) *cough* I give Prometheus a B for being better than average.
WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE IT?
This is a genre film. If you do not like science fiction AND thriller films, do not waste your time. For those who enjoy said genres, I would encourage you to see Prometheus on a big screen with killer sound so that you can enjoy its vast visuals and sound. Definitely worth the cost of my theater ticket.
SCORE
Personal Rating: 8 of 10 (B-)
Plot: 7 of 10 (a classic science fiction plot, insane plot twists included)
How does this TS review compare to major reviews?
IMDB 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes C-73%/A-72%
CONTENT
Violence: 9 of 10 (off-the-hinge intense violence/gore: several characters are bio-poisoned, decay/disintegrate, threatened, burned/melted by acid, burned/caught on fire, straggled, choked, squeezed, decapitated, thrown, and have limbs broken. Frightening images include: aliens slithering into character's screaming mouths, exposed bone, a character's body is taken over by an alien, an alien pregnancy, a violent emergency surgery, aliens doing alien stuff, and large alien tentacles attacking and killing several characters)
Language/Profanity: 7 of 10 (use of the following: "damn", "hell", "shit", "bitch", "bugger", "f**k")
Sexuality/Sensuality: 6 of 10 (crew members are seen in their non-provocative, bandage-resembling undergarments all throughout the movie, some are seen changing, a woman sits in her boyfriend's lap while they kiss and embrace, the lay in bed together, she begins to remove his shirt, sex is implied and confirmed later by another character when it is discovered that she is pregnant, a man jokes about two other men having sex, a woman flirts with a fellow crew member before inviting him to her room, sex is implied)
Spiritual Aspects: 5 of 10 (the story credits the creation of humanity to aliens, characters wrestle with this concept throughout the movie)
Drugs/Alcohol: 5 of 10 (alcohol is consumed several times throughout the movie, a character rigs his space suit to allow him to smoke what he implies is weed)
