Prometheus

After months of curious speculation and sci-fi fervor, Prometheus has finally landed. The question of "is it, or isn't it?" is finally answered, after elusive interviews and red herrings. Even Ridley Scott himself has answered furtively about the topic. If the extended previews aren't enough of a giveaway, I'll tell you now. It is.

The origins story for the magnificent creation of Dan O'Bannon's Alien universe has come full circle with the explanation of how those feisty and delectably scary creatures came to be. Ridley Scott helms the project in a return to the genre that he helped define over three decades ago, and crafts a picture that puts science fiction horror back on the map. In a related turn, Scott is working on a Blade Runner sequel set for production after his Cormac McCarthy, Brad Pitt, and Michael Fassbender project. No big deal there.

I was ready to view this in 3D and IMAX this morning, when we were told that there were some technical difficulties. We had to settle for 2D, but in my opinion, it is well worth the price of admission. A confusing beginning will become clear at the end, and the serene scenery that provides a visual journey into a futuristic world is prodded along nicely by the musical highs and lows accompanying this beautiful vision of Ridley Scott. The story is straight forward enough; a crew of scientists travel through deep space after identifying an invitation from a superior being that has been hidden throughout generations in a variety of civilizations on Earth. As their exploration begins to uncover more questions than answers, not everyone is satisfied.

It's hard to talk about sci-fi horror films without addressing the elephant in the room; the aliens. Ridley Scott does a terrific job of making the story and the ethereal questions the real star. Although the audiences gather en masse to see scary beasties rip apart people in frightening and spine-tingling manners, the creature(s) in this case take a backseat to this fascinating quandary of existentialism. Scott deftly keeps the creatures an important part of this journey, but not the stars of the show as they have in previous renditions of the Alien universe.

The cast is a great assemblage of veteran actors and up-and-comers. The biggest star is arguably Charlize Theron, who plays the leader of the Prometheus' expedition with a secret that may or may not put her fellow crew members in jeopardy. However, nobody would have guessed at the onset of filming this particular movie that Michael Fassbender would explode with the magnitude that he has, hurtling himself into the stratosphere of fame and making him one of the hottest names in Hollywood. He plays David, the obligatory android accompanying the humans; cool, calm, and emotionless. Following his own protocol, his gaze is convincingly robotic, and he is even given a bit of personality to relieve some of the tension.

Idris Elba plays the captain of the ship, and is notable in his affable demeanor and practical confidence. He is the glue that keeps this whole thing grounded. Noomi Rapace is our Ripley redux, which is a tough pill to swallow. She's a fearless woman thrust into an impossible situation who must sacrifice everything to save the universe. It is a bit cliche for the God-fearing scientist to make such growth over the course of a two hour film, but it is in Scott's head that this all plays out, and I'm sure he had his reasons. I wasn't completely convinced that she was up for the task.

The musical tones from the previews didn't find their way into the film, which I found disappointing. Instead, a more upbeat and out of place score filled the scenes that could have been enhanced by a more ominous tune, or even dead silence. It instead was reminiscent of something you might find in a Star Trek film, where horror and fear are overshadowed by futuristic technology and the allure of interstellar space travel.

The film had good pacing, albeit predictable once contact was made on the planet. Many of the crew members seemed ill-prepared for a discovery or confrontation of this magnitude, but that serves the typical Alien films well. Vastly undermanned when they need it the most. That sense of solitude and isolation is a killer. The scenes that audiences will be looking for are few and far between, and unfortunately the climax is even a bit underwhelming. There is one particular scene however, that evokes the chest-bursting shock of the original Alien, and caused me to literally squirm in my seat. You will know exactly what I'm talking about when you see the film. It is expertly done, and is gruesome and agonizing.

This film leaves some questions unanswered, but that may be purposeful. Perhaps after Blade Runner II, Ridley Scott will take another stab at this universe, which he ultimately did connect nicely to the rest of the franchise. I would have preferred something a bit more unnerving, and perhaps more gory, but that's just me. The job was monumental, and although my expectations couldn't have been higher, I enjoyed this film significantly despite the aforementioned flaws. The one incredible scene will remain memorable for me however. See this film if you're a fan of Aliens. If not, you might not appreciate it in the same light. 8/10.