Prometheus
Directed by Ridley Scott
Written by Jon Spaihts & Damon Lindelof
Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbinder, Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce
Rated 'R' (graphic sci-fi violence, profanity, and sexual situations)
A 20th Century Fox release
124 minutes
Lately speculative fiction has been making a comeback--a welcome one for me--in the movie theaters both artistically and at the box office, mostly thanks to the genre-crossing hit with social commentary, The Hunger Games. Prometheus is not as successful in terms of story, but its technical prowess, acting, and lack of fear in dealing with grand concepts make it worthwhile viewing for sci-fi fans and non-squeamish adult moviegoers.
The movie basically serves as the prequel to the Alien series, but those expecting wall-to-wall chest bursting and aliens with dripping maws will be disappointed. Prometheus begins with a possible theory of the creation of life on Earth that those familiar with ancient astronaut theories and History Channel late night television may appreciate the most. Next, near the end of our current century, scientists/explorers Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace, the original screen Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with another strong action performance, both in acting and athleticism) and Charlie Halloway (Logan Marshall-Green) discover over 35 millenia-old cave drawings in Scotland, which depict a similar scene--the worship of, or interaction with, a giant humanoid being and the depiction of a star system--to many unrelated archeological finds worldwide. This seems to inspire a corporate space expedition mainly funded by an elderly tychoon (Guy Pearce, nearly unrecognizable in heavy old age makeup) and led by Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron). The recognizable H.R. Giger creatures have a small role to play in what follows, but mostly the film concerns itself with belief and faith, the origin of life, and answering the question, what is the real motivation of the voyage and the motivations behind what they find in the hostile alien landscape.
Ridley Scott's latest film at least technically matches up with his finest efforts. Prometheus was filmed in 3D and is best seen in that format, with sequences involving life's creation, a desert storm in space, and the discovery of holographic celestial navigation maps. Partial credit for the 3D success should go to cinematographer Dariusz Wolski (Dark City, Sweeney Todd, and Alice in Wonderland, among many credits) for managing to work with a dark palette and still delivering coherent and crisp imagery.
As for acting, Ms. Rapace and Michael Fassbinder, as the Peter O'Toole Lawrence of Arabia emulating android, steal their scenes, and fortunately they are the actors with the most significant plot and screen time. Other crew members acquit themselves well, but Ms. Theron is wasted in a relatively minor plot-device role.
Although the screenwriting is not as smart as it positions itself to be, the movie generally works as speculative fiction and "serious" science fiction. There are some effective suspense-thriller moments and selective violence in the latter third of Prometheus' running time, but overall the tone is more haunting and meditative, focusing on issues of faith and the origin of the species.
For those expecting buckets of gore and nonstop alien splattering, you may just want to revisit Sigourney Weaver's Ripley character and James Cameron's Aliens instead. If you desire to see well-executed 3D imagery and suprisingly thought-provoking plot elements, this may be your film for Summer 2012.
Overall rating: ***1/2 out of ****
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