Prometheus Review & 2012 Recap

Humanity, Black Goo of Death, Easter Island Heads, the usual alien creations

So, I'm back. After a very long hiatus (5 months, my last review was of IMAX MI4, a Blu-ray I own now LOL), due to the increasing pressures of real life, I'm going to return to (at least) writing movie reviews, with maybe some TV (I'll review Season 5 of Breaking Bad, maybe Falling Skies if I watch it). Also, I'm going to rate out of 10 now. 5 stars is so imprecise and unnecessarily convoluted, don't you think? And honestly, I couldn't think of a better kickoff of my return to blogging than the review of one of my most anticipated films of the year, Prometheus. FYI, my favorites of the year so far are The Avengers (that was pure fun), The Cabin in the Woods (gloriously meta comedy-horror), The Grey (effective survival tale with a powerhouse Liam Neeson), and Chronicle (the best found-footage flick I've seen). As for disappointments, Haywire was OK but a bit of a disappointment (more expected from Soderbergh), and Snow White and the Huntsman was a colossally unexpected turd, just a joyless plodding fantasy. I have yet to see The Hunger Games or John Carter, but plan to in the future. Anyway, enough recap, on to Prometheus. Read the review following this oddly creepy Michael Fassbender photo. BTW, this will probably end up being an EPICALLY LONG review.

Charlize Theron and old Guy Pearce, mummy and daddy.

Prometheus is, of course, a movie with a massive hype machine that's been around it since the project was announced as an Alien prequel over three years ago. First it was a Carl Erik Rinsch-directed prequel (who went on to do 47 Ronin with Keanu Reeves, GOD HELP HIM), then a Ridley Scott-directed, Jon Spaihts-scripted prequel (who went on to write that massive turd, The Darkest Hour), with various rumored titles, including Paradise (now stated to be the title for a potential Prometheus sequel) and Alien Harvest (reminded me way too much of Alien Resurrection). Then Damon Lindelof, the co-creator of Lost, was hired to rewrite, and suddenly, the project took on a whole new scope. Scott and Lindelof were said to be taking the story in a more original standalone direction. I'd love to read Spaihts' original draft, which apparently had the same basic story outline as the final film, but included the classic Alien tropes, including facehuggers, chestbursters, full-fledged Xenomorphs, and so on. Lindelof apparently suggested to him that the familiar elements had a very "been there, done that" feel, and that the story would survive cutting them, for a grander and more epic-in-scope piece. Eventually, about a year and a half ago, Prometheus was announced, and much to my surprise, would be released in 2012. Casting soon followed, with Noomi Rapace, Fassbender, Idris Elba, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce (who had more screentime in his viral TED Talk 2023 clip than in the actual movie), and others signing up for roles. And as some great marketing, mesmerizing trailers, and constant hints about the movie's tenuous connection to the Alien series continued, anticipation grew to an all-time high. And now, the weekend of the film's release, people are ready for legendary director Ridley Scott's long-awaited return to the genre that made him what he is: science fiction. And now, my verdict on Prometheus, shortly after this unrelated photo of a space jockey:

Time for me to ride my derelict all the way home.

Prometheus was never going to be a movie that truly fulfilled its audiences' hopes and dreams, as the hype train was going too fast, but still, the reactions to this movie have been damn polarizing so far. Some are labeling it as Scott's triumphant return to glory, and some are labeling it as his Phantom Menace, a movie that totally failed to live up to expectations. Some on the Internet have been critical of plot holes (there aren't any if you interpret the movie a little differently), flat characterization, a slow pace, and a shaky threadbare story. They have also called out the movie for asking big questions about life and humanity, and then just not bothering to answer them. And honestly, I just think they're overreacting to certain flaws, and then just are angry about ones that aren't there. However, what irks me the most is that people keep directly comparing it to Alien, as if the two are identically styled genre pics. Prometheus isn't remotely like Alien from a genre standpoint, as while Alien was basically a bigger-budget B-movie (admittedly, an unbelievably well-executed one), Prometheus is more like taking the tech of the Alien universe and transposing it onto 2001 or Blade Runner. Not that it is as good as either of those, mind you. Make no mistake, Prometheus has some pacing problems, its story is a tad thin, and only a few characters in the cast are really interesting. It is also most definitely the least of Scott's three sci-fi movies, lacking the straightforward horror narrative and drive of Alien and the incredible depth and thematic complexity of Blade Runner. However, I still think that it's at least the best space movie (sci-fi is such a broad term) since Duncan Jones' Moon, and is indeed a worthy and triumphant return to the genre for Scott, who, pushing 75 years of age, still has astounding filmmaking chops. His direction really is some great stuff, providing us with some of the best visuals ever seen on film. You'd think that with age, modern moviemaking tech would seem ALIEN to him (geddit??), but damn if the man hasn't missed a beat in his 35-year career in the business. I personally think that the visual effects displayed here trump those of even Avatar, as I feel that while it pulled out all the stops for its visual splendor, Prometheus does it effortlessly (and reportedly for $100 million less as well). Lindelof's script is easily the weakest aspect of the movie, as it fails to establish the more ancillary characters beyond a few broad strokes (Rafe Spall's Millburn is basically the plant version of Matt Hooper from Jaws, while Sean Harris' Fifield is the viewer identification character, who also serves as the guy that's only there to get paid. But hey, Kate Dickie as the ship's medic and and the two pilots get none at all). Really, the only characters who matter remotely are Rapace's Shaw, Fassbender's android David, Theron's Vickers, Elba's Janek, Pearce's Weyland, and Logan Marshall-Green's Holloway. But all of them get at least a little solid characterization, only bolstered by their superb acting. Noomi Rapace makes a solid Hollywood leading debut as Elizabeth Shaw, following in Sigourney Weaver's Ripley's footsteps quite admirably as a feminine warrior figure. Theron becomes basically a female, sexed up Burke from Aliens as Meredith Vickers, Elba's Janek is a lovably sardonic ship captain, and Marshall-Green's Holloway is a love interest with a target painted on his back (albeit one with a fairly developed personality). The real standout is Fassbender, who plays David with a perfect placid creepiness, combining aspects of Ian Holm and Lance Henriksen from the Alien movies with the replicants from Blade Runner. Marc Streitenfeld's score has also been cited as a flaw, with some calling it inappropriate or even embarassing. Once again, I disagree wholeheartedly, as while Streitenfeld's pastoral theme would be wrong for Alien, Prometheus is not a horror movie, and his score is both wondrous and tense when need be. Dariusz Wolski's cinematography makes for some beautiful imagery. And that's it for my review from a execution standpoint. I'm going to write a separate article to attempt to explain its connection to Alien. In short, Prometheus is a return to form for Scott after a string of mediocre flicks, and while it's flawed, I think it's one of the best of the year thus far. I like it the more I think about it, and I find that while it doesn't answer the big questions it poses, it instead leaves them open to interpretation. I feel that appreciation will increase in the years to come, and that one day, it will be remembered as a genre standout, if not a classic.

Prometheus gets a 9 out of 10.