Prometheus 3D Review

Rated R (Sci-Fi Violence including some Intense Images, and Brief Language)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 4 Minutes

Cast-

Noomi Rapace-Dr. Elizabeth Shaw

Logan Marshall-Green-Dr. Charlie Holloway

Charlize Theron-Meredith Vickers

Michael Fassbender-David

Idris Elba-Captain Janek

Guy Pearce-Peter Weyland

Kate Dickie-Dr. Ford

Rafe Spall-Millburn

Sean Harris-Fifield

Benedict Wong-Ravel

Emun Elliott-Chance

Patrick Wilson-Shaw's Father

Ian Whyte-The Engineer

Directed by Ridley Scott

Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace), Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green), and David (Michael Fassbender) explore humanity's origins in Ridley Scott's "Prometheus."

Note: This review may contain some unintentional spoilers.

‘You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? A perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility. I admire its purity. A survivor...unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.’ Thirty-three years ago in 1979, director Ridley Scott unleashed one of the most memorable and terrifying menaces we hope to never encounter in space with his science fiction/horror masterpiece “Alien.” Although the film was initially met with a mixed reception from critics, it went on to achieve lasting critical acclaim and rocketed then-unknown actress Sigourney Weaver to superstardom. Roger Ebert stated in his review that ‘one of the great strengths of [the film] is its pacing. It takes its time. It waits. It allows silences. It suggests the enormity of the crew's discovery by building up to it with small steps.’ Seven years later in 1986, the sequel “Aliens” was released with James Cameron at the helm. In contrast to Scott’s focus on a slow-burn atmosphere seeped in suspense and dread, Cameron opted for all-out action instead. “Aliens” holds the rare distinction of being more critically acclaimed than its predecessor, with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, the franchise began to lose its way by the third installment and constant interference from 20th Century Fox led to David Fincher outright disowning “Alien 3,” which was released in 1992. I honestly found it to be an underrated film and the ‘Assembly Cut’ alleviates many of the problems that plagued the theatrical version, which was edited without the participation of Fincher. 1997’s “Alien Resurrection” proved to be the death knell of the franchise and the iconic Xenomorphs would lie dormant until 2004’s “Alien vs. Predator” and 2007’s “Aliens vs. Predator Requiem,” which did little except damage the brand even further. 

Development of a fifth “Alien” film stretched as far back as 2002 with Scott expressing interest to return to the franchise he created in order to explore the origins of the Xenomorphs and the mysterious ‘Space Jockey,’ a deceased extraterrestrial being who briefly appears in the original film as the pilot of a derelict spaceship. Announced as an untitled prequel to “Alien” in 2009, Scott initially had no interest to direct and hand-picked Carl Erik Rinsch, whose work was primarily in commercials, to helm the film while he would serve as producer instead. The project stalled as 20th Century Fox was adamant that Scott direct and he finally relented after a few months of hand-wrangling. The initial script from Jon Spaihts was more-or-less a straight prequel but once Damon Lindelof was hired to perform rewrites, it ‘evolved [into] a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place.’ “Prometheus” finally arrives into theaters after such an agonizing wait and while its expanded scope leads to a somewhat clumsy narrative and marginalized characters, the film remains a fine return to form for Ridley Scott thanks to its haunting visuals, philosophical musings, and compelling performances—especially from Michael Fassbender as the mysterious android David. 

In the distant past, a pale humanoid alien consumes a strange compound that causes its body to disintegrate, seeding the planet with its DNA while a spaceship hovers above. Fast forward to the year 2089, an archeologist couple, Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green), discover a 35,000 year old cave painting of a star map on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. This star map was also found among several unconnected ancient cultures, leading to Shaw to theorize that it as an invitation from an extraterrestrial race she dubs ‘Engineers,’ the forerunners of humanity. Using the star maps as a guide, Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce), the elderly founder of Weyland Corporation, funds a scientific expedition to the distant moon LV-223. The starship Prometheus, with a crew of seventeen led by Captain Janek (Idris Elba), arrives at the moon in 2093 to search for any signs of the Engineers but mission director Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) explains to Shaw and Holloway to not initiate any contact if they are found. Accompanying the crew is an android named David (Michael Fassbender) who attends to the ship’s day-to-day activities. Prometheus lands near a dome-like structure and a team that includes Shaw, Holloway, and David is sent out to explore it with the aid of small drones to map out the interior. Inside is a mausoleum filled with strange murals, several stone containers, and a monolithic statue of a humanoid head. The team also finds the decapitated body of an Engineer and retrieves its head to bring back to the ship. As the crew further investigates, it soon becomes clear that the intentions of the Engineers were far from benign and that their discovery not only has deadly repercussions for Earth, but for all of humanity as well. 

There has been much confusion about whether “Prometheus” is a prequel to “Alien” and while there are several references to Ridley Scott’s own 1979 classic, it is largely a stand-alone affair. Scott took a minimalist approach to the story in “Alien” and focused on building suspense in what was essentially a battle of survival between a starship’s small crew and a parasitic life-form that only lived to further propagate its own species to destructive effect. While some of those elements have been retained, “Prometheus” aims bigger to avoid being a simple retread and functions as Scott’s own version of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” In fact, both films begin with effectively the same shot and explore similar existential concepts on creation, evolution, and humanity’s place in the universe. There’s even a scene where David goes about his routine (riding a bike and playing basketball) while the crew of the Prometheus are in hyper-sleep, a homage to Frank Poole enjoying a jog on Discovery One. “Prometheus” functions as a tale of children (humanity) meeting face-to-face with their maker (the Engineers) and the antagonistic relationship they share but the question is why. In Greek mythology, the Titan Prometheus stole and gave humanity the gift of fire but was subsequently punished by Zeus, who bound the Titan to a rock and had an eagle consume his liver every day. Representing the unintended consequences of exceeding one’s grasp, the Engineers’ hatred of humanity may stem from a fear of their ‘children’ surpassing them one day. It is also interesting to note the parallels between the crew’s cavalier attitude toward David and the Engineers’ anger at humanity. Of course all this is speculation but while the film’s philosophical musings are welcome, very few concrete answers are provided and this will prove to be the most frustrating aspect for casual audiences who were expecting a straight-forward science fiction film. In trying to explore as many themes and ideas as possible, the narrative in “Prometheus” ends up being somewhat jumbled with character development being marginalized. Yet as flawed as the script may be, I admire the fact that Scott and his writers took a chance rather than play it safe, something that is sorely lacking in Hollywood right now. These issues fall by the wayside once you begin to take in the film’s haunting visuals, with one of the highlights being the holographic star map that David finds deep within the bowels of the Engineer’s ship. Scott’s use of digital effects serve as a reminder of the difference a talented director can make compared to a hack like Michael Bay, who bombards the viewer with an incoherent mess of CG. The cinematography from Dariusz Wolski combined with the impeccable production design of Arthur Max creates this incredibly textured world that offer hints of the horror that lies underneath the ruins of LV-223. 

Scott hasn’t forgotten about the horror aspects that made “Alien” a classic and there are several scenes that will leave you gripping your seat, including a gruesome surgery performed on Shaw that gives new meaning to Caesarean section. Many of the classic creatures in “Alien” have been reverse-engineered for “Prometheus” but they retain the fetishistic sexual imagery found in the work of Swiss surrealist painter H.R. Giger, who designed the murals glimpsed in the beginning of the film. As for whether an actual Xenomorph appears in the film, the answer is no but something does appear at the end that left my jaw hanging. The score from Marc Streitenfeld isn’t as memorable compared to Jerry Goldsmith’s but it helped enhance the foreboding atmosphere of the film, especially during the more suspenseful scenes. I was initially very skeptical of the 3D despite “Prometheus” being shot with Red Epic 3D cameras as much of the film takes place in dark environments with minimal lighting. Fortunately, Scott compensates for the dimming effect that comes with wearing 3D glasses as the film retains a stunningly bright clarity yet it never feels artificial as the darkness actually feels dark. The amount of depth that fills every scene is amazing and really makes the sets come alive despite the fact that this is the first time Scott has used 3D. He doesn’t engage in any gimmicks by having objects ‘pop out’ but this subtle use of 3D is perfectly balanced: it immerses the viewer but does not distract them. 

The performances are believable and Noomi Rapace (the original girl with the dragon tattoo) makes for a fine heroine. She’s no Ellen Ripley but she instills Elizabeth Shaw with indomitable survival instinct that comes in handy during the second half of the film. Most of the characters aren’t developed beyond their basic personality traits such as Charlize Theron’s icy turn as corporate lackey Meredith Vickers or Idris Elba’s world-weary Captain Janek. Scott also throws in a few bickering crew members with Rafe Spall’s Millburn and Sean Harris’s Fifield, a nice nod to Brett and Parker in the original “Alien.” The standout is Michael Fassbender, an actor who continuously delivers one excellent performance after another, whatever the genre may be. On the outside, Fassbender’s David feels stiff but there are a lot of emotions underneath. There’s both a vulnerable and a treacherous side to his character, one who wants to help his human creators but also prove to them that he is superior. I know his fans were disappointed that he was snubbed for an Academy Award nomination but you know what, Fassbender does not need some statue to validate his talent as long as he keeps delivering performances like these. 

“Prometheus” was released on June 8, 2012 to positive reviews with 74% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics found that ‘Ridley Scott's ambitious quasi-prequel to Alien may not answer all of its big questions, but it's redeemed by its haunting visual grandeur and compelling performances—particularly Michael Fassbender as a fastidious android.’ I saw “Prometheus” at an advanced screening (strangely sponsored by Coors Light Beer) and most of the audience was absorbed with the film, although there were some hecklers who couldn’t keep their mouths closed. Some of the reactions I’ve been reading have been mixed and opinions are largely divided. To inspire such fervent discussion is both the film’s main strength and weakness; it keeps it in the public consciousness longer but will frustrate many, and some will likely just throw up their arms and give up. While “Prometheus” can be too ambiguous, I enjoy films that make you think about what you’ve seen and what type of meaning the director is striving for. Keep in mind that the original “Alien” was not well-received upon release as well. As for the box office, I have feeling that it’s going to settle for second place given the R-rating but it is tracking for a debut of at least $50 million and has already earned $46 million internationally. “Prometheus” has its flaws but the film remains thought-provoking and visually striking, serving as a reminder that in the vast coldness of space, no one can hear you scream.

Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5

“Big things have small beginnings.”