Excellent prequel to the "Alien" franchise. Review for Prometheus Sir Ridley Scott is back in the Alien business. Over thirty years after consum-mately redefining science fiction movies with a menacing reptilian creature whose blood content was dangerously acidic, the versatile English director finally brings his classic saga full circle with the prequel, Prometheus. And this is definitely a prequel despite all the earlier rhetoric to the contrary. It’s all too apparent that Scott has returned to his old stomping grounds- in a big way. Set thirty years before Sigourney Weaver and her Nostromos crew detour into unknown celestial territory while returning to earth, exploratory space vessel, Prometheus, forges through our solar system toward a planet orbiting the saturnian moon Io, that may or may not reveal the answer to the age old question- Where did we come from? Leading the charge amongst a crew of 17 are two scientists, Dr. Elizabeth Shaw(Noomie Rapace) and Dr. Charles Holloway(Logan Marshall-Green) who happen to be quite intimate. This however does not preclude them from asserting their opposing perspectives regarding mankind’s origins. She believes in a divine God, an intelligent designer who created everything; he believes Darwin’s theory of evolution is absolute fact.They have literally traveled billions of miles to see who’s right. Their generous benefactor Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce), c.e.o. of Weyland Industries must be the richest man in world history. He has spent a whopping trillion dollars (a mere fraction of our national debt), on this expedition. My Lord, if I were footing the billfor this, they had better find what both of us are searching for. Otherwise, I would be demanding an immediate refund. Once they land, our intrepid explorers anxiously rush to get outside, despite a high carbon dioxide reading. “It’s Christmas and I want to open my presents”, touts Holloway to the disapproving captain Janek (Idris Elba). Guess you can’t blame them, since they had to spend over two years in hypersleep stasis to get there. Vast panoramic views of the planet leave you no choice but to accept this as the real thing, thanks to the talented efforts of cinematographer Dariusz Wolski and Sir Ridley’s steady production designer, Arthur Max. Oh, the planet’s name by the way(according to Ridley) is Zeta 2 Reticuli. While there seems to be a “minor” error in this, it has not prevented Wolski and Max from delivering a completely otherworldly setting foreign to anything you’ve seen before. Alien fans (including yours truly) will notice all the obvious character parallels stemming from the franchise. Most apparent is Michael Fassbender’s David, the” artificial person”/precursor to Ian Holmes’ Ash, thus arousing your suspicions immediately as to what exactly his intentions are. Next up is mission commander Meredith Vickers played by the increasingly versatile Charlize Theron. She seems to be a combo package of the straitlaced Lt. Gorman (Aliens) and the conniving Carter Burke who also had an alternate agenda regarding the aliens. The Borgias’ Sean Harris apes Yaphet Kotto’s Parker in his desire to make money, and Noomie Rapace’s Shaw is forced from “Snow White” to hardcore akin to Sigourney’s Ripley. Scott’s writing duo Joe Spaihts (The Darkest Hour) and Damon Lindelof take us on an unexpected fun ride, going back 35,000 years to bring Alien veterans as well a novices up to speed to what’s really going on here. Prometheus is an excellent starting point for those who’ve never watched the other films. Their dialogue/action sequences sport the requisite suspense filled build up, although Ridley’s execution surprisingly , seems to lack that unique melding of sci-fi and gothic horror that made the seminal Alien a major heart stopper. Superb visual effects during a harrowing vista involving the Prometheus and the alien ship, plus the magnitude of an urgent choice concerning the crew, compensates adequately. No one, including the ship’s personnel, are spared from the increasing danger that follows our gallant star travelers. If Prometheus is the beginning of some sort of prequel franchise, Scott is heading in the right direction. Armed with good story lines and casts, the potential is limitless and can only get better as it continues. Prayerfully, if it does continue, Sir Ridley will be able to recreate that same terrifying experience from over 30 years ago.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Oct 2013 20:23:43 +0000