Prometheus Review

Science fiction - Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, and Charlize Theron. Directed by Ridley Scott. (2012)

Since the beginning of time, man has questioned it’s existence. Who is our creator and what is the meaning of life? Prometheus explores just that and more. Doctors Shaw and Holloway are on a mission to solve this age old mystery with the help of a very wealthy investor. But when they find what they’ve been tirelessly seeking, they immediately discover that their stubborn curiosity may result in the destruction of mankind.

Prometheus grabs the viewer’s attention from the very start with stunning visual effects and heightens the emotional intensity of the audience with every passing moment. Granted, there were some moments that lagged a bit due to awkward interaction between crew members. Prometheus has the potential to be great, but the lack of character development leaves something to be desired.

I have to give big props to Noomi Rapace (Dr. Elizabeth Shaw) and Logan Marshall-Green (Dr. Charlie Holloway). It was their relationship and determination to find the truth about the existence of the human race that kept me enthralled. And after all, this expedition into deep space was driven by their theories about the creation of mankind. Charlize Theron (Meredith Vickers) both delights and angers you throughout the film with her role as the representative of the funding corporation for the voyage. It isn’t until near the very end of the film that you learn just why she seems so hardened and all business.

Michael Fassbender plays the token robot, David. He’s very reminiscent of Ash in Alien and Bishop in the sequel, but he’s very odd and unsettling at times. Even when he isn’t plotting to infect members of the crew and urging another not to perform a lifesaving self-operation, he’s not very likeable, at least to me. He seems to be cold and calculating and almost appears to understand human emotions even though he has no such emotions to speak of. In addition, David’s behavior seems to be fueled by revenge and after he questions Dr. Holloway about how he would feel if he met his maker, seeking answers, and was made to feel trivial, appears to feel resentment towards those that created him.

Kudos to Ridley Scott and writers Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof for putting together such an enthralling and beautiful sci-fi adventure. It’s been a topic of discussion in many circles as to whether or not Prometheus is an Alien prequel. Throughout the movie I was able to see many similarities, but it was still very original and could not be coined an exact copy, at least in my opinion. What was clear almost as soon as the crew landed on this mysterious, far away planet was the fact that they most definitely did not belong there, nor was their presence welcome.

I do like the fact that questions were left unanswered leaving the possibility for another film. It’s very difficult to review Prometheus without giving too much away, but I can say that in addition to it’s impressiveness visually, there’s just enough violence and gore to keep even the most desensitized movie goer’s attention. Prometheus begs the question, who exactly created us and where did they come from? But more importantly, where have they gone and were we really what they had envisioned and expected of their creation?

If I were to rate this film simply based on it’s visual aspects, I would give it a 5. However the lack of character development, which personally distracted me, leads me to give it a 3.5. Despite having a few flaws and slow moments, it was an enjoyable film that I would recommend to any fan of horror and science fiction.

Rating 3.5 out of 5
By Debbie Lord
8th June 2012