In 1979, Ridley Scott had created a cinematic feature that had re-defined science fiction. Inspired by the nightmarish artworks produced by Hans Rudi Giger, and with a solid script written by Dan O'Bannon, a film which had been a metaphor for male oral rape and the birthing of a life form as a result of that rape had been ushered into the world and thus-- ALIEN had been ushered into the world. ALIEN had been so successful that it had spawned a sequel in 1986, written and directed by none other than James Cameron and what followed would be an addition of two more sequels, and two spin-off crossover films. It has been more than thirty years since Ridley Scott had ventured into the sci-fi genre, and marking his return is the sci-fi summer anticipation, Prometheus.
For thirty years, ALIEN fans have been awaiting the return of Ridley Scott and now with his return, fans can wait no longer. However is the film worth the hype it has been generating? Is the return of Ridley Scott something which fans have been awaiting thirty years for after all that waiting?
This is something which I myself am still questioning after having seen this film. So without further ado, I have decided to try my hand at reviewing Ridley Scott's Prometheus.
Spoiler
The story of Prometheus has actually very little, if nothing to do at all with the ALIEN story, but rather it's a story of it's own. It's an origin story, but not necessarily of the bio-mechanical killer that we have come to know for the last thirty years but rather it's an origin story of life itself as we know it. It's a story about where mankind comes from, and the lengths we go to discover where we came from. It's a story of questions we have asked as a race, and it's these questions which we will regret that we ever asked.
Let me say that this movie is NOT an Alien movie, while it's conception has started out as an Alien prequel, it has evolved into something of a side-story. Consider it a spin-off, if you will.
This film is very different from the Alien films, not just in story telling but in the overall atmosphere and the visual appeal of the film as well. It's actually quite fun to compare Prometheus with the 1979 hit, ALIEN, because the differences of this film are so obvious. Perhaps this is because of the advancements we have made in the last thirty years and the technology we have now for film making where as in 1979, we didn't have as much then to help out with cinematography and special affects. We also have to remember that the world of LV-223 and LV-426 are very different from each other, not to mention that the starship Prometheus is a better maintained, and perhaps a newer class vessel than the older, repaired freighter Nostromo.
The soundtrack which has been composed by Marc Streitenfeld compliments the film quite well. Prometheus was never intended to be a sci-fi horror but perhaps a sci-fi adventure of discovery. Comparing it to Jerry Goldsmith's ALIEN soundtrack, hearing the scores are very different as one conveys the quest to man's discovery, and the other conveys this strong ominous force from the darkest depths of space that man has to confront. However, it should be noted that there is a nod to ALIEN in Prometheus' soundtrack, something for the fans to appreciate perhaps.
The storyline of Prometheus, as I had already made mention, is that of the story of creation itself and where mankind has come from, and the questions which we ask ourselves. Where did we come from and who created us?
We open to a scene on a world which is covered mostly with water and take in breath taking views of this world from many different angled shots until we come to a water fall and bear witness to what can only be described as an absurdly large spacecraft, and walking towards the waterfall-- an Engineer. He takes in the view of the world that is all around him as he prepares himself to drink a black fluid. And there, he disintegrates and sacrifices himself to become the first DNA, and we can assume that life is created.
Skip to a few thousand years later, and we are introduced to an archeological team digging around in the Isle of Skye, Scotland. We are introduced to Elizabeth Shaw, a woman who has discovered a tomb where ancient cave paintings are depicting men worshipping giants who are pointing to the stars. She is accompanied by her companion and lover, Charles Halloway. Upon discovering this and a series of other paintings, they have persuaded Weyland Industries (or Weyland Corp) to embark on a journey to a star map which seems to lead them to a planet where the Engineers invited mankind to come.
Cut to a view of space, and we are introduced to the starship, Prometheus. Like the opening scene in ALIEN, the ship so far doesn't seem to have much activity happening in it. However we do see that the interiors of the ship are very pristine and kept under great maintenance, something which the Nostromo didn't exactly have. And it isn't very long until we are introduced to David 8. For a couple of scenes, we do see David playing basketball on a bicycle, and of course watching Lawrence of Arabia but it isn't long until the Prometheus' destination has been reached, and David attends to wake everyone from hyper sleep.
We are introduced to another character, named Vickers. Vickers is a woman who is ambitious and wants power. Truly a no nonsense woman and is strictly all business as far as she is concerned. Immediately after waking from her hyper sleep, already she is doing push ups and is ready to do her job.
It isn't long before everyone has woken up from hyper sleep, and a mission briefing is underway. Here we are re-introduced to Peter Weyland in the form of a hologram, who has delivered a message before his claimed death and why he has helped funded this archeological mission. And it is here that Shaw and Halloway explain why and who they have come to meet at LV-223.
The team begins to prepare to visit the site where these Engineers are apparently supposed to be. There is actually some very interesting dialogue shared between Halloway and David, discussing the differences between themselves as a Human Being and a Synthetic who was designed to be, for all intents and purposes, a Human Being as well.
It isn't long until the team ventures into the structure which appears to be some kind of mountain with a skull on it, and there it is discovered that the atmosphere in the structure is breathable, suggesting that the Engineers might have been terraforming on this planet. The team ventures onward, only to discover that their would be creators have all but died for two thousand years or more. And it is here that the archeological team discovers a room full of urns, and mural depicting a creature that the Engineers seem to either worship... or fear.. And it depicts a Xenomorph like creature.
And it's in this very room, where all hell begins to slowly break loose...
I could go further than this as far as reviewing the story goes but really, I think the gist of it has already been covered. So I won't go further than that as I want to cover over how I felt towards this film in particular and why I feel the way I feel about it as of this very moment.
It is quite obvious that there are numerous Ancient Astronaut themes to this film. However this film is not the first to do it, as Paul W.S. Anderson's AVP: Alien vs Predator had covered it already. But it's not done in the same way. The idea of extraterrestrials creating us, and guiding is nothing new. The latter, the idea of extraterrestrials guiding mankind is a theme shared between Alien vs Predator and Prometheus. However, Prometheus covers the whole enchilada by exploring the idea of creation. Those who have studied or are familiar with the works of Zachariah Sitchin and Erik Von Daniken's Ancient Astronaut theories know of the mythology of the Annunaki and their intervention of human evolution, that we were created from the Annunaki, made in their very image as we might be their descendants, and they, our ancestors.
Also there are heavy spiritual ties into Prometheus as well. A small discussion of beliefs has been brought up into the film that mankind as a whole has their own individual ideal of God. Not everyone worships the same God, and everyone has their own belief in what Heaven is supposed to be. It is also somewhat amazing to see Shaw clinging to her belief of a God despite the fact that she has for all intents and purposes, met her maker. A very interesting conversation is held between her and Halloway, with Shaw countering with a question of her own. It's not a word for word quote, so excuse me if it's wrong.
"Well, they created us.. So someone had to have created them?"
When alien intervention is thrown into the mix, it completely changes the aspect of divine creation and what mankind is on a whole new level. And when our creator or creators is not what we have believed them to be, nor are they benevolent and view us as nothing more than a failed creation, it presents a very damning question that no one ever wants to hear during the middle of a catastrophe.
"Where is your God now?"
The film has presented some questions which are ultimately left unanswered. Regarding the mural depicting the Xenomorph (or Xenomorph like creature) and the bodies which were piled up with their chest exploded outward, it seems to suggest that the Engineers have been aware of the Xenomorph for quite sometime. Perhaps just as long, if not longer than man has arrived. If that is the case, then if the Xenomorph was around for that time, why the change in development, why the ending?
And another question presented was the very question presented by Shaw herself. Why do the Engineers hate us? Why did they create us if they want to destroy us now? If we don't count the interview with Ridley Scott explaining the possibility that Jesus Christ was an Engineer and that we killed him, which resulted in the Engineers hating us, then what answers do we have?
And more importantly, what about the Derelict in ALIEN? If the ship in Prometheus wasn't the same ship, and if Shaw had taken another to leave LV-223 to go to the Engineer homeworld... then how does it explain the Derelict on LV-426 that has been there for maybe hundreds, if not thousands of years with the Xenomorph eggs kept on stasis?
Ultimately, none of these questions are answered.
Regarding the performances of the actors and actresses in this film, I have to say that I thought that they did a pretty good job. They seemed to pull their weight, and make the roles their own.
I thought that Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw, a woman who was so strong in her beliefs was pretty convincing and she delivered well enough for me. Charlize Theron as Vickers was also pretty convincing as an ambitious woman who wanted power and wealth for herself. Idris Elba as Janek, a ship captain who is there to do a job and make sure that his crew is safe, also is quite into the role.
Michael Fassbender did a phenomenal portrayal of a synthetic as David 8, he was for all intents and purposes-- perfect. The way he was presented, the way he walked, talked... he really came off as a synthetic.
And Guy Pierce as Peter Weyland, a self-made multi-billionare who believes himself to be equal with the gods was something interesting to see. And Pierce made the role definitely his.
So is Prometheus worth the hype as it had been building up? Is Ridley Scott cracked up as fans make him out to be or has he completely gone off his rocker? Is Prometheus worthy of ALIEN?
The hype which Prometheus has built up is insane. Perhaps right up there with the summer blockbuster, The Avengers. However, while the hype has been generated, it doesn't seem to live up to it as Avengers did with it's own hype. That's not to say it's a bad film but it's just full of ambiguity.
Is it worthy of ALIEN? I cannot say whether or not it is worthy of ALIEN because it is such a different film. While they are links to the two films, I feel as if they have been shoe-horned in and would've preferred this movie to be something more... on it's own. I felt that the links to ALIEN could've been done without. Had the film no links to ALIEN, it would've made me appreciate it more.
Does Ridley Scott still have the magic touch or has he gone completely insane? Well, I don't think it's fare to call Ridley Scott off his rocker, or insane, or say that he's smoking crack. He is a film maker, and a good one but he doesn't have the same touch as he did with ALIEN. Sometimes, I just don't get this metaphorical and metaphysical stuff which he puts in his movies but... that's his schtick I guess.
So what do I think of Prometheus? I for one enjoyed it for what it was. After reading reviews from people in the UK who seem to hate this film, I don't see what is such a plane wreck about this film. Yes, I do concede that the film could've done without any ties to the ALIEN franchise but I over all enjoyed it.
Much better than Robert Rodriguez's PREDATORS reboot. But that's not saying much.
