Prometheus

Release Date: June 8th, 2012
Running Time: 124 minutes
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Written by: Jon Spaihts & Damon Lindelof
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Guy Pearce

Prometheus is a prequel to the Alien series, and the original film's director, Ridley Scott, returns to helm this fifth entry in the franchise. It's not a direct prequel, however, in that it doesn't lead up to where the first Alien began but is rather a new chapter in the series, taking place some thirty years before. Scott has said that Prometheus will likely be the first of a trilogy of prequels, the third of which will lead more directly into events of the 1979 original (like what George Lucas did with the Star Wars prequel trilogy), but it stands on its own as a great science fiction action picture.

The film opens with a tall, hooded figure standing beside a mountainous waterfall, as a spacecraft departs overhead. The cloak falls to reveal a pale-faced, bald-headed humanoid, but clearly not human. He drinks a mysterious liquid and immediately begins writhing in pain, his body rapidly decaying and breaking apart as he falls into the waters below. Underwater, the fragmented body parts continue to break up into smaller and smaller bits, then are magnified for the audience to see what looks like cellular structures and DNA strands. Prometheus, from Greek mythology, was the creator of humankind and gave them fire stolen from the gods. Given the title of the film, its tagline "The search for our beginning could lead to our end", and the marketing which framed it as an origin story, it's not unreasonable to assume that this planet is Earth, and that possibly humankind has evolved from this humanoid's decayed cells. So, is it a story of human origins then, or the origin of the alien creature? Is the suggestion that the origin of our species is somehow connected to the origin of the alien (the "Xenomorph", as it's been called)? And who is this tall, pale humanoid that we've never seen in any of the other Alien films? These are some questions that I had going into the film, and in its early minutes. As the story continues, many more thought-provoking questions are raised, and only partially answered.

After this opening the story flashes forward to the year 2089 where we meet two archaeologists, Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway, played by Noomi Rapace and Logan Marshall-Green, respectively. The two have discovered a series of hieroglyphic paintings from several unconnected ancient cultures which they believe to be star maps. They interpret the discovery of these maps as evidence that an alien species has been to Earth millennia before, and these maps are pointing the way to their planet. A few years later, the Weyland Corporation funds an expedition to follow the maps, on a ship where we meet an array of characters. And so the adventure is underway.

In addition to the two archaeologists, other prominent characters on the ship (named "Prometheus") are: David (Michael Fassbender)—an android of similar design to those that appear in other Alien films, Janek (Idris Elba)—the captain of the ship, and Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron)—the Weyland Corporation representative sent to monitor the mission, of which she clearly disapproves. Several other specialists—geologist, biologist, medic, and various technicians—round out the crew. They locate the planet in question and discover what appears to be a manufactured structure, apparently long since abandoned. The group find evidence inside that suggests it was the same humanoid species who appeared at the beginning of the film that built and formerly occupied this building. Shaw and Holloway name this race the "Engineers", speculating that it was they who engineered the human race on Earth, and it seems the structure served as their laboratory for research and development of biological weapons. Then, of course, weird things begin to happen. No need to elaborate on the details, but I will say that Prometheus delivers as a thoroughly suspenseful and thought-provoking science fiction horror film.  

The cast is mostly solid here; Fassbender fittingly plays the android David with a cold, confident demeanor, Theron is on point as the antagonistic corporate rep, and Elba is similarly sturdy as the cool-as-a-cucumber, blue-collar ship captain. But the one who really shines is Noomi Rapace as Shaw. This is the first film that I saw Rapace in, and I instantly became a fan. She starts out as a rather mild-mannered archaeologist—the scientist and explorer who leads the mission. When they arrive on the planet her passionate drive emerges more as she seeks answers. And then, as the dangers of the mission ramp up and the crew struggles for survival, we see her further evolution into a full-fledged action heroine. She effectively carries on the display of feminine strength embodied by Sigourney Weaver in the original films while emanating an unmatched intensity of her own. The most memorable scene illustrating this is when she performs an operation on herself to remove an alien fetus from her abdomen. It's one of the most intense and frightening scenes in any movie I've seen in recent memory.

One of the weaker characters is Holloway, Shaw's professional and romantic partner. It's not that Marshall-Green gave a poor performance, it's just that the character is scripted as being a totally full-of-himself, fratboy type who refers to Shaw as "babe" rather than by her name. I can't remember if he calls the male characters "dude", but he might as well have. So he seems like a chump, and not a serious scientist, making his relationship with the intelligent and strong Shaw less than believable. Also hard to take seriously because of Holloway's arrogant boneheadedness is his philosophical discourse with Shaw, as they debate religious versus scientific origin theories. This is a reigning theme throughout the film; the existence of and/or nature of god, evolution, etc., as they grapple with questions raised by the discovery of the Engineers, an advanced race who may well be responsible for creating entire species of organisms.

Theron's character occasionally treads too close to being the clichéd "corporate bitch"; condescending, sceptical, and perpetually in competition with Shaw. It's a good performance given what the script called for, but it's a character that we've seen the likes of in numerous other films. Aside from Shaw, though, the other character who is quite interesting is Captain Yanek. Initially I thought he was also approaching stereotype as the too-cool-for-school, rough-and-tumble member of the crew who was primarily put there to contrast the stiff corporate and scientific staff. But his character has a compelling arc as later in the film he accurately interprets, with incredible insight, the evidence they've found on the planet and like Shaw evolves to heroic status. The few less-than-perfect aspects of the screenplay are relatively minor though, and likely what have contributed to the film being a box office success; clichéd characters and well-established plot formulas often seem to appeal to the masses. But there's enough other good stuff here to satisfy the serious moviegoer and science fiction fan alike.

The special effects and visual style are outstanding, but not to the point of being overbearing spectacle at the expense of the script. Prometheus maintains the tone and look of the original Alien films while also distinguishing itself from the franchise, as the story here has numerous elements that don't readily relate to the other films at all. And as such Prometheus is a success, expanding on and enriching the mythopoeia that the other films created, while introducing its own new mythology as well. There's a lot in the story that doesn't quite add up, as it raises more questions than it answers. But this feels intentional, so it's not a bad thing so much as it just leaves the viewer wanting more.

Ridley Scott is apparently attached to direct two, possibly three sequels to Prometheus, the last of which is said to lead directly into the events of the original Alien. And Noomi Rapace is said to reprise her role in the next installment Alien: Covenant (2017), which is reassuring since she's so good here and indeed has emerged as one of the best actresses around. With the success of Prometheus, and the questions it raises, I will certainly be looking forward to the release of the next chapter in one of the most engaging science fiction film franchises of all time. 
Rating (out of 5) : ★★★★
• Nik Dobrinsky / Boy Drinks Ink
May 31st, 2015