Shawn's Thoughts:
It's been 33 years since Ridley Scott unleashed his Sci-Fi/Horror hybrid Alien out into an unsuspecting world. Still high off the fumes of the game-changing Star Wars, audiences rushed into Alien expecting the same carefree, whimsical fantasy adventure and instead were treated to images so shocking and horrific that some ended rushing from the theater in terror and/or vomiting all over themselves in their seats. Make no mistake, Alien is one of the most terrifying motion pictures ever made and my all-time favorite horror picture. Scott followed this up with another science fiction masterpiece entitled Blade Runner. Another film that went completely against the expectations of the time, Blade Runner was, naturally, highly under appreciated when it was first released back in 1982 and ended up being a huge flop with critics and audiences. However, like most movies that are misunderstood upon their initial release, Blade Runner's reputation grew and grew and soon the most esteemed film scholars were ranking it as one of the greats of all time. And as it should be. Blade Runner is a gorgeous film and its influence on the science fiction genre is unmistakable.
So, flash forward to the present day where film fans the world over have been eagerly awaiting Scott's more-than-promising return to the world of Science Fiction. Prometheus has always been something of a mystery. When first announced, it came with the news that it would be the long-promised prequel to Scott's classic Alien, but as the rumors multiplied, Scott continued to shut them down. Once the first preview was released, there was no question about it - Prometheus was definitely related to Alien in some way and my excitement for the film went off the charts. Scott's track record as of late had been rather weak and, as far as I was concerned, this was going to be a welcome return to form.
Mass Effect's Galaxy Map has never looked so amazing
So, with all that in mind, how does the movie end up faring? Well, unfortunately notsagood. It is neither the spectacular return of Ridley Scott's directing mastery nor the worst film imaginable. It simply is - No more, no less. And that is a crushing disappointment. Prometheus collects and recycles plotlines and visual elements from practically every Sci-Fi movie you've ever seen, including Mr. Scott's own works, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and even Danny Boyle's more recent and far superior Sci-Fi epic Sunshine. The film sports quite an epic scope, sure, but, despite the manifestly striking and impressive imagery, it never quite finds its own voice amongst the chaos and, as a result, it rings completely hollow. It doesn't help that the film's story is unbalanced, cliched, and filled to the brim with one note, shallow characters containing little to no personality. The performances are equally dull with poor Charlize Theron being the biggest victim of the poor writing on display here. Her character is so poorly drawn to the point of hilarity and a certain superfluous revelation near the end of the film regarding her relationship with one particular character is so ridiculous to the point that I actually burst out laughing in the theater. The rest of the cast is mostly anonymous with not much to contribute as a result of their characters not having anything to do. Even Guy Pearce makes an appearance as...an...old man...? Wait a second, why didn't they just get an old man to play that part? What exactly made Guy Pearce the 'must-have' actor for that role? The result is just a young guy in completely obvious old man make-up and it certainly doesn't help the film's credibility in any way.
Run, Ripley, run!!!! Hey, wait a second...
The only performances worth watching come from Noomi Rapace as the film's lead heroine and Michael Fassbender in the obligatory android role. Rapace, naturally, gets the most to do and work with, which in this kind of movie means that she spends most of her screen time crying and/or running away from monsters. (Hmmm, wait a second, didn't I already see this scene in....oh, never mind) Still, she makes the most of it, and there is one particular sequence in which she is involved that is the only moment of the film that truly captures the horrific nature of the original Alien. I won't spoil it for you here, but you'll know it when you see it and you'll wish you could forget it in the best way possible. Fassbender as the android David, is a wonder to behold. He is the shining beacon in a movie of blah and his performance is charming whist being quite a tad bit unsettling. He, like most of the characters in the movie - Nay, all of the characters in the movie - gets little to nothing to do and serves nearly no purpose. Still, Fassbender is such a spectacular performer that you don't really mind it when he's on screen.
So, without much of its own story to tell and without any interesting characters to anchor some spectacular visuals, Prometheus ends up being just another empty Sci-Fi venture with some breathtaking visuals, which is all the more upsetting when you realize who directed it. There are plenty of interesting questions raised, but not a single one is answered and it makes the proceedings feel all the more pointless.
May God be with us if that Blade Runner sequel moves forward.
FINAL RATING: 2.5/5
Shea's Thoughts:
COMING SOON!!!!!!!!!!
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