Ridley Scott’s pervious works in Sci-Fi are considered to be two of the best in this genre. Alien made sci-fi accepted for adults to watch once again. While Blade Runner is stunning visual journey though a future Los Angles. So it’s a great joy to have Scott finally returned to the Science Fiction genre after 30 years away and it about time.
Prometheus is not quite a prequel to the much loved Alien film, but is set in the same universe and therefore share links between the two films. If you have not seen Alien, don’t fear as there is no prior knowledge of the franchise is needed.
The film start off in 2089 with Dr Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Dr Charlie Holloway discovering an ancient cave painting in the Isle of Skye showing human worshipping a specific star-constellation. Other paintings around the world have also shown the same thing. Fast forward two years and we come to find the Spacecraft Prometheus is heading for this constellation.
The mission has been banked rolled by Wayland Corporation (“the Company” from Alien) Charlize Theron is the ice queen corporation executive that has come alone to keep an eye on her companies investment.
Taking care of the ship is David, an enigmatic and mildly camp android, winningly played by Michael Fassbender. He spends his downtime during the two-year flight watching Lawrence of Arabia while Shaw, Holloway and the others are held in hyper-sleep. We see him mumbling Peter O’Toole’s lines while patrolling the ship, trying to get his intonation down pat.
On the moon’s surface, the crew discover a complex cave system containing a tomb filled with strange black urns and a sculpture of a large human head. The terrible nature of the urns’ contents allows Scott to gleefully rehash the sexually and reproductively themed body horror that made Alien so viscerally memorable and pregnant viewers may wish to shield their eyes during, well, most of it.
Like Scott’s other films Prometheus is visual stunning from the clean looking interior of Prometheus to the map room in the tomb. Once again HR Giger has brought on to work on all the alien setting and look. It is disturbing to look at yet beautiful at the same time. As I said Prometheus has a clean look to her compared to the Nostromo that was in the original Alien film. But that is to be expected as the Nostromo is a work horse while Prometheus is an exploration ship with science labs.
Prometheus is an interesting film but don’t expect what you got with Alien as that was a horror film first while this is a theological film first.
This is not a bad thing as it expands the alien universe and also gets rid of the disappointing Alien Vs Predator films from the franchise.
Idris Elba also get to shine as the ship captain, however there is a deleted scene that helps explain major decision he makes in the film. Which I feel should have been kept. I won’t say what it is here as it could ruin the film for you. If you get the film on Bluray watch it before looking at the deleted scenes.
I will say this, one question that fan’s of the Alien franchise have been asking will get partly answered and it will blow you away.
Prometheus works on it own but there are a few new questions that are raised leaving the door open for a sequel to be made witch Scott is planning to do.
All in all Prometheus is well worth watching and a great way for Ridley Scott to come back to the Sci-Fi genre.
I give this film a 4.5 out 5.
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David: Big things have small beginnings
Freak Art 
I’m still on a long wait for this one from Netflix. I may stream it on my tablet just to see it more quickly. I can “rent” it from Google Play Movies for only $3.99. (it’s more expensive than Netflix but also a lot more instant ;))
About a week ago I this guy that works in the same department at DISH as me played me the trailer for Prometheus. I don’t remember being that excited to see the mailman since I was a kid. The graphics were amazing, but as far as the plot is concerned I would place Prometheus in the category of mind bending movie. I think your right about there being a lot of question left unanswered in Pormetheus, but I am happy to hear that Ridley is making a sequel to fix that. I have never seen the Alien movies, so I think that I might take a look at those while I am waiting. Since I swore off the thieves at the theaters and started using Blockbuster at Home I have been watching movies all month for the same price as a ticket and it looks like Ridley Scott is on the menu.