Prometheus

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
Prometheus
Released 6/8/12, now in theaters

Director, Ridley Scott, returns to the roots of his previous success in the Sci-Fi horror film, Prometheus.  Scott's resume includes Alien, Blade Runner, and Oscar winning best movie, Gladiator for those who may wonder, "what's he done?"  The movie stars Noomi Rapace (remember her from the Swedish version of The Millenium Trilogy?), Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce (unrecognizable in this), Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, and Oscar winner, Charlize Theron.

The movie begins with a humanoid alien on an unknown world drinking a mysterious black liquid, dying, and disintegrating into the lake he falls in.  Flash to planet Earth in the year 2091 where archeologists, Elizabeth Shaw (Rapace) and Charlie Holloway(Marshall-Green) discover yet another cave painting dipicting what appears to be humans worshipping a large humanoid being from the stars.  The scientists interpret this painting in conjuction with other paintings from unconnected ancient civilizations as a star map leading to the place of mankind's origin.  Elizabeth and Charlie are able to gain funding for their trip to the stars and the ship, Prometheus, from the Weyland Corporation (remember them?).  Among the crew of 17 are ship's captain, Janek (Elba), android, David (Fassbender), and Weyland corporate watchdog, Meridith Vickers (Theron).  The crew, with the exception of David who remains active to monitor their tubes, wakes up from cryo sleep in 2093 when the Prometheus arrives at its destination.

 On the small, uninhabitable moon rests a large structure that continually puts out distress signals.  They investigate inside the building where they find several strange stone cylinders with the mysterious black liquid,  a statue of a space mask (which actually contains a humanoid head), and the corpse of a giant humanoid alien.  David, clearly with a different agenda than the rest of the team, takes a cylinder of black goo for experimentation which will not be good news for the crew later in the film.  Upon scanning the structure, it's discovered that a large vessel is inside.  Upon second entrance into the structure, David discovers the vessel was created and manned by the human like species to which the alien at the beginning of the movie belongs.  The deadly cargo they carried was intended for Earth. The dark liquid inside the cylinders spawns hellish creatures that appear to have the same life cycles as another classic Sci-Fi monster.  The bio-weapon(s) turned on their masters and the ship never made it to Earth.  It also doesn't help matters that one humanoid is still alive on board the ship in cryo sleep and he wants to continue the mission when he is released from his pod.  So the question remains, why do the humanoids that may be responsible for mankind's origin, want its creations dead?

There has been a lot of misdirection concerning whether Prometheus is a prequel to Alien or not.  I can tell you, unequivocally, it definitely is a prequel!  Don't let anything you read fool you.  Let's examine the evidence.  Think about the shape of the vessel trapped in the pyramid like structure and the inside of that vessel.  Now watch Alien when the Nostromo crew enters the derelict ship providing the distress signal.  Pay attention to the shape of the vessel and particular attention to the large chair inside and what sits in it.  The dead giveaway is the ending of Prometheus when we are introduced to a creature that looks very similar to something most of us recognize from other movie(s).

The special effects and performances are fine.  There is enough genuinely disgusting imagery to make you squirm a little.  The scene where Dr. Shaw enters the surgical pod to have an emergency Cesarean performed is extremely effective and creative.  But it all feels very familiar to the original source material.  Don't get me wrong, that alone is enough to get a decent rating from me.  What pushes Prometheus over the top for me is its foreshadowing of Alien.  The references are subtle and not so subtle at times, but it all seems to make sense somehow. 

I want to know where Scott is ultimately going with this.  What I desperately hope is that this doesn't become quasi-religious tripe that has ruined awesome sci-fi franchises before.  Here that Matrix?!!!!!!!  Ultimately, while the plot of Prometheus is nothing you haven't seen before, it makes a valiant effort to link this universe with Alien and succeeds.

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

***1/2 stars

Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.