"Prometheus"
I have been and always will be a
fan of director Ridley Scott. His artistic vision is incredible to watch
unfold in the realm of cinema. He never ceases to amaze me. After
being robbed from getting Best Director at the Academy Awards for his
fantastic work on Gladiator back in 2001, over the next ten years
Scott's films have really been hit or miss with me. Never the less, I
still remained devoted to him. You can imagine how much joy washed over
me when I found out that for his latest cinematic venture, Prometheus,
the director was going back to the genre of science fiction; a genre that
Scott did best. Alien and Blade Runner are extraordinary
pieces of filmmaking that will forever have their place in cinema
history. Those two films however came out over thirty years ago.
Nonetheless, I was still greatly anticipating Ridley's triumphant return to
sci-fi. To my dismay, although Prometheus does have the classic
look of a Ridley Scott film, it is hardly a celebratory return for the
director.
In the year 2093 a crew of
scientists led by Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan
Marshall-Green) board the behemoth spaceship Prometheus. Their mission is to seek
out an ancient alien civilization that may contain the answers to the origins
of mankind. Upon landing on a mysterious planet, our heroes go exploring
into a series of dark, creepy caves. And what they end up finding is beyond
anything any of them could ever have imagined. Unfortunately their
discoveries awaken dormant vases containing some sort of primordial ooze.
Once that ooze comes in contact anything living, no matter how big or small, it
wreaks havoc on the genetic material residing within the being. Whatever
answers Shaw and Holloway were hoping to find will about how we as humans came
to be will have to be put on hold. Now they
must fight to stay alive.
Prometheus gives us an
interesting premise. Grand philosophical ideas challenge our minds and
beliefs, leading us to initially believe that this summer blockbuster is actually going
to have some brains. Alas, this is not true. Prometheus acts
more as a wolf in sheep's clothing. While the film's concepts are
intriguing, the plot itself is unable to stay on course. Once these slimy
squid-like creatures start showing up, the picture abandons any notions of ever
trying to get back on track. Instead we are left with a creature feature
for the rest of the film.
This would have been fine had
that been what the screenwriters’ original intent from the beginning.
Turns out, they don't know what they want. Prometheus crosses
ideology and science fiction in an uneven mesh of set ups and characters that
essentially lead us nowhere. We are left to ponder more questions because Jon
Spaihts and Damon Lindelof really know how to ruin a good thing. They
don't have the answers to their own questions.
2001: A Space Odyssey excelled
in such monumental hypotheses by giving us an interpretation of God that will
remain forever righteous in its own justification. Alien was a
terrifying creature feature that gave us all a reason to think twice about
going to the cinema on a full stomach. My point is that both of these had
an identity right from the get go and knew exactly what they were going to be
from the beginning. Prometheus's agenda comes and goes and leaves
us scratching our heads in bewilderment as it unnecessarily tries to do two
things at once. Make it a movie about the origins of mankind or make it a
true prequel to Alien. Regrettably, it tried and failed to do
both.
Filled with breathtaking visuals
from start to finish, Prometheus' aesthetic qualities cannot save it
from being a complete disaster, despite Scott's artistic flair which is pervasive
as ever. Michael Fassbender gives a marvelous performance as David, an
android aboard the ship. Rapace is acceptable in her role as a scientist.
Given the material she has to work with
she tries her best. Even Guy Pierce is decent enough in his role
considering how small a part he has to play in the film. I wanted to
like Prometheus, but its screenplay is too hard to ignore,
notwithstanding Scott's best efforts. This is a film that actually could
have a good addition to the genre of science fiction, but the script decided to
pay fan service to its audience in hopes that we wouldn't notice its gaping
flaws. I hope the supposed director's cut that will be available on DVD
in the fall will give me a better idea of what Prometheus really should
have been. I will continue to look forward to any and all future projects
from Scott, it's just hard being fan of his sometimes. Why bother waking the crew of the Prometheus from hypersleep to meet their maker if all their maker's going to do is stay mum.
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