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PROMETHEUS : The Review – We Are Movie Geeks

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PROMETHEUS : The Review

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PROMETHEUS, the new sci-fi film by Ridley Scott, is like a blind date. Sure, everyone’s intentions are good, but it just ends up being awkward and dull.

PROMETHEUS is the tale of a group of scientists in the late 21st century searching for their origins. After archaeologists Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway discovery of the same star map in the art of several ancient civilizations, a large crew sets out to investigate aboard the Prometheus. What they are looking for are answers. What they find could destroy the human race.

I really wanted to like this film. As a fan of the Alien franchise, I was pleased as punch to hear that Ridley Scott would be returning to the sci-fi world. This is not the ALIEN prequel that people think that it is. Sure, there are some tie ins, but if you are searching for a ton of answers… you will be disappointed. This is not what led to my lack of concern for the film, however. My neutral, detached opinion comes from a slow story line and questions/ideals/theories that could have been profound, but instead fell short. For example, Elizabeth Shaw was convinced of miracles. She wore her cross, and searched for answers like a wide eyed, excited child. This is just one of many stories/theories that gets lost in the background due to timing lags and writing that doesn’t carry you through the film. This would have been a fantastic avenue to explore. Instead, it left me underwhelmed. That is just a small part of the biggest theory, the main purpose of this film… where did we come from and why? Well, by the end… I really didn’t care to find out. It’s sad really, because with all of the questions and theories this film could have explored, it could have been a mind blowing film. I truly believe that.

Maybe I didn’t care because the characters themselves really didn’t seem to care. There was no real character development. Damon Lindelof (Writer, Executive Producer) and Jon Spaihts (Writer) could have really spent some more time on adding some depth and dimension to the lives on the screen. The only three characters that were slightly given a backstory were Shaw, Holloway, and David (Michael Fassbender) who is no more than an android designed to look like a human. Shaw is given the most backstory, touching lightly on her childhood, but the rest of the cast is given nothing. Since these are all new characters, this is vital. If you are going to put people in dangerous situations, I would like to be given the option of whether or not I care for their well being before the are killed off. Holloway has no real backstory other than his romantic relationship with Shaw. If I am going to sit and watch a film for 2 hours I would like to be emotionally involved, in some way.

I have no qualms with the acting in the film. I think what everything boils down to is writing. Noomi Rapace was wonderful. She is the one person who really kept me sane throughout this film. Fassbender was a wonderful droid, Charlize Theron, was great as the cold, mission minded Meredith Vickers. Logan Marshall-Green played his role of Charlie Holloway with intensity. Like I said, the acting had nothing to do with my overall unconcern of the film. The visuals were also stunning. For a sci-fi world, they really pulled out all of the stops. Dariusz Wolski, ASC (Director of Photography) and Arthur Max (Production Designer) really outdid themselves. I didn’t find the 3-d necessary, however. It had no real effect.

There were some great action scenes in the film. I even jumped, twice. Since these scenes were so spaced out, they didn’t really help to move the film along. Going back to story, they also could have spent more time on their corporate sponsors who were funding the mission. It was clear that they had their own agenda of sorts at the beginning, but it was kind of just thrown out into the story, rather than being brought up in a way to raise questions. By the time their main agenda is revealed, I had given up caring. Also, what a horrid, HORRIBLE make-up job on Guy Pearce. Although a wonderful actor, he should have never been cast as that old of a man. His make-up was so appalling that I couldn’t take him seriously.

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOLLOW

My biggest problem with the film is simple logic. Now, I know we are talking sci-fi here, but if you are going to a foreign planet that no one has documented as having been to before, under no circumstance would you just jump off a ship and run around exploring. Walking into a dark cave when you first land, rather than doing some testing, or waiting for scans of the perimeter isn’t a matter of scientific exploration. It’s pure ignorance. All they had to do was take a minute and pretend like they had completed some tests before jumping off the ship. I want my sci-fi to be smart. Is that too much to ask? Then, just to see if our audience is really paying attention, let’s take our helmets off. Are we so conceited to think that our testing gear is going to detect any unknown danger. You are on a foreign planet, that you know nothing about. Think people. This isn’t a cheesy horror film where stupidity reigns. I want some logic. How about when Vickers and Shaw are running away from the fallen, rolling ship (Yes, this is why I put possible spoiler alert). This large object is rolling towards you. Do they run as fast as they can at an angle so that they can get away? Nope. Let’s just continue to run in a straight line, right in it’s path… but we’ll keep looking back at it from time to time. Stupid.

The makers of PROMETHEUS meant well, and the questions, theories and cast for a great movie are there. It just wasn’t what it could have been. If I could sum up this film in one word it would be “Mehhhh”.

OVERALL RATING: 2.5 out of 5 stars for indifference

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Nerdy, snarky horror lover with a campy undertone. Goonies never say die.