Prometheus

PROMETHEUS

The best sci-fi epic in years has landed.

2012: 20th Century Fox

2012, Science Fiction, Rated R

Distributed by 20th Century Fox

          If you have seen Prometheus and claim to not like it, you probably don't have an affinity to science fiction. I'll let my readers know right now that science fiction is my favorite genre to watch, read, and write, so I am undoubtedly biased toward a film like Prometheus. Watching the trailers in dark theaters I wondered how Ridley Scott penetrated my brain, my thoughts, and drew from what I want in a film and created something I couldn't be more excited to experience. This was my most anticipated movie of the year (well, the summer actually) and it does not fall short of my grandest wishes.

          There is no better word for Prometheus than grand. It is sprawling, yet contained. It is violent, yet restrained. It gives you so much but so little at the same time. When the credits roll, your senses need to recover from the utter bombardment of visual splendor and emotional tension. This is epic science fiction in its most beautifully dark state.

          Prometheus is tied to the Alien universe in interesting, yet indirect, ways. This film can totally be enjoyed by someone who has not seen the original Alien films. It is a standalone piece of art, while also adding to the richness of the Alien saga for those who care to see it enriched. Having said that, I hope you go see it if you don't know the Alien films by heart.

          This film was almost perfect. Again, I really need to stress here how much I love sci-fi. If you don't like science fiction, you should still see it, but you might not like it as much as I did. If questioning your place in the universe has ever given you any emotional tug, you need to experience Prometheus (I need to say this at least once, if you haven't seen 2001: A Space Odyssey, stop reading and go watch it. Only in Prometheus's wildest stasis-induced dreams could it be as epic and thought-provoking as Kubrick and Clarke's 1968 masterpiece). Prometheus is the perfect blend of thinking man's sci-fi, and action-oriented sci-fi.

          I guess I'll start with the visuals. This film displays some of the most gorgeous shots ever to grace the big screen. If dark and otherworldly landscapes and space-scapes interest you, look no further than Prometheus. There are no shots of civilized Earth during the action of the film, which is 2089-2093. The state of the world at the time is not important because it could be any time: we are looking for our beginning. The whole film takes place on the planet LV-223 (not to be confused with the planet LV-446 of the original Alien) and the spaceship called Prometheus. Items and technology on the ship are gorgeously rendered to fit a sleek future in which everything seems to actually have purpose. One sequence, before the crew is awake while David (Michael Fassbender), a humanoid robot, keeps his routine of checking systems and whatnot, displays a visual style I have never seen in a film. He watches the dreams of the crew members while they are in stasis. There is a digital, pixilated sheen to the dream that was incredibly eerie. The planet itself is just as beautiful as the trailer suggested.

          There are other incredibly beautiful images throughout that, if described here, would give away what was so ingeniously kept secret by the trailers and add campaign for the film. My experience of Prometheus was perfect. I don't believe we need to know all the specifics before enjoying a film like this. Just sit back, be awed, and watch as the tension and horror and grandeur unfold before you. Go see it, and see it on the biggest screen you possibly can.

          Okay, this movie isn't perfect. I'm not going to promise the best movie experience ever because you won't get it seeing Prometheus. It is somewhat low on character development. Some characters, while perfectly fit for the oddities of the future in which they live, don't feel real. Interestingly enough, the most attention is given to David the robot, played remarkably by the remarkable Michael Fassbender. Fassbender can do no wrong it seems. He totally puts all other options of A-listers who could have played that role away, and simply owns it. I pray to the Space Jockeys, our makers, that he gets reassembled for the (fingers crossed) sequel. Also, two characters share a demise that has been done in about a million horror movies. They get lost, and they are so lame, nerdy, and unimportant to the story that you can't help but predict exactly what happens to them.

          One other tedious aspect to the film is the unanswered questions. The movie ends quite abruptly, with the fates of two characters left totally unknown. The movie asks age-old questions but never gives the audience any answers. This can be pardoned, however, when considering said questions. Who created man? Where do we come from? Who created whoever created man? And so on. No one has the answers to these question so why do we need to hear those that Ridley Scott's team of writers may have come up with? There is one question left unanswered in regards to the plot that does deserve closure, but we may never get it. Why did our makers want to destroy their creation?

          Everything about Prometheus is top-notch science fiction; a space opera like none other. Actors turn in excellent performances. The cinematography is beautifully grand in scale. The special effects are utterly mesmerizing. The familiar Alien elements bleed through the seams and bulk up what the story is trying to say, planting it firmly in an already-established sci-fi universe. It's better than Avatar, better than Alien, better than any summer blockbuster thus far. Go see it, and see it big.

          Side note: You will be scouring the Internet for connections between Prometheus and the original Alien films. There are hazy, yet incredibly interesting connections to be made. Hopefully a sequel brings more answers and bridges.

          Another side note: This movie is very now. See it now, in the theater, on the biggest screen near you. A few years from today the special effects will seem outdated. 2001 has lasted the decades and still feels fresh today. Prometheus will probably fade from the public eye years before the praise I've given it here suggests.

          My top three has changed. And I'm going to add another top three. You really can't put The Three Stooges in the same top three as Prometheus...

Comedy/Lighthearted:

The Three Stooges

21 Jump Street

Mirror Mirror

Drama/Action:

Prometheus

Chronicle

The Avengers