PROMETHEUS REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

In 1979, Ridley Scott released his second feature film, Alien, and it proved to be a huge hit both at the box office (earning over $80 million, leading it to become the sixth highest grossing film of that year) and with audiences and critics alike. It featured a breakthrough performance from Sigourney Weaver and it had a dark and tense atmosphere. The film surrounded an alien invasion aboard a ship in space and how the members of the crew fought for survival. At the time of its release, there hadn't been a film like Alien, a blend of science-fiction and horror and now, thirty-eight years later, it is now regarded as a classic. Seven years later, James Cameron directed the sequel, Aliens, and Weaver reprised her role as Ellen Ripley, who was the only one to survive the traumatic events of the previous film. Despite Alien being incredibly thrilling, Aliens, like Cameron's 1984 film The Terminator, featured a lot more action. We also saw another side to Ripley who became a motherly figure to Newt (Carrie Henn), a young girl whose family were killed by aliens. The sequel, like its predecessor, was a huge success, making over $86 million at the box office. However, despite both sequels being successful, the same can't be said for the two sequels, Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection which were released in 1992 and 1997. I haven't seen either of these sequels so I can't make an opinion but from what I've read in reviews from critics, both films failed to live up to the quality of the first two films. After the release of the fourth film, many thought that this was the end of the Alien franchise, however, in the early 2000s, development of a fifth film began. Both Scott and Cameron developed ideas for a film that would serve as a prequel to Alien. By 2003, the development of Alien vs. Predator took precedence, and the project remained dormant until 2009 when Scott again showed interest. Jon Spaihts wrote a script for a prequel to the events of the Alien films, but Scott opted for a different direction to avoid repeating cues from those films. In late 2010, Damon Lindelof joined the project to rewrite Spaihts's script, and he and Scott developed a story that precedes the story of Alien but is not directly connected to that franchise. According to Scott, although the film shares "strands of Alien's DNA, so to speak", and takes place in the same universe, Prometheus explores its own mythology and ideas.

None of the characters that were in any of the Alien films feature in Prometheus. The film revolves around a group of entirely new characters and feature solid performances from its cast. 

Prometheus is set in 2093 and takes place in the same universe as the 'Alien' films. A group of explorers, including some archaeologists, are on an "undisclosed" mission. They arrive at a moon trillions of miles away from Earth. The team spot what they believe to be signs of civilization. They go to investigate and find more than just signs, they find conclusive evidence. But some of them have an ulterior motive for being there, including the Weyland Corporation. They believe that this is where the human race actually came from. Things soon turn from excitement to survival once inside their discovery.

While Prometheus may not be as good as Alien or Aliens, it's nowhere near as bad as Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection were. Because Scott is brought back to direct, this is an improvement on the latter films. He understands how to generate tension and how to create action-packed sequences. In this prequel, Scott takes chances and, while some of his choices don't work, the film is never far from interesting. Prometheus does weigh heavily on more familiar science-fiction themes than action, adventure, horror or thriller elements. However, this doesn't mean its less horrifying than its predecessors. Most of its violent and goriest moments occur halfway through the film and there's one scene in particular that may be too stomach churning for viewers as it features one of the characters removing an alien from their womb. Scott doesn't shy away from showing the gore in this scene which was the main reason why it received a 15 rating (R in the US). 

Scott also made some good decisions regarding certain members of the cast. If there's a Ripley-type character to be found in Prometheus, it's Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw who is an archaeologist. To help aid her method acting, Rapace developed a complete backstory for Shaw and, because she's Swedish, she worked with a dialect coach to help with her achieve a British accent. She is the most rounded character because we learn details of her childhood and we understand what motivates her. Because of this, we respect and understand her strength and survival instincts. 

Charlize Theron is the leader of the expedition, Meredith Vickers. For most of the film, she is mainly on the ship, making most of the decisions. She treats the other members of the crew like her employees, which they are, and believes she always speaks for the company's wishes. 

Michael Fassbender portrays the android, David, with a mixture of curiosity, detachment and arrogance. In developing his character, Fassbender avoided watching the android characters of Alien and Aliens, and instead studied the replicants in Scott's 1982 science fiction film Blade Runner, with a focus on Sean Young's character Rachael, whose "vacancy" and longing for a soul interested him. Fassbender drew further inspiration from the voice of the HAL 9000 computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the "funny walk and economy of movement" of Olympic diver Greg Louganis and the performances of David Bowie in The Man Who Fell to Earth, Dirk Bogarde in The Servant, and Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia. 

Idris Elba is the captain of the ship, Janek. Elba described his character as a "longshoreman and a sailor" with a military background. He also said that Janek being a captain is his life and the crew is his responsibility and he is a realistic, pragmatic character. Other recognisable names include Rafe Spall, Guy Pearce (looking unrecognisable underneath his incredible old-age make-up) and Sean Harris. While some of the characters may be less developed than others, every member of the cast gives a solid performance.

Where Prometheus succeeds the most is its stunning visuals and impressive special effects. The computer-generated imagery has improved a lot since the release of Alien in 1979.  Because the film takes place in 2093, the futuristic setting is brought to life via the advance technology we see in the film. The visual effects were a big highlight of the film so it's no surprise that they were nominated for an Academy Award in 2013. The visual effects are probably at their best over halfway through the film where David finds a star map that highlights Earth.

When I first watched Prometheus, I had no idea what to expect as I hadn't seen either of the Alien films. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. It exceeded my expectations and convinced me to finally watch the Alien films. I'd recommend this to those who haven't seen any of the films in the Alien franchise. Because it's a prequel, it makes perfect sense to watch Prometheus before the original films. I think that you're more likely to enjoy the film if you go in thinking less about Alien and more about Scott, with his emphasis on images, tone and atmosphere over - sometimes at the expense of - plot and story.

Scott's ambitious quasi-prequel to Alien may not answer all of its big questions, but it's redeemed by its haunting visual grandeur and compelling performances, mainly from Rapace and Fassbender.

8/10