I’ve been looking forward to watching this flick for a very long time, now. It is a treat to see a good movie via Redbox, once in a while, instead of my usual direct-to-video nonsense. And it’s been a very long time, since I’ve seen a good sci-fi movie. Prometheus is a monumental movie. It reunited Director Ridley Scott back to the franchise’s origins (he directed the original, Alien, back in 1979) and to the science-fiction genre, at large.
In the beginning, it is very confusing. There’s a jarring intro, with incredible special effects. I don’t exactly know what’s happening, but it grabbed me. It is beautiful and has breath-taking visuals throughout the movie. The viewer slowly unspools the storyline and it’s incredibly cohesive (after the title screen).
It is the future. The year is 2093 and the scientific exploratory vehicle, Prometheus, has arrived at its destination. It’s purpose: To discover where the humanity came from. To discover humanity’s purpose. To discover what happens after death. Michael Fassbender is an android that has been in charge of the ship for a two-year period of time, while the rest of the crew lay in cryo-freeze tanks. After arriving at this distant land, the android awakens the crew and the usual stasis sickness and weak muscles become issues. What happens next shall remain a mystery (it’s not simply a spoiler, but it’s more fun to decipher it yourself).
Fassbender’s android was a true delight. One with a hidden agenda, that is only a few lighter shades of 2001’s HAL. Noomi Rapace is the soul of the viewer, so naturally she’s the character everyone cheers along. Throughout the movie, Noomi questions her faith. And after having an emergency C-section, she had me feeling light-headed and incredibly woozy. It was quite odd how no one questions Dr. Shaw’s pains, or discovers her preemie, for that matter.
To vaguely summarize: scientists foolishly break orders, androids act before computing, and more than one monster is released. Will a curious robot doom the entire crew?
The Prometheus spaceship, in all its glory, seems to be a distant cousin to that of The Last Starfighter. And who’s more robotic, here? Fassbender or Theron?
What begins as a search for humanity’s beginnings, ends up being a discovery of the xenomorph’s beginnings. And who are the Engineers? What happens when they turn bad? Awaken one from a millenia of cryo-freeze sleep, and you’ll probably get the same results! Prometheus was a monster hit. It made plenty of money. The conclusion leaves no doubt of a sure-fire sequel. Let’s hope it gets greenlighted quickly, so there can actually be a “good” prequel trilogy for at least one franchise!
Strength: Michael Fassbender’s incredibly believable under-acting.
Weakness: Charlize Theron’s incredibly unbelievable wooden acting.
WTF Moment: Even in the future, rubik’s cubes exist!
Notable Quotes:
– “The Titan, Prometheus, wanted to give mankind equal footing with the gods. For that, he was cast from Olympus. The time has finally come, for his return.”
– “They engineered us.”
– “Big things, have small beginnings.”
– “Doesn’t everyone want their parents dead?”
– “Sometimes, to create, one must destroy.”
– “You have no idea, what afraid is.”
Review: 4/5