Friday, November 16, 2012

Review: Prometheus


Directed by Ridley Scott

Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron


First, lets take a look at what Wikipedia says about Prometheus
  • Prometheus is a Titan or better, a Greek culture hero and trickster figure who in Greek mythology is credited with the creation of man from clay and the theft of fire for human use, an act that enabled progress and civilization. He is known for his intelligence, and as a champion of mankind.
First off, I am going to agree with the trickster.  There must have been some major tricking going on to get people into the movie houses to see this tragedy of a science fiction film.  Is it a tragedy per se?  No, and there in lies the trick.  Prometheus is, according to the posters a sci fi thriller....ahhhhhhhhh yeah.

Well my friend Mark brought the dvd by and said "I could only get half way through! And I have yet to figure out what the first 10 minutes are all about.!"   So, a bit intrigued, I took the film to see if I could do any better.  Well the first ten minutes are some sort of pan-spermia and Let there be life bit by a humanoid being, but it doesn't seem to have any link to the balance of the movie, other than it would seem to have happened soon after our world obtained free flowing water.  From there we move into the future, but it would seem to be a century or two into our own future.  

So, lets look at what we have so far....We have a ship that obstinately doing one type of science but may be secretly doing different science.  The Prometheus has an "android" to "aide the humans"  but seems to have been programmed with another agenda.  When they arrive, the crew finds that giant humanoids were killed under mysterious circumstances.  When they enter the ship/building, the crew find a room full of short obelisk  or maybe tubes on end, that appear to contain life.  A few moments later, a storm rolls in and two of the researchers are trapped.  

At this moment I turned the dvd player off and removed the disk and sent it back to Mark.    What movie did I just describe  Oh here is another clue...the tunnel leading into the building/ship has a very ummm organic look...so, what movie?  Anyone?  Did I hear Alien way in the back?  Hey, rent the movie and see if I am not correct.  Someone was asleep at the wheel when this project was started, now it is a copy a sad copy.  

Now if you want a science fiction / horror / thriller  and you are not aware of the Alien franchise, then you may well find this movie worth the watch, but if you have seen your fair share of sci fi you are going to find it horribly derivative.  

The camera work is good and the movie as a whole looks great. so I would give it a 5 and an honest give it a pass   Ridley....tell me it ain't so!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, after reading your review, I don't feel so bad. I thought I was just being dense. I watched it about 4 times in three days trying to get a handle on it.

kallamis said...

GF is dragging me out here, so I have to make this quick. I didn't think it was a bad movie. I watched it, (all of it), and it isn't bad really.
Okay, it doesn't have the shock and thrill of the original alien series, but this isn't supposed to be that series. This is about the other alien species that was there and the story behind them.
I'm hoping the second one answers a whole shit load of questions however, but we'll see. I think one of the biggest problems with this film, was the lack of anyone to actually like in it. It was hard to get attached to any of the characters in this one, so it is best to just watch it for the prequel to the answers. I hope there are answers coming at least.
I'd give it a 6.8. Some things you just could see coming too easy, like the old man.

Beam Me Up said...

nope anon...it was pretty convoluted for a beginning. It is like DePalma got half way through the movie and said oh crap this movie is too confusing...lets just rip off Alien.

threephase said...

i thought it was supposed to be a prequel....i.e. the evolution of the "alien" from worm-like to more like the "Alien" alien. each time it enters a body...it evolves...not sure what year the original "Alien" was supposed to be...

Beam Me Up said...

damn threephase, I think you have succeeded in making it even more convoluted! wow! lol

Anonymous said...

How can Ridley Scott(Aliens) ripoff Ridley Scott(Prometheus)and what is so difficult to understand about prequel, it is what came before!
Sort of like you as a child(Prometheus), then you as a grown-up(Alien)!
Watch the whole movie before giving it such low marks!

Beam Me Up said...

But that is the point Anon, I really don't think that this is what was intended with Prometheus, I do not think it was in any way suppose to be any kind of homage to Alien. Or need I say it again...a prequel, but it certainly came out that way.

Perhaps, I misspoke when I suggested he ripped off Alien. I was looking at them as separate entities.

But that being the case, the end effect is the same. He just repackaged his earlier work, and was rather lazy about it.

If anyone was ripped off it was the viewing public.