Prometheus Review

Is this a Film Of The Year contender? Wait until you see the shocking score...
There are few movies set to release in 2012 that are likely to have been subject to as much hype and promotional anticipation-raising as Prometheus has for its Summer Of Film debut. Now, Ridley Scott's return to the realms of science-fiction is upon us, and I've had a chance to sit down and see the product of his labour. First things first, then, the question that has been on the minds of countless fans since the announcement of the movie, and of course which formed the basis of our Alien week: is this a true prequel to Scott's 1979 classic Alien? Well, no, not specifically...or at least properly, until the final few minutes. You see, part of the main problem which plagues this piece is that it can never quite seem to make up its mind on what it wants to be, and in all honesty, I think things would have played out much better if we had gone in and seen a completely standalone epic free of any past franchises or indeed the expectations associated with them. Instead, the comparisons so many film-goers will draw between Naome Rapace's character Elizabeth Scott and classic protagonist Ripley and David Fassbender's fascinating android companion David and the original seedy androids of the AVP series are inevitable, and it's hard to shake the feeling that Scott himself is making such comparisons. Worse still than this, the plot itself essentially seems to be a rehash of the original, mimicking the idea of space explorers discovering a message, foolishly unearthing an extraterresterial threat in search of answers and ultimately being whittled down to a bare few as dark secrets about their leaders are revealed. Were this cleverly disguised as Avatar managed to do back in 2009 with hugely compelling cast members and incredible 3D technology, then perhaps Prometheus would stand a better chance of impressing. As it is, though, the vast majority of the cast beyond Rapace and Fassbender (the latter of whom in particular shines greatly in the film's opening two acts) are forgettable in their portrayals, and the 3D tech this time around certainly is nothing special. I can at least credit the motion picture with this, though: it looks fantastic, and gets the pacing of its first half spot on in terms of exposition and tense setpieces, even if they are blatantly derived from a near 40-year old classic. The special effects really do the production proud, showing exactly why it took so long to come about and produce, and thus in many ways making for a satisfying pay-off on the surface. It shocks me, then, that Scott and his team have so notably mishandled the closing half of their first instalment, sending the pacing to a sky-rocketed speed in the hope of pleasing old-time fans with the references and sights (you know what you're looking for in an Alien prequel, and in this respect technically there will be no disappointment) they've been angling for all this time. Had they not been so keen to play the same records as they had almost four decades before, this could well have been a philosophical work of art that skilfully opened doors for a successful and thought-provoking series of films. By the climax, however, it's clear that this simply won't be the case, as it appears this opener will just lead in to a predictable franchise of 'survival' flicks that are no different to their predecessors and as such are just as doomed as them. What we get with Prometheus, then, is a blockbuster film that fails to deliver on any of its ambiguous promises, and as a whole a piece of cinema which is simply too focused on recalling the good ol' days in its final acts to ever hope to become something truly spectacular. I never thought I'd have to say this, but Prometheus is by far one of the biggest disappointments of the year. Make sure to check it out for old times' sake if you're an Alien fan, yet beyond that I wouldn't even advise you to bother short of wanting a beautiful but recycled film experience.
3/5