Prometheus (2012)

Prometheus (2012), directed by Ridley Scott, 3 stars

I tried my best not read anything about “Prometheus” before seeing it because I was so looking forward to being blown away by the return of Ridley Scott to the Alien franchise.  I still remember sitting in the front row on the day that “Alien” opened at the Uptown Theater in Washington, DC and being thrilled and chilled as the crew desperately tried to combat a terrifying, seemingly indestructible creature that neither they nor the audience had ever seen the likes of before.  I knew nothing at all about “Alien” going into that film other than its catchphrase: “In space, no one can hear you scream.  About “Prometheus,” I knew nothing other than Noomi Rapace (“Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) and Charlize Theron (“Monster”) were in it and that Michael Fassbender (“Shame”) played a robot.  Although I did a pretty good job clearing my mind of any preconceptions, my gut reaction to “Prometheus” both as I watched it and almost immediately afterward was a feeling of disappointment.  I haven’t given up on the Alien franchise by a longshot, but I think it needs more of an infusion of creative energy than this film gave it to keep the series going.

It begins with a humanoid drinking a putrid-looking liquid which almost immediately dissolves him down to his DNA.  His molecular structure washes into the river below where it mingles with the fast flowing waters.  Cut to a cave where an ancient painting discovered somewhere in the Isle of Skye includes a familiar pattern of stars.  Although invisible to the naked eye, apparently, this configuration has been seen in preserved drawings from Egyptian, Mayan, Babylonian, and other ancient cultures (but not from the recently discovered imprints from Spain, which some are theorizing to be Neanderthal in origin—hold that thought).  How could ancient humans know about this?  The answer to that and other fundamental questions of species origin are first and foremost on the minds of scientists and soul mates Elizabeth Shaw (Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green).  So persuasive are they in their arguments that these are clues to the dawn of humanity that an aged tycoon, Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce in less than becoming or convincing makeup), finances a trip to the stars.  Or so we are led to believe.

As should come as no surprise, upon arriving at their destination, the crew discovers that the world they have landed on is fraught with danger, and their reactions in general are, unfortunately, less than cool, calm and collected.  Two easily freaked-out scientists head back to the mother ship only to get lost and then wind up trying to befriend a cute little slithering creature that, true to form, welcomes them with open mouth.  David the android concocts his own mischief and the results are about as bad a breakup as possible between doctors Shaw and Holloway.  Ships and chests explode violently and no one—including me—is any more the wiser by the end of it all.  Check out this video after watching the film to hear from some equally confused, kindred spirits.

I wanted something smarter.  Sure, the characters in the original “Alien” were pretty much decimated, but they really were trying to do the right (and smart) thing given the circumstances.  In “Prometheus,” it’s not really clear what motivates anyone.  You'd think that on a mission as critical and as well-financed as this one, the crew would not start coming apart so quickly.  Also, I found I really liked the space jockeys (now referred to as “engineers”) much better dead than alive.  They were much creepier that way.  The 3D and Microsoft-inspired computer effects were nicely-done, and petite Noomi Rapace does a great job following in the gigantic footsteps of Sigourney Weaver’s mythic alien-buster Ripley.

There are many (many) sites out there that attempt to explicate far better than I the critical elements of the film.  This FAQ is a good place to start.  I'm guessing that most fans of the original series (or some subset thereof) will like but not love this film.  I suspect, too, that viewers who haven't seen any of the earlier films won't miss much if they see this first, but I certainly hope that, if nothing else, "Prometheus" inspires this group to see "Alien," which without question remains one of my favorite horror films.  Watching it again even now can make me (with apologies to Paul Simon) still queasy after all these years.