Prometheus

Is it an Alien prequel or isn’t it? Everyone involved was so afraid of spilling the beans about Prometheus that the audience was left with little information about what the movie actually is about. But Ridley Scott’s return to sci-fi plays out in the style of Alien, which he also directed. Noomi Rapace leads an all-star cast as an archeologist, whose discoveries lead to a deep space expedition to attempt and find the aliens who created human life on Earth. But upon arriving to the foreign planet, they slowly realize that things aren’t as cut and dry as they thought. Let’s just say that not everyone gets home safe in the end.

The crew of the Prometheus, the spaceship in the film, is a who’s who of sought after talent. In addition to Rapace, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce and Michael Fassbender all star in the film with layered interesting performances. Fassbender especially shines as the android, David, who is written incredibly well and is even improved upon by the actor’s performance. When a movie is filled with such talent that well-known actors play the parts of characters in flashbacks and minor roles, (Patrick Wilson, Rafe Spall) you realize that there must be something drawing them to the film. In this case, Prometheus has Ridley Scott’s attention to conceptual and visual detail and a place in the Alien cannon in play. Yes it does tie in to Alien.

While die-hard fans of the previous Alien films may be disappointed with some of the revelations, or lack thereof, there is a strong sense that this film is meant to stand on its own. The small pieces of connectivity are to excite fans and reward them for their loyalty. Prometheus is a spectacle with an incredible look and feel in part due to the impressive sets and visual effects. There are a handful of scenes that fall back to tired sci-fi clichés. That’s partly because Ridley Scott first introduced those clichés earlier in his career. Even the most skeptical viewer should consider the film for its impressive acting standard and its standing as pure sci-fi event.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.