In a New York Times
interview, “Blade Runner” director Ridley Scott described his third science
fiction film “Prometheus” as “‘2001’ on steroids.” This comparison is entirely appropriate,
particularly if you’ve seen the enigmatic but thought-provoking Stanley Kubrick
epic about the evolution of mankind since the dawn of time. Scott’s first 3-D spectacle (“Prometheus” is
fun to watch once in 3-D) has elicited a wide variety of commentary since it arrived
in theaters. Essentially, “Prometheus” (**1/2 out of ****) chronicles
mankind’s search for its origins. Two archeologists
convince a wealthy corporate sponsor to create a spaceship that will transport
them to the far reaches of the galaxy where they believe that they will find
the answers to questions that the ancient etched in caves long ago. Of course, what they find is not what they
wanted. Nevertheless, they do learn
something not only about themselves but also their creators that will keep
audiences arguing about the meaning of “Prometheus” until the producers shed
more celluloid on the situation.
Ostensibly, “Prometheus” qualifies as a quasi-prequel to Scott’s own scary
sci-fi saga “Alien.” The chief
difference is that “Prometheus” isn’t a tenth as horrifying. Nothing like the pugnacious pickle-shaped
predator bursting from the chest of a human appears in this tame sci-fi
opus. Meantime, Scott has stated that “Prometheus”
isn’t a prequel. He concedes, however, that the seeds of “Alien” have been sown
into it. You cannot watch “Prometheus”
without thinking about “Alien.” The “Alien”
space jockey—as it is referred to--appears in “Prometheus” and so does an “Alien”
prototype. Furthermore, the story
unfolds like “Alien,” boasts a contemplative android, a tenacious female protagonist,
and a couple of tentacled reptilian creatures icky enough to make you shrink in
revulsion. The problem with “Prometheus”
is that it is more speculative than dramatic.
Everybody about the physical appearance of “Prometheus” looks dazzling. The technology and the equipment look like
each belongs in the future. Some of the
performances are extraordinary, too, especially Michael Fassbinder as a sophisticated
android with a lethal sense of humor. Like
“2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Prometheus” spends more time contemplating our
predicament rather than frightening the living daylights out of us above
it.
“Prometheus” opens on what appears to be planet Earth. We are treated to some awesome vistas as we
fly above the sprawling terrain. A man
in a cloak with alabaster-white skin and a muscularly sculpted physique walks up
to a waterfall while a gigantic, saucer-shaped UFO hovers not far away. He takes the lid off a container and consumes
some blackish goop. No sooner has he
swallowed this nasty stuff than he suffers crippling spasms and plunges into
the waterfall. The man’s powerful body integrates
and we see his DNA appear. As incredibly
visual and mysterious as this scene is, you find yourself wondering exactly who
this dude is and from whence he came. The
next sequence finds a team of archeologists excavating a site in the year 2089
when Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Naomi Rapace of “Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows”) finds
a star map on the wall of a cave. She
summons her colleague, Dr. Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green of “Brooklyn’s
Finest”), who also happens to be her boyfriend, and shows him a cave painting
with a tall, thin, man pointing to an array a stars. The importance of this primitive drawing is
that Shaw and Holloway have found similar examples of it around the world. They believe that they have discovered a star
map that will take them to meet their creators.
The next scene finds everybody aboard the Exploratory Vessel Prometheus
in the year 2093 as an android, David (Michael Fassbinder of “Centurion”),
keeps track of them before they awaken from stasis. Once Dr. Shaw and Dr. Holloway along with their
colleagues have gotten up and eaten, they meet the CEO of the Weyland
Corporation, Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce of “Lockout”), whose billions have
brought them into orbit around a faraway moon designated LV 223. He makes comments about the mission in a holographic
presentation to them and then hands the briefing over to our heroes. Not long afterward, Weyland’s dictatorial
daughter, Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron of “Snow White and the Huntsman”)
informs them that they answer to her and she controls the mission. Basically, Vickers is the equivalent of Ellen
Ripley from “Alien.” She warns them not
to contact any aliens until they have notified her about it.
Our heroes, David, and their colleagues land on the surface
of the moon near a gigantic structure and enter it wearing space suits. No sooner have they walked in than they discover
that they can take off their helmets because they can breathe the air. They find a Mount Rushmore sized alien head
in one of the rooms as well as mysterious vases that contain the black goop
that the exterrestial sampled in the prologue.
They also find tall, imposing aliens like the “Alien” space jockey. Most of these fellows are dead and laying
about in piles in what appears to be bunkers.
David checks out a room teeming with vases. Their exploration is cut short because a
storm is moving in and they are order to evacuate and return to the ship. Two of Shaw’s colleagues are accidentally
left behind. The captain of the
spacecraft, Janek (Idris Elba of “Ghost Rider, Spirit of Vengeance”), advises
them to sit out the storm and await their arrival in the morning. Creepy things begin to happen and the two men
encounter a snake-like creature that latches on to them. They are not prepared for what happens to
them. Later, it turns out that Dr. Shaw
has been contaminated with an organism in her body that resembles an
embryro. She explains that she is not
fertile and begins a mad dash to remove this organism from her body.
The monsters in “Prometheus” aren’t as scary as the “Alien”
beasties. Meantime, this two hour-plus,
R-rated potboiler will make you think about what didn’t happen on screen more
than what did.
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