Prometheus

An extremely loose prequel to 1979’s Alien, Prometheus follows a team of explorers, including Noomi Rapace’s Elizabeth Shaw, Michael Fassbender’s David, and Idris Elba’s Janek, as they travel to (and arrive at) a distant planet purported to contain extraterrestrial life – with the film subsequently detailing the chaos that ensues as said extraterrestrials make their malevolent intentions clear. Filmmaker Ridley Scott has infused Prometheus with an expectedly deliberate sensibility that admittedly (and ideally) complements Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof’s cerebral screenplay, with the majority of the film’s first half devoted to the protagonists’ slow-moving exploits as they make their way to the aforementioned planet and, eventually, begin exploring its surface. The film does, as a result, boast the feel of a straight sci-fi drama rather than a thriller or a horror effort, with the strong performances, Fassbender especially, and frequently captivating set design going a long way towards sustaining the viewer’s interest. And though there are a number of lulls sprinkled throughout the admittedly padded-out narrative, Scott compensates by offering up a series of spectacular set-pieces (eg two crew members are brutally attacked by an alien lifeform) that provide the proceedings with bursts of much-needed energy. There’s little doubt, however, that the film’s various deficiencies are heightened by the less-than-forthcoming bent of Spaihts and Lindelof’s screenplay (ie many questions posed are left ignored or unanswered), with the tenuous connection to Alien – ie were it not for the presence of the infamous Space Jockey and a few Weyland references, one could be forgiven for labeling Prometheus a stand-alone endeavor – certain to frustrate die-hard fans of this steadily-declining franchise. Still, it’s difficult to completely discount the movie’s ultimate impact, as Prometheus is a smart, ambitious, and, admittedly, erratically-paced blockbuster that does seem as though it’d benefit from repeat viewings (as well as a more complete picture promised by inevitable followups).

**1/2 out of ****