Prometheus
Reviewed by Galen Strickland
In the theater, no one will hear you scream.
That's because Prometheus isn't scary at all. It's not a very good film either, entirely too predictable, with characters who are supposed to be scientists doing extremely dumb things, changing their demeanor and motivations at the drop of a space helmet. No one is more disappointed about this than me, since I regard Scott's Blade Runner to be one of the best SF films ever made, and Alien, while primarily a horror film in SF clothing, is still the best film in the franchise so far (take that Cameron fans!).
Yep, the rumors are true, this is a prequel to the Alien saga, complete with the Weyland Corporation (Yutani hasn't shown up yet by 2093), giant space ships crashed on desolate worlds, with mysterious alien astronauts and their genetically designed creatures in the cargo holds. Other than the fact it's a different planet and a different ship they find, this is as much a remake of Alien as it is a prequel. We've seen all this before, absolutely no surprises, with the moments that should have been terrifying more humorous instead because you know exactly what is coming. Co-writer Damon Lindelof proved with "Lost" that he could help craft a compelling, unpredictable story. Prometheus could have used that touch. Considering it has been thirty-three years since Alien, you would think they would have had time to formulate a plausible scenario that led up to the events in that film, but things are murkier than ever. The alien's actions and motivations don't make any more sense than the human's.
It's not all bad. Some of the acting is good, but it may be hard to tell since the script is so bland and cliched. The highlight is Michael Fassbender as an android, precursor to Ash and Bishop. One thing SF films usually get right is a human simulation teaching us about what it means to be human. Not this time. As good as it is, Fassbender's performance is perhaps too mannered, hampered by the fact that we know he is an android right away, no surprises as there was with Ian Holm's Ash. Noomi Rapace is competent but far from electrifying as she was as the original Lisbeth Salander. Theron and Elba usually own their roles, but here they barely make an impression amidst the CGI and incoherent script.
I could go on, but what's the point? They threw tons of money at this film, and it does show. Excellent FX, and several scenes that were probably dynamite in 3D, but I won't bother going back to see if that is the case. I won't be buying it either. I suggest you do what I'm going to do. Just rewatch Alien and Aliens instead.
Giving this 5 out of 10 stars is being extremely generous.
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