Visually stunning and brilliantly cast, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus raises more questions than it answers. Aspiring to question our very existence on Earth, Prometheus builds spectacularly, yet is almost anti-climatic in its lack of a revelation. Still an outstanding film, Scott masterfully leads us through an elaborate story across gorgeous landscapes and through stunning corridors and caverns. Blending horror and adventure, Prometheus is an honorable addition to the science-fiction genre, yet it lacks the genre defying qualities of Alien or 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Noomi Rapace (from the Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo films) leads as Elizabeth Shaw, a scientist who along with her boyfriend Charlie (Logan Marshall-Green) discover cave paintings and ancient murals around the world all containing the same pictogram. These two scientists believe that the star map shown in the drawings, all done by different civilizations with no contact to one another, is an invitation by mankind’s ‘engineers’ to come and search for them. This leads to the Weyland Corporation funding a trip to a far off moon with an atmosphere capable of sustaining life.
However, further time spent on the planet leads the researchers to question all that they predicted, as not only does it seem that all of their ‘engineers’ are deceased, but whatever destructive force obliterated them is still present here, and the enclosed passageways soon seem far more foreboding and deadly than before. Prometheus throws in many small twists and turns, and contains a range of aliens, from pure disgusting to fascinating.
While still one of the better science fiction films of recent years, Prometheus falls short of greatness due to an anti-climatic ending and huge expectations. Ridley Scott directs with rigour and talent, and the cast could not have been selected much better. Michael Fassbender stands out the most, but Noomi Rapace also establishes herself as a solid Hollywood heroine. The visuals are gorgeous and story strongly told. The only real issue I have with this film is the ending, it seems to climax and then end too soon, as well as not giving audiences a truly satisfying conclusion. Despite this flaw, Prometheus is still a fantastic sci-fi film with aspects of adventure and horror blended in with skill by acclaimed director Ridley Scott.