'Prometheus' delivers breathtaking visuals, convoluted plot
Ridley Scott's science-fiction thriller "Prometheus" pits two popular publications against each other: the Holy Bible and "Chariots of the Gods," Erich von Daniken's 1968 best-seller that theorized humans and their religion came from extraterrestrials.
"Prometheus" offers breathtaking glimpses of a planet where earthling explorers stumble upon what could be history-changing discoveries about the nature of humankind and the universe.
(I should point out now that there will NOT be any major plot spoilers in this review, but it will reveal basic story and character information. Proceed at your own risk.)
Ever since the Internet caught wind that Scott might direct a prequel to his ground- and space-breaking 1979 monster movie "Alien," expectations for "Prometheus" have skyrocketed to insane proportions. (Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer reports 97 percent of readers want to see this movie!)
For good reason, too.
"Alien" rewrote the rules on Hollywood's science fiction formula by killing off the ship's captain (Tom Skerritt) early in the story, then letting a lowly female character, Warrant Officer Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) slowly assume the protagonist's role in defiance of audience expectations.
In 1979, this was slightly revolutionary and paved the way for actresses to ascend into the action movie genre. (Could Kristen Stewart have transformed into a warrior knight at the end of "Snow White and the Huntsman" without "Alien"? Hmmm.)
In 1982, Scott directed the futuristic "Blade Runner" that redefined science-fiction movies (inspired by Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein") and set a high bar for realistic visions of our world to come.
Thirty years later, "Prometheus" marks Scott's return to the genre and legions of fans and even film critics have been giddy with excitement to see what he hath wrought.
And?
He hath wrought a visually spellbinding disappointment, one with superior production designs, superb special effects and cool retro/neo technological marvels, but with a convoluted plot, an opened-ended franchise finale and a tough female scientist who's the opposite of Jason Voorhees: an Energizer Bunny of a super heroine who simply can't be killed.
After an enigmatic introduction involving the alteration of a humanoid alien's DNA (for a moment, it looks as if Terrence "Tree of Life" Malick could have directed it), "Prometheus" lurches into the year 2093.
The good space ship Prometheus searches for the origin of the species, motivated by the work of scientist couple Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) and Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace), convinced that ancient drawings on Earth are messages from aliens who want humans to find their creators.
Holloway is a religious skeptic, but Shaw proudly wears a crucifix, one that gets quite a workout as the "Prometheus" screenplay pummels us with blunt symbolism.
The most interesting character turns out to be Michael Fassbender's gentleman android David, a curious entity who has guided the ship and learned ancient languages while the crew slept through years of hibernation.
(In the future, we'll apparently be able to watch Peter O'Toole's "Lawrence of Arabia" in HD, 3-D widescreen splendor aboard spacecraft. David loves the character so much, he adopts many of O'Toole's mannerisms.)
The space ship comes equipped with a cool captain (Idris Elba), an icy corporate henchwoman (Charlize Theron), two geologists (Rafe Spall and Sean Harris, who might as well be wearing red shirts in a "Star Trek" episode), and others we will not mention to keep our "no major plot spoilers" promise.
"Prometheus" is no "Alien." The prequel replaces the original's nail-biting suspense and scares with jolting shocks and lots more goo.
Gone are the dark, frightening scenes filled with ominous lack of sound, replaced by lighted environments and Marc Streitenfeld's constant, contrived, orchestral score.
If John Hurt's famous "chest-burst" was the signature sequence in 1979, Rapace's encounter with an alien spawn attempts to top it in "Prometheus."
Not quite.
But in its own terrifying way, this new sequence is a harrowing and worthy bookend to the original film, a few intense minutes of organic horror handled by Rapace's Shaw with cool resolve and quick thinking. Warrant Officer Ripley herself would have been proud.
“Prometheus”
★ ★ ★
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Idris Elba, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Other: A 20th Century Fox release. Rated R for violence and language. 119 minutes