Prometheus - Review

"Big things have small beginnings."

Prometheus presents a long-awaited return to science-fiction for acclaimed director Ridley Scott.  The film does not disappoint.  It's absolutely beautifully shot and filled with intelligent, thought-provoking questions.  What is the origin of human life?  What happens when two species collide?  These are giant questions that the film doesn't need to answer, but chooses to pose and play with.  Prometheus kicks off with some stunning shots of a vast world not yet populated with life of any kind.  Without giving away plot details, we then see the double helix typical of human DNA floating down a river followed by cells forming a new life form.  In very broad terms, the film is about creation.  

 "I watched your dreams."

Michael Fassbender turns in what should go on to be an Academy Award winning performance as David, the AI on board.  Scott has explored the realm of humanity vs. machine in both Alien and Blade Runner, and further questions the two here.  Interestingly, David seems disappointed in his human creators especially when one crew member informs him that he was created "because we could."  His biting tone reveals his frustration with "you people" (humans) creating him in their likeness because it would upset them to create something that didn't resemble them - a notion that bears heavy significant for other scenes in the film. Fassbender injects complexity into an already well-written character.  He has childlike curiosity, bitter jealousy, cruel intent, and the desire for knowledge often all at the same time.  David frequently quotes from Lawrence of Arabia, and brilliantly alters the meaning of the lines given their context in this film.  Unlike previous films by the director, David actually succeeds in creating a new species, albeit indirectly and through unorthodox means.  Other than Noomi Rapace's Elizabeth Shaw, David is at the center of the film and catalyzes much of the action.  He offers an interesting contrast to Charlize Theron as Meredith Vickers, who I believe to be human (though this point, I'm sure, could be argued).  Though both characters' "creator" is the allusive Peter Weyland, David's interests and motives seem more in line with his father's than do Vickers'.  David is willing to sacrifice human casualties to further the mission, while Vickers is not.  

"There is nothing in the desert.  And no man needs nothing."

This is a fascinating film that will likely go under appreciated.  Prometheus is about the journey, rather than the destination, and many people don't like that sort of movie.  It's a film about exploration which ponders the questions of creator, creation, and faith.  Scott's Blade Runner was perhaps one of the most misunderstood pieces of cinema upon its initial release.  While the film isn't without flaws and doesn't quite reach the level that Blade Runner or Alien have earned, to hold its own against such worthy competitors makes it worth the price of admission.

P.S. I strongly recommend seeing the film in 3-D.  It's the most effective use the technology to date. 

5 out of 5