A good thrilling movie with great special effects that make up for what it might lack in plot. There were a lot of squeamish moments, especially one involving Dr Elizabeth Shaw. The suspense and adrenaline was so extreme during this scene that as soon as the action was resolved, the audience in the cinema around me started gasping and laughing in shock at what had been witnessed on screen. For me, this was one of the most fascinating yet disturbing moments of the film and one which demonstrates exactly where Ridley Scott’s mastery lies.
Interestingly, having seen the trailers with Charlize Theron, I was expected the actress to have a much more crucial and main role in the film. I found the purpose of her character wasn’t very clear. Maybe even more so, I found the character of David even harder to understand. He seems to be programmed without any emotions but I can’t understand why he is so evil. Even his creator didn’t show the same motivations, so it was baffling for me to see the reason for his actions. I’m not even sure why he was sent on the mission in the first place, or then why the other human scientists were sent as well. Since he is an artificial being who has shown he is capable of absorbing large amounts of knowledge, why couldn’t he have just studied all of the necessary science and then gone on the mission himself (or with other robots), instead of endangering human life the way it did? Or even the unbelievable actions of some of the scientists puzzled me – people this intelligent and knowledgeable about the risks, taking off their helmets in this foreign environment is just too silly to believe.
Anyway, the lead role of Elizabeth Shaw was played by Roomi Napace who I think was well suited to the character. I think it also demonstrates the way the film places more of an emphasis on the creatures and the sci-fi world rather than on the star power of the cast. Just like in Alien (featuring an at-the-time relatively unknown Sigourney Weaver) or Predator, these big blockbusters will no doubt attract their audiences anyway (especially with the amount of marketing and advertising build-up for Prometheus). So rather than distract the audience with a big name, who will become the focus of scrutiny, you have a skilled actress who can more easily assimilate with the other cast members. After all, the film is about the journey of a group of everyday human beings, so therefore it is more fitting that their experiences can be shared universally among mankind.
I liked the special effects in the film and I really liked the white humanoid aliens – who looked so familiar. The opening scene of the film features a beautiful monochrome waterfall as the setting of the creature’s ritual, although I don’t feel like that moment is ever really explained in the rest of the film (some sort of suicide?). However, I see it as a symbolic moment showing the creature’s god-like power to create and destroy, perhaps foreshadowing the condition of human beings.
Also, the film’s title, Prometheus (the name of the spaceship in the movie), immediately reminded me of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. Just like Frankenstein’s monster, the humanoid aliens and human beings both seem to have been engineered and brought to life. The theme of the film is very much linked in to the Greek mythological figure of the same name, to whom the creation of man is credited.
So while much has been made of some hard-to-fathom character qualities and moments of the film, Prometheus ultimately gets your heart pumping with some great action in what is a thrilling sci-fi film. If you can let yourself just be immersed in the strange world of the film (and even let go of some of your logic and questioning), you can find this to be a very enjoyable film, which I think succeeds in what it sets out to do.
Interestingly, having seen the trailers with Charlize Theron, I was expected the actress to have a much more crucial and main role in the film. I found the purpose of her character wasn’t very clear. Maybe even more so, I found the character of David even harder to understand. He seems to be programmed without any emotions but I can’t understand why he is so evil. Even his creator didn’t show the same motivations, so it was baffling for me to see the reason for his actions. I’m not even sure why he was sent on the mission in the first place, or then why the other human scientists were sent as well. Since he is an artificial being who has shown he is capable of absorbing large amounts of knowledge, why couldn’t he have just studied all of the necessary science and then gone on the mission himself (or with other robots), instead of endangering human life the way it did? Or even the unbelievable actions of some of the scientists puzzled me – people this intelligent and knowledgeable about the risks, taking off their helmets in this foreign environment is just too silly to believe.
Anyway, the lead role of Elizabeth Shaw was played by Roomi Napace who I think was well suited to the character. I think it also demonstrates the way the film places more of an emphasis on the creatures and the sci-fi world rather than on the star power of the cast. Just like in Alien (featuring an at-the-time relatively unknown Sigourney Weaver) or Predator, these big blockbusters will no doubt attract their audiences anyway (especially with the amount of marketing and advertising build-up for Prometheus). So rather than distract the audience with a big name, who will become the focus of scrutiny, you have a skilled actress who can more easily assimilate with the other cast members. After all, the film is about the journey of a group of everyday human beings, so therefore it is more fitting that their experiences can be shared universally among mankind.
I liked the special effects in the film and I really liked the white humanoid aliens – who looked so familiar. The opening scene of the film features a beautiful monochrome waterfall as the setting of the creature’s ritual, although I don’t feel like that moment is ever really explained in the rest of the film (some sort of suicide?). However, I see it as a symbolic moment showing the creature’s god-like power to create and destroy, perhaps foreshadowing the condition of human beings.
Also, the film’s title, Prometheus (the name of the spaceship in the movie), immediately reminded me of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. Just like Frankenstein’s monster, the humanoid aliens and human beings both seem to have been engineered and brought to life. The theme of the film is very much linked in to the Greek mythological figure of the same name, to whom the creation of man is credited.
So while much has been made of some hard-to-fathom character qualities and moments of the film, Prometheus ultimately gets your heart pumping with some great action in what is a thrilling sci-fi film. If you can let yourself just be immersed in the strange world of the film (and even let go of some of your logic and questioning), you can find this to be a very enjoyable film, which I think succeeds in what it sets out to do.
4/5
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