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PROMETHEUS (2012)
PROMETHEUS (2012)
It's hard to say whether the hype for Prometheus benefited it in the long run, or had it falling short of the expectations of many fans of Ridley Scott. This film's had such an expectation that it's almost unbelievable. We'd seen such things with titles like The Avengers and currently in the upcoming (supposed) final installment to Nolan's Batman series.
This film, however, has a few things that have it falling just short of what it had been presented to be.
The plot behind Prometheus seems to echo a little bit with countless other sci-fi films - but of course - as a result of being under the masterful hand of Ridley Scott, it has tweaks made. In 2089, archaeologist couple Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway discover a star-map among several unconnected ancient cultures. They interpret these as an invitation from humanity's forerunners, the "Engineers". Upon doing so, they and a crew find themselves on a space vessel named "Prometheus" and venture to a planet light-years away where the discover an alien race and much more than they bargained for; potentially dooming Earth as a result of their findings.
The plot idea itself is intriguing and attention grabbing and for a decent portion of the film, it draws you in. It's the mystery and the suspense of finding what some of Earth's finest scientists wish to discover that keeps audiences on the edge of their seat. We all know something's going to happen; it's just the question of to who, at what point and why?
But while the story, the CGI and the beautifully shot sequences in this film dazzle audiences there is clear room for improvement.
I think the first flaw was the idea that had emerged as if Prometheus was not a stand-alone film. It was immediately titled 'THE PREQUEL' to Alien. When something like that happens, it's hard to go into a film and stand at an objective point and look at the film as what it is rather than what it's expected to explore. Sure, it has aspects of the Alien films which makes it even harder to distance oneself from Scott's previous works in the sci-fi genre, but it also has originality. The film has a complexity which is underlining the progression of events in this film, and sadly, not all of them are explored in enough depth.
Character's seem a little underdeveloped and motives are constantly up in the air. While that makes sense to some degree, and maybe Scott is trying to pin the message of the unpredictable nature of people in the world, a lot of characters just don't seem anywhere near developed enough to convey that message in a powerful way. As expected, the main character develops, but most others fall short of being intriguing, unique or multi-dimensional characters.
Ridley Scott brings his masterful touch to this film. The scenes are brilliant and the CGI is amazingly detailed that it's hard to believes that the vast majority of the things we see aren't in fact real. Alien life looks as real as the actors set to play alongside the CGI; a feat in itself. Scott's direction should be commended as well. While the film doesn't have some of the development that I'd hoped for, I believe that given a longer run-time - a lot more could have been looked at and discussed. However, things need to be cut for one reason or another. I just wish that Scott had explored some of the more intriguing ideas that he'd presented in more detail. While we see glimpses of aspects which formed ideas, we never truly get to see anything in its entirety. Without spoiling anything, I can't single anything out exactly, but suffice to say - it can be somewhat frustrating. With that being said, Scott can't be faulted on this magnificent effort to a point that is un-redeeming.
Noomi Rapace plays excellently as Elizabeth Shaw. Her performance was thoroughly enjoyable and believable and her display of complex emotions often scene stealers in their own right. She was the perfect choice for a lead and perhaps was able to explore her character the most in regards to development. Michael Fassbender as David was a wonder to watch. The robotic created being, representing a humanoid was undeniably a difficult character to find a balance in; especially as David needed to seem so human it was hard to distinguish him from others, but playing him just robotic enough to be inhuman. Logan Marshal-Green was exceptional to watch on screen. He really showed his acting ability in the role of Charlie Holloway. I wish his development in character would've been more detailed as he was captivating to watch as he progressed through the film; a screen presence I won't soon forget. Special mention to Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce and Idris Elba who all acted brilliantly, but once more, were let down by their lack of character development.
There's no doubting that Prometheus is an entertaining film which has all the fireworks and on-screen beauty that a sci-fi lover would want. However, it's missing some of the delicate features and the execution which really makes a movie not just great but memorable and iconic. It will get all the recognition it deserves and more, but with a slightly longer running time and more attention to characters rather than just the progression of the plot, this film could have been easily among some of the favorite lists of movie-goers around the world.
This film, however, has a few things that have it falling just short of what it had been presented to be.
The plot behind Prometheus seems to echo a little bit with countless other sci-fi films - but of course - as a result of being under the masterful hand of Ridley Scott, it has tweaks made. In 2089, archaeologist couple Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway discover a star-map among several unconnected ancient cultures. They interpret these as an invitation from humanity's forerunners, the "Engineers". Upon doing so, they and a crew find themselves on a space vessel named "Prometheus" and venture to a planet light-years away where the discover an alien race and much more than they bargained for; potentially dooming Earth as a result of their findings.
The plot idea itself is intriguing and attention grabbing and for a decent portion of the film, it draws you in. It's the mystery and the suspense of finding what some of Earth's finest scientists wish to discover that keeps audiences on the edge of their seat. We all know something's going to happen; it's just the question of to who, at what point and why?
But while the story, the CGI and the beautifully shot sequences in this film dazzle audiences there is clear room for improvement.
I think the first flaw was the idea that had emerged as if Prometheus was not a stand-alone film. It was immediately titled 'THE PREQUEL' to Alien. When something like that happens, it's hard to go into a film and stand at an objective point and look at the film as what it is rather than what it's expected to explore. Sure, it has aspects of the Alien films which makes it even harder to distance oneself from Scott's previous works in the sci-fi genre, but it also has originality. The film has a complexity which is underlining the progression of events in this film, and sadly, not all of them are explored in enough depth.
Character's seem a little underdeveloped and motives are constantly up in the air. While that makes sense to some degree, and maybe Scott is trying to pin the message of the unpredictable nature of people in the world, a lot of characters just don't seem anywhere near developed enough to convey that message in a powerful way. As expected, the main character develops, but most others fall short of being intriguing, unique or multi-dimensional characters.
Ridley Scott brings his masterful touch to this film. The scenes are brilliant and the CGI is amazingly detailed that it's hard to believes that the vast majority of the things we see aren't in fact real. Alien life looks as real as the actors set to play alongside the CGI; a feat in itself. Scott's direction should be commended as well. While the film doesn't have some of the development that I'd hoped for, I believe that given a longer run-time - a lot more could have been looked at and discussed. However, things need to be cut for one reason or another. I just wish that Scott had explored some of the more intriguing ideas that he'd presented in more detail. While we see glimpses of aspects which formed ideas, we never truly get to see anything in its entirety. Without spoiling anything, I can't single anything out exactly, but suffice to say - it can be somewhat frustrating. With that being said, Scott can't be faulted on this magnificent effort to a point that is un-redeeming.
Noomi Rapace plays excellently as Elizabeth Shaw. Her performance was thoroughly enjoyable and believable and her display of complex emotions often scene stealers in their own right. She was the perfect choice for a lead and perhaps was able to explore her character the most in regards to development. Michael Fassbender as David was a wonder to watch. The robotic created being, representing a humanoid was undeniably a difficult character to find a balance in; especially as David needed to seem so human it was hard to distinguish him from others, but playing him just robotic enough to be inhuman. Logan Marshal-Green was exceptional to watch on screen. He really showed his acting ability in the role of Charlie Holloway. I wish his development in character would've been more detailed as he was captivating to watch as he progressed through the film; a screen presence I won't soon forget. Special mention to Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce and Idris Elba who all acted brilliantly, but once more, were let down by their lack of character development.
There's no doubting that Prometheus is an entertaining film which has all the fireworks and on-screen beauty that a sci-fi lover would want. However, it's missing some of the delicate features and the execution which really makes a movie not just great but memorable and iconic. It will get all the recognition it deserves and more, but with a slightly longer running time and more attention to characters rather than just the progression of the plot, this film could have been easily among some of the favorite lists of movie-goers around the world.