Film Review: Prometheus

Cinema: Prometheus  6/10

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron

Plot: a journey to a dark corner of the universe occurs to discover the origins of mankind and soon after, to save it. A prequel to the well loved Alien films.

Having missed the hype of all the Alien films, Prometheus didn’t seem to be something that would interest me, but I was wrong. Despite the mixed reviews from critics; some loving the film and some catastrophically hating it, Prometheus is one heck of a summer blockbuster that should be praised.

Visually, the film is top-notch. The wide shots of the new, uncovered planets will leave you in awe, and do perfectly well in the 2D format (3D, though I saw it in 2D, doesn’t seem necessary here). You can see why Ridley Scott is described as a ‘visual director’, especially during scenes of action. The action in the film, though rare, is applied to the story only when necessary. It plays its biggest part in the final third of the film where numerous scenes of escapes and chases will leave you on the edge-of-your-seat, wanting to see the events unfold as quickly as possible.

The acting in the film is also superb; Noomi Rapace and Charlize Theron are the two female leads that shine, whilst Michael Fassbender plays the immortal robot-like character to perfection.

The side that lets the film down is the storyline; fans of Alien have been anticipating this instalment for years and it doesn’t seem as if much time was spent on writing a quality story. It seems like a typical science fiction/horror situation which tries to overcomplicate itself with historical facts, that only make you think that there is more to the story than there actually is.

In Conclusion: Prometheus is visually dazzling and full of very memorable scenes (Rapace has probably the most memorable scene which involves stomach churning surgery). The film should also be praised for pushing the boundaries with which a summer blockbuster wouldn’t usually do; the film doesn’t consist of quick cuts, meaning that you see the gore and you see the destruction without thinking you haven’t seen enough. If only the story were a little better and less predictable.