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Thursday 5 July 2012

Prometheus

In Space, no one can hear you scream, but they can in the cinema. A solid return to sci-fi from Ridley Scott

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce & Logan Marshall Greene

Dir: Sir Ridley Scott

Writers: Damon Linfelof & Jon Spailhts

It's behind you!

What's It All About?
After discovering ancient markings in a Scottish cave that portray the same message as those found all over the world, scientist Dr Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) is convinced it is an invitation to humans from their creators to come meet them. So she and her partner in science, and in life, Dr Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall Green) join a crew aboard space ship, Prometheus to set off on the adventure of a life time. The crew are sent into cryogenic sleep whilst travelling to the planet, watched over by the show-stealing android, David (Michael Fassbender). The ship is funded by the ancient, and now deceased, Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce), who briefly appears in a hologram to the crew once they have awoken from cryogenic sleep, to inform them of their mission: to travel to the planet depicted in the markings to see if they can discover their makers. But for any of you who have seen Alien, you will know it is never as straightforward as that. The stern Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) is the no-nonsence liaison for Weyland Corp, pursuing the financial and business, rather than scientific, route. When the scientists believe they have discovered life on the planet, Vickers demands that nothing be brought back onto the ship, and, again as with Alien, that's when you'll find yourself saying, "You should have listened to her" as the terror ensues...


Worth a watch?
I found this epic film one of the best sci-fi films I have seen in a long time. Despite being billed as a prequel, it's more of an open introduction. Scott stated himself that there are "strands of Alien DNA in the film" but the film itself is more of an uncle or grandparent, than a direct parent to the film. You don't have to have seen Alien before hand to understand Prometheus, but if you have, you will be able to pick up on subtle hints and motifs that run through the film. I don't know if it's because the stomach-bursting scene in Alien has become so iconic and hence been re-enacted and spoofed so many times, or simply because our generation has become desensitised to violence and gore due to monstrosities such as Saw and Hostel, but that scene didn't really shock me. There is, however, a similar sort of scene in Prometheus, that genuinely made my stomach squirm. I also found myself veering to the edge of seat at several moments of tense anticipation and whilst I wouldn't say the film was scary, it certainly was creepy and shocking. The plot also really made me think, as the religion vs science debate is very pensive, although I still had a lot of unanswered questions at the end. And I feel I should take a moment to mention Fassbender, who is brilliant as cyborg David and quite frankly steals the show with his earnest attempts to understand humans and his fascination with Lawrence of Arabia... you'll see!


Let down?
The plot is quite complex, which is what makes it great, but also what lets it down. I found myself not quite getting the opening scene until later on when I looked back on it, and I felt I had more questions leaving than I did when I came in. I saw the film in 3D, and whilst the graphics were still excellent, if you are like me and find yourself getting headaches and annoyance from glasses always sliding off your face, stick to the 2D as I don't feel it added that much to the film overall - a scene with a sandstorm in particular didn't agree with me! 


So overall...
Having just finished writing about films for a module at university, this is the sort of film with such an intricate backstory and so much symbolism that coming out of the cinema made me want to go write an essay on it - yes, I know, I'm a geek. But for me, that's the sign of a good film, something that shocks you, makes you think, and inspires you. Unfortunately due to end of term commitments and a bought of flu it's been a couple of weeks since I saw the film so I feel that my full enthusiasm may not have come across here, but this film left me staggered. It was truly brilliant.
  • Lives up to expectation  2/2
  • Scenery/Effects 3/3
  • Eye Candy 2/2
  • Quality of Acting 3/3
  • Plot 4/5
  • Quality of film within it's genre: Sci Fi 5/5 , Thriller 5/5
96%


As an interesting extra, have a read of this very interesting article about symbolism in Prometheus, but only once you have seen the film! SPOILERS WITHIN  http://cavalorn.livejournal.com/584135.html

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