Decent, but convoluted

Rating: 7/10 (3 June 2012)

The story of Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods to give to humankind, only to be eternally and horrifically punished, is a good one, even by Greek mythology's very high standard. The opening of this film was easily the best part, not only because it wasn't in any danger of being impeded by inevitably cheesy dialogue, but also because it told us straight away why the film (and indeed the ship) takes his name. So it's contrived, but we have no right to expect anything more from a sci- fi/horror film. So, we begin with a humanoid, which drinks some sort of weird looking viscous liquid, only for his body to disintegrate as a result of the liquid utterly deconstructing his DNA. We conclude, that, after the panoramic shots we have just seen, that this is earth, and this humanoid, while evidently not human, looks suspiciously as if he is within the same DNA spectrum. This, of course, is the basis for the film, and the two enthusiastic doctors, Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway, within its boundaries.
The origin of man is, of course, a subject which has been the cause of much debate over the centuries, although Darwinism has taken precedence over many other lesser theories in the last couple of hundred years. What Prometheus does is challenge this, not as any direct attack on Darwin, but just to make us think. Evidently, anything is possible, although the events that unfold on the Prometheus are in the extremities of unlikeliest. However, while making the audience think can only be a good thing cinematically, there is a distinct difference between a plot that is challenging to follow, and a plot which has so many twists and turns that it leaves you more confused than when you went in. The beginning, for example, is never explained. Now, some, like me and my peers, spent ages discussing it and traded our own conclusions about its relevance. But can Scott really be so sure that everyone will try so hard to understand what he's trying to say?
This film has been hailed as a prequel to the hugely successful Alien franchise. Although denying this, Scott has managed to create something resembling the start of the whole saga. However, the addition of two more stages to the Alien's life-cycle was a little too much to take in. It is possible that the Squid-like Alien was the queen's face-hugger hinted at in Alien 3 but eventually cut out. But that still leaves the Cobra-like Aliens, residing in the black goo. What were they for? Other than to wreak a little fleeting havoc, it seems nothing, since they were never seen again.
Michael Fassbender was outstanding; as was Idris Elba, know better for his sterling work in Luther. The rest of the cast was difficult to evaluate, seeing as there is only so much true acting one can do while being ripped apart by Aliens. They were mildly entertaining though, while they were alive. Although Noomi Rapace was undeniably good, I did have a bit of a gripe with her accent, which seemed at times to be attempting Scots, but the rest of the time, a cultured British one.
Obviously the special effects, it goes without saying, were fantastic, although it did stray on the side of cockiness a little. But Scott's skill with a camera have not diminished, and Prometheus, no matter how much criticism it is subjected to, will remain an aesthetically beautiful film. My last criticism is that there was too much music. The beauty of the original Alien was that the tension was built wonderfully. In Prometheus the music strayed towards the epic, rather than the construction of pure naked terror. I liked it, but it still doesn't beat the first Alien film.