Condemned to fade into the obscurity that is the realm of the average

Rating: Null/10 (18 June 2012)

The long-awaited Prometheus promised to be the movie giant of the year, the massive budget sci/fi thriller and prequel to the Alien movies. As the film met its release date cinema-goers everywhere, myself included, braced themselves for a box-office smashing, record-breaking, award-winning film. Sadly this did not materialize disappointing audiences everywhere.
Before I put you off completely, I maintain that while this wasn't an excellent movie, it still passes the threshold from average to good. Just. The movie seemed to have everything, amazing special-effects, an intriguing story and an experienced cast. The amalgamation of these things did not result in an exemplary movie however. Indeed, the movie is flawed on multiple levels, including but not limited to; an unnecessarily convoluted story that refuses to explain itself coherently, bland and uninspired dialogue and scenes that add very little to the movie creating a viewing environment in which you are acutely aware of time passing.
Lets examine the bland dialogue. In a movie, good dialogue is either explanatory or relevant to the story, much of the dialogue in Prometheus satisfies neither of these criterion. The dialogue is so banal I started to zone out, the voices of the characters becoming ever quieter until I was watching only the moving pictures and no longer listening. Despite the film being in line with the average duration of other films in its genre, it feels overly long and simply does not have the substance to comfortably fill the allocated time. The cast also fail to manifest an appropriate reaction to many important events, for example they eye the newly discovered alien structure fleetingly, as one might regard something distinctly less fantastic, an oddly shaped rock perhaps. Michael Fassbender's participation does little to aid the floundering cast trying desperately to transcend the inanity of their dialogue.
In spite of my lengthy and prolonged criticisms, I do have several good things to say about the movie. Firstly, in reference to the special-effects; the movie contained stunning, arguably mind-blowing special effects. The environmental design for one was extraordinary, the costumes and models also excellently designed. If anyone responsible for Prometheus deserves praise, it is the artistic team. The movie also makes excellent use of 3D, subtle but effective.
Prometheus also contains some very powerful and emotive scenes accompanied by a beautifully melancholic musical score. My favorite scene was near the end where Elizabeth looks up at the sky, wordlessly contemplating the nihilistic hopelessness of her situation and impending doom. Although Prometheus is a 'good' movie, it certainly isn't a masterpiece and is condemned to fade into the eventual obscurity that is the realm of the 'average'.