more like blade runner than alien, and certainly not for dummies

Rating: 10/10 (12 July 2012)

This film is more than an Alien prequel or some summer blockbuster film, and that's why alien fans are unhappy, those who expected a prequel just didn't get what they wanted, instead what we got was more like Blade runner. Here is my case, I remember reading an article interviewing Patrick Wilson, he said I have a small but important part in this film, he does, he plays Shaw's father who we see in her dreams that David is monitoring. Why is he doing this, well he is fascinated with human behaviour and strives to be more human hence why he says to Holloway I dress up in the space suits even though i don't need to (seeing as he does not have to breath oxygen) because you find it more comfortable if you see me as being human, and that is the point, he studies everyone, he see's Vickers and her selfishness and daddy issues he see's his own father or creator as a megalomaniac lunatic, he even say's to shaw don't all children wish their parents dead, she say's I didn't, now this is why she is different and fascinates him, just like the character from Lawrence of Arabia fascinates him, hence why he watches her dreams and that film and tries to perfect the lead actors voice and does his hair like him. He does terrible things to people in this film but not because he want's to but because he is programmed to follow orders, people say why did the jockeys want to wipe out earth, well if you watch the film shaw says we share the same d.n.a as them, and as you see in the film human beings are not all that nice a point being when Vickers burns Holloway alive, or when guy pierces character tells David to 'try harder' and experiment on Holloway, remember the line from alien 'crew expendable'. They make weapons of mass destruction a bit like Saddam did apparently. Basically it is a film about human behaviour and what makes us human, shaw say's at the end of the film to David after he say's 'I don't understand' she says 'that's because your a robot and I'm a human being'. It is a film about creation, a chain they created us, they look down on us, we created David, we look down on David, but we are just as meaningless as him to the jockeys, they do bad things, we do bad things, David does bad things that is the chain. Shaw is the only nice person in the film, she is meek and feminine, very small, not tall and tough like Ripley or Vickers, I mean she does not fight anybody except the jockey at the end, and she doesn't fight him she just unleashes the giant squid on him, and David who is used in this film likes her for these reasons her agenda is not malevolent, she is the only descent person their he is fascinated by her, hence why he smiles when she puts his head in the bag. We can't hate David because he is not a bad guy he just does what he is told and does not understand the human implications of things like empathy or conscience, he is like one of the robots from blade runner seeking to explore what it is to be human to know what makes us tick and understand it, but not even we do, There are some moments with descent human behaviour in the film like Holloway sacrificing himself despite the fact that he was a moron through out the film, he actually does a good thing. Or when the captain sacrifices himself for the greater good of mankind. It is a film about human behaviour and their actions, be it good or bad sacrificing yourself to protect people or sacrificing others to prolong your own existence (like guy Pearce did). Or your daughter wanting you dead because she is a greedy brat with issues, and no emotions completely cold hearted. Now the problem with this film is when elements are added to make alien fans happy, there are three scene's that probably could have been taken out, the alien birth for example, people being killed by face hugger snakes and people going nuts and killing the crew, i think fox said lets put this in just to be on the safe side, the film is more about the themes of creation and what makes us human. It may not be Hamlet, but I would just go watch Hamlet if that's what I wanted and it definitely is not monkeys at type writers, if you want another hamlet i am afraid in this day and age you would have to write it yourself. This film is a fascinating film with a lot of levels and needs to be watched and analysed more than once, and this is when owning it on DVD will help, people who wanted to see a two hour summer 'take your brain out popcorn movie' blockbuster or people who wanted an alien prequel are quite rightly disappointed but that does not mean it is a bad film, it will find its own audience and set off on its own tangent, it is not todays alien or todays blade runner it is Prometheus and today's audience somewhere will find it, and in twenty years time defend it just like alien fans defend that movie and do not want to see it tampered with. All in all it's a good film.