A Film So Aeasthetically Pleasing The Flaws Don't Matter

Rating: 7/10 (27 March 2015)

Ridley Scott is one of those auteurs who has a reputation for attention to detail . Everything he does revolves around a visual level so much so that he sometimes forsakes narrative . It's not necessarily a crime and whatever you think about his prolific body of work he often makes beautiful looking films replete with great technical merits . PROMETHEUS probably sums up the Scott style perfectly
In the late 21st Century The Weyland Company finance a multi-national team to find the origins of mankind . A simple premise and while possibly doesn't develop the story to its full potential you're left with the feeling that he doesn't need to . PROMETHEUS was Oscar nominated for its special effects but to be honest it also deserved an armful of other nods for cinematography , editing , production design and make-up . This is an absolutely gorgeous film to look at and watching it on a cinema screen or at the very least on a wide screen TV is more of an experience than a film . There's not a lot happening story wise but this is doesn't matter in the slightest when everything is this good looking . It's also refreshing to see actors playing scientists who give the impression that they're in awe at the beauty of science . They're taking part in the greatest scientific discovery in the history of mankind and they give the impression they're at a landmark in human development
After this slow burning beautiful first half the film then realises what it really is - a prequel to the ALIEN franchise and here the film unravels to an extent . It's by no means dreadful but the pacing is all over the place as characters runaround trying to stay alive , things happen with little explanation and set-pieces involving spectacle then starts taking precedence over everything else which is something of a pity since I was enjoying the moody , atmospheric and mysterious first half . Perhaps worst of all the audience are then left with the headline that we'll be getting a sequel down the pipeline somewhere . On top of this I've recently learned we're also getting yet another ALIEN sequel ! Are we really crying out for that ? As it stands PROMETHEUS is an uneven film that's mostly enjoyable but one had hoped for a self contained movie with a more ambiguous ending