Prometheus - Flawed but Enjoyable

Rating: 8/10 (3 June 2012)

Prometheus (2012)
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Screenplay by: Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof
Prologue:
Prometheus, the long awaited instalment in the Alien Saga is finally here, and like everyone, I was excited to go see it
After all, this was a new Alien movie that was being directed by Ridley Scott, the visionary genius behind the 1979 classic that started it all, not only that but it was to be a Prequel that expands the Alien Universe and sheds light on the long, mysterious Mythology behind the Space Jockies
and Prometheus would also return the series to its roots with the dark, Gothic H.R. Giger style surroundings
I couldn't wait.
Plot:
In the year 2089, an archaeologist couple Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway discover a star map hidden among the remnants of other unconnected ancient cultures. Believing all this to be connected to the human race's creators. Peter Weyland, the founder of the powerful Weyland Corporation, funds the creation of the scientific vessel named after the Greek Titan Prometheus to follow the star map to the moon LV-223 to find mankind's makers, dubbed "Engineers" by Shaw.
In the year 2093, the ship arrives and lands near an alien structure. A team including Shaw, Holloway, and David explores the structure, while Vickers and Captain Janek monitor their progress on-board the ship.
What was meant to be the scientific discovery of a lifetime, soon becomes a nightmare of complete terror as the intentions of the structure and of the Gods who made us becomes clear.
Review:
Prometheus is interesting movie with great ideas that is executed both good and flawed at the same time The visuals are stunning and impressive, you can definitely see the Budget was well spent for the CGI.
The sets of the Prometheus ship and the Space Jockey ruins are beautiful and reminiscent to "Alien" The effects for the Space Jockies and the Alien Bio-weapons were decent The acting is good, especially from Michael Fassbender as David, there is a fascinating mixture of childish innocence, profound wit and a dark sinister core.
Charlize Theron is exceptional as the forceful, commanding and ruthless Vickers
Noomi Rapace was good as Shaw, it was interesting to see that the main heroin was not just another Ripley clone, as seen in both AVP and AVP-R
She was frail, but also had a deep inner strength within.
I liked Idris Elba as the Captain of the Prometheus, it was a shame they didn't give him more screen time and give the viewer the same feeling they had for Dallas in Alien.
Guy Pearce as Peter Weyland was alright, but distracting, like most movies where a young actor or actress is put in old age make-up and has to pretend to be old. Highlander II: The Quickening with Christopher Lambert as old MacLeod is a prime example. It's a really hard thing to pull off, but props to Guy Pearce for trying his best.
The rest of the cast was okay, but needed more time to develop all of them, and because of this, most of them end up being like the characters from AVP, you don't really know much about their personality to care what happens to them.
Another problem Prometheus has is the script which has a fair share of plot holes It also doesn't know whether it wants to be a body shock horror, an infected colleague gone mad kind of horror, an atmospheric horror or sci-fi adventure. But for some reason, the bonkers style changes makes the film entertaining It's like a bizarre, wild ride, where you don't know what you're in for next.
One flaw that this movie has is that at times, it feels that there is something missing, it feels like there should be scenes in the film to explore more of the story and the characters
Hopefully there will be a Director's Cut for the DVD & Blu-Ray Release that fills the movie completely.
Another flaw some people have is the pacing, while it may be slow to begin with, I believe it was intentional for creative reasons. The movie was building up atmosphere and tension in the same style as Alien. The slow pacing with the first half wasn't a problem for me.
Overview:
Prometheus is a flawed movie but also enjoyable if you can look past the plot holes and the flaws.
I definitely recommend checking Prometheus out with an open mind
Enjoy the movie for what it is, a beautifully shot, crazy styled expansion of the Alien Universe.