Scott's formula proves to be among us along with some possibly-foreseen life forms

Rating: 6/10 (9 June 2012)

It is a vast understatement to label Prometheus one of the most anticipated films of the year. This film was said to have so much and occupied a great deal hype that it was truly impossible that a film could live up to it all. It was rumored to be a prequel to Alien, and I guess now we're just labeling it "strikingly similar." Not seeing Alien in probably six or seven years, I can't totally state if the mythology is reminiscent to that film, but I could judge on what very few people are judging it as; its own film.
The film's plot wasn't clearly revealed in any trailers and online speculations and leaks were very slim, so it's hard to decipher where the fine line of general information and spoilers are when describing the film. The jist is that it is the year 2089, and a gang of archaeologists discover a rare star map that is apparently linked to the forerunners of the human race. The main scientist funds the creation of the scientific vessel, dubbed "Prometheus," so that a group of archaeologists can travel to the moon LV-223. Guided by an android named David (Fassbender), the gang sets off on what becomes a four year journey through the galaxy until they finally land on the distant moon.
From there on out, it's exploration time, hopefully answering some much needed questions about the world we inhabit today, the life on this moon, and what lies ahead. The scientists we come to vaguely know are Elizabeth Shaw (Rapace), the man who funded the trip, Peter Weyland (Pearce), Captain Janek (Elba), Shaw's crush, Charlie (Marshall-Green), the monitor of the trip, Meredith (Theron), Milburn the botanist (Spall), and the geologist, Fifield (Harris).
All the actors do a very good job at performing throughout the picture, particularly Michael Fassbender as the android. At this point, the man can do no wrong. He has proved himself to be a man of true versatility and charisma, transcending characters from a depraved sex addict to someone non-human. It is rare that in this day and age we get an actor so committed to cinema that he is willing to take roles seemingly for more than the pay. Other crew members, like Idris Elba and Charlize Theron, too do a great job in their respected roles.
Not to mention, on an atmospheric note, the film looks remarkable. The visuals are remarkable, some sequences on the moon are very staged brilliantly, and a lot of the environment is put to great use.
After we are greeted with these favorable elements, Prometheus starts to become a relatively conventional sci-fi story. Its look is great, but nothing wholly different from what we have seen in recent years, its story is not a deeply moving or one we haven't touched on, and the characters lack depth and sympathy from an audience perspective and that is a big problem. At times, the film seems to be overly concerned with asking questions it doesn't know the answers too (which quickly becomes a burden on the audience's part), and all building up towards the inevitable, forthcoming sequel that will be among us faster than this one can gross a record number.
In the original Alien, not only was it fun to watch, but it was delightfully unexpected for its time. It was a surprise to see such technology put to great use, such developed characters functioning inside a different and organized plot, and everything felt fresh and inviting. Prometheus feels like a tune already sung before, just given to a different band.
Ridley Scott is the kind of director who you could see getting a barrage of different ideas and making them into capable and memorable epics. The problem is he has a growing talent for choosing scripts that spend too much time on the landscapes and the intricate features rather than character development, tone, and progression. I could compare Prometheus a lot with Gladiator, in the respect that both films are long, sometimes difficult to sit through, not always interesting, plagued by repetition, and are lifted by one performance in the supporting role. They aren't particularly awful films, but painfully ordinary and traditional.
It has been mentioned numerous times that the film occupies plot holes. Without thinking too hard about the story, I can think of one. We are greeted with some A-class technology here, some of the brightest, crispest, most involving use of computers I have yet to see in a film. Everything seems so lifelike, accurate, and impenetrable, that if this is rumored to take place a century before Alien or be a standard prequel, I have one question; how is the technology more accurate and everything so meticulously advanced? Starring: Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, and Sean Harris. Directed by: Ridley Scott.