You've Received an Invitation

Rating: 9/10 (2 June 2012)

On release, Prometheus seems to create mixed emotions. My belief is that if you go expecting to see an all-out Alien movie, there's a chance that you'll leave disappointed. But if you look a little deeper, there's a masterpiece here. A very, very clever movie. What we have is a movie that may baffle in the present (and make no mistake, it's always going to leave unanswered questions) but given time, it's going to become much more accessible and open up to a fuller audience. But first, it needs to be slowly digested and understood.
For comparison, I'm drawn to The Matrix. Long, before it's reputation was destroyed by the sequels (and please Ridley, don't do that to Prometheus), the Matrix was just a great sci-fi movie. Within weeks though, people started to discover that it was much more - the Wachowskis had placed a message in there. It held something deeper. Now, that movie is a legend: discussed extensively on philosophy forums, dissected by students and in no small part, because of that philosophy, we see it as a classic. I see Prometheus in the same vein. Look past the Alien franchise and you'll see something much, much deeper. Not necessarily more satisfying but definitely something to chew over. And definitely something that makes it a great.
In my quick review, I don't want to concentrate too much on the sci-fi story, the acting or the cinematography. What I want to concentrate on is what I would call the "soul" of the movie. In my opinion, it's raison d'etre. What we have is a message concerning the very depths of each individual's existence. You can't be given that message directly - only pointed towards it. You have to grab it for yourself.
Yes, after the general sci-fi story we've got the layer of the Prometheus myth. But below that is the true essence of the movie - Gnosticism. Each character plays a part in that Gnostic structuring. Their actions and characters are based on it. We've got disciples seeking gnosis, demi-gods, atheists, popes, dogmatic followers and even the Church pops up in the guise of the Company. Scott was very smart. The legend of Prometheus was used by Gnostic religions in early Christian history, so it fits nicely with what he's presented. It's layered beautifully. True, sometimes layering the simple with the complex results in what looks like a plot hole and on it's release there are many complaining that those holes are there, but look properly and you'll see that the vast majority of those holes aren't there - if it doesn't make sense on the superficial level, it's probably explained at the next. Confusing? Only if you don't look properly and that's not a fault that can be laid at the door of the movie but rather a viewer who needs to open his eyes and study a bit harder.
If you only see "Alien" you haven't even scratched the surface. If you see the Prometheus legend, you've gone a bit deeper but you aren't there yet. The real depth of the movie is that Prometheus is presenting you with the opportunity to study Gnosticism. The study of yourself. Some will say that Prometheus is too conceited, that it's messy or that by hiding that message, it's become bloated. They're missing the whole point.
Prometheus is much more than a movie. It's a message. In one of the main character's words "It's an invitation". It's totally up to you if you want to receive that message, let alone act on it and accept the invitation.