Average movie going audience, are you seeing this?

Rating: 8/10 (19 June 2012)

Because, seriously, there is a lot that I am sure was missed. Tons of amazing movies are bold enough to ask questions, and leave them unanswered, tantalizing the viewer who walks away satisfied, despite being inquisitive. Prometheus is bold enough to not only ask the big questions, but also to answer them, begging the real question: was it too ambitious to answer the great questions of the Universe in 123 minutes? If one is willing to do some reading before and after, and to critically analyze the story beyond the epic, I am certain there will be a feeling of satisfaction, and the itch to have your movie geek friends HURRY UP AND GO SEE IT so that a discussion can be had. Aside from that, it was visually stunning, with a solid amount of suspense, and Elizabeth Shaw proves almost as likable Ripley. Michael Fassbender does an excellent job of becoming "David" and one has to enjoy the first scene of the movie, giving yet another ambitious answer to the question "what might a droid do if he was alone for 2 years?" (I'd imagine that he would just sit and stare). Of course, one wants to ask "why would they spend billions of dollars and send sassy scientists uninterested in the work on this mission?" and the simple answer is entertainment. No one wants to watch personality-less characters, just like no one wants to watch a team scan a planet for 18 hours while trying to find the pyramid. It's just better to watch this way. Obvious "twists" are contrasted against ambitious answers, making for a thought provoking epic, up to the nose with science fiction action (even mention of Terraforming!). A definite must-see, despite what some brilliant tweets will tell you.
***SPOILERS BELOW***
Some food for thought: 1) Notice the timing of the archaeological findings. It appears that for each great ancient civilization, there has been allusion to a visitor or prophet giving the secrets of the universe, a creator, and where to 'meet up.' It seems that about 2000 years ago, after sending their last prophet, the Engineers lost faith in humanity and decided to use the genetic goo to wipe out their creation. 2000 years ago... about the time Jesus might have "visited" the Earth and been crucified by humanity. 2) Themes of creation and self sacrifice are evident throughout the film. The first scene shows an Engineer self sacrificing in order to create humanity. Contrasted with a) Peter Weyland refusing to accept death and trying to stay alive (note Meredith's line about the King's duty to die) b) Shaw's unwillingness to house the alien 'fetus' as she would likely not survive, opposite a) the pilots crashing their ship into the "goo" ship in order to prevent the massacre on Earth and b) Holloway asking for Meredith to kill him so he wouldn't infect or harm any others on the ship. 3) Images of "Prometheus are everywhere." Prometheus was a Titan in Greek mythology who built man out of clay (creator of life). He later, gave the humans fire, and was punished by Zeus, being condemned to perpetually have his liver ripped out of his abdomen by a bird, only to grow back. Essentially, it seems like the Engineers created man kind, but gave them too much power, or maybe gave the Aliens too much power, which lead to their eventual demise. The Aliens burst from the abdomen, much like the pain of Prometheus, Shaw, the Aliens, and maybe even Jesus at his crucifixion. Prometheus has long been a symbol for the improvement of human life resulting in tragedy. 4) Of course, the goo is referred to as a "weapon of mass destruction" and it is noted that the Engineers weren't "stupid enough" to build it on their own turf. We really do live in an age where 'world issues' are ultimately important (even weighed against the meaning of life).
If you were wondering: 1) David is not going back and forth from evil to good, he is under the control of Weyland and thus acting for him, and sometimes not, and Weyland has conflicting wants. That's why David was testing the goo out on Holloway, and being sinister toward Shaw, despite 'helping her' in other ways 2) The goo appears to be acting in different ways, maybe mirroring the host, or maybe being refined. It is first used to break down genetic material to create humanity, and later to create the famous "Alien." In Alien, the species is referred to as the perfect being, so maybe we are to imagine that the Engineers had perfected their craft after creating humanity. It then seems that the goo has gone out of control, killing even them, as they stockpile it to bring to Earth.