It's cool... but it hurts

Rating: 6/10 (9 June 2012)

Here it is. The long awaited prequel to Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece Alien is finally here. But the question on everyone's minds is, is Prometheus really a prequel in the way we would have all hoped. The answer... not exactly. It definitively puts a backstory on some of the unexplained aspects of Alien (ie Space Jockey) but all in all Prometheus is its own story. It tells the story of a group of scientists who venture into space to discover where all human life and creation began. They hope to find all the answers to civilization, but instead they find something much more incriminating and far more dangerous than they expected. The story is full of twists and turns, and it opens the doors for many new ventures into the Alien universe. Prometheus is essentially a prequel to Alien with its setting up of how the events in Alien came to be, but the main focus of the film's plot is its own original idea that is more or less inspired by what Ridley Scott put together back in 1979.
As far as this original plot goes, it's nothing groundbreaking. It's not much more than what we've seen before, but it still manages to be intriguing and engaging, as well as a whole lot of fun. The verbose storyline here makes for a winding tale of chilling adventure that is equal parts cool and creepy. There's a lot going on here, some of it Alien related, some of it not. The new story developing here is nothing extraordinary, but it will certainly keep you entertained.
Now, when you begin to look at Prometheus as the prequel to Alien, it then starts leaving a little to be desired. The explanations attached to the mystery and ambiguity of Scott's horrific science fiction masterpiece are nothing exceptionally creative or earth shatteringly profound. It's something that makes you go, "Oh neat," or, "I like what they did there." Different people will have different outlooks on this but, as far as I'm concerned, if you're not going to make your prequel astoundingly brilliant, it's almost better to leave the mystery as just that, a mystery that fans of Alien get to speculate about for years and years.
Honestly, a part of me is a little disappointed that I now know the backstory to these events. It's a little crushing to know that this is the true explanation and there is no refuting it as it is Ridley Scott's universe, and Prometheus is a Ridley Scott film. As much as I enjoyed this flick, I'd be lying if I didn't say a little part of me died when all was revealed and that beautiful veil of ambiguity was lifted to reveal a less than groundbreaking explanation to it all. It's a Wizard of Oz type experience, and I can't say it doesn't hurt just a little bit.
But all nostalgic nerddom aside, it really is pretty fun to be back in the Alien universe and to experience something of a glimpse into what the backstory behind all this is. And that is just what Prometheus is, fun. It's creepy, it's gross, it's action packed, and it's got some truly great visuals that any sci-fi fan can get excited about. I can't say I didn't enjoy Prometheus but in retrospect I realize what I've lost in seeing this movie. It makes this a terribly bittersweet film, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and won't let my science fiction nerdiness get the best of me. Prometheus is a fun film. Definitely see it, but don't allow it to get too rooted into the beloved Alien universe which captivates your mind.