Discovering Humanity's Forerunners May Lead to Our Extinction

Rating: 9/10 (7 June 2012)

What created humanity? Why are we here? Who created us? The answers to these questions are what the characters in "Prometheus" seek in this two-hour sci-fi film. In this magnificent two-hour adventure of exploring our beginnings, we are taken to a moon located in a distant galaxy named LV-223 where clues and secrets to humanity's beginnings are kept and where dangers against undiscovered species await.
"Prometheus" is a prequel to 1979's science-fiction horror masterpiece "Alien", also directed by Ridley Scott. It's been over 33 years since that critically acclaimed film influenced the movie industry and aside from James Cameron's "Aliens" released in 1986, subsequent films in the series (and that includes the two crossovers "Alien vs. Predator" and "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem") have brought disappointment and it must have been painful for Ridley Scott to watch his beloved franchise crumble into pieces. But that all changes with the arrival of "Prometheus", the long-awaited prequel to the original "Alien" film.
The first moments of "Prometheus" show us the beautiful sceneries of Earth in the distant past. Is it Earth? We don't know. Then we see an alien with extremely pale skin and well-built standing by a massive waterfall. However, we don't know where the scene is set. The alien drinks a mysterious black liquid and then vomits. He then disintegrates with his remains falling into the bottom of the massive plunge pool where it morphs into something alive.
We then travel into 2089 where Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway discover mysterious markings in a cave located in the beautiful Isle of Skye located in Scotland. After comparing these markings with previous markings found in other locations, the archaeologist couple believe that this is an invitation from humanity's ancestors, which they call the Engineers. Then we go to 2093 where we arrive in LV-223 using a vessel called the Prometheus. Then the violent and gory adventure begins.
"Prometheus" is divided into two parts. The first hour focuses on discovering the magnificent dome located on the moon and examining the various extraterrestrial objects while observing some beautiful visual sets. The second hour of the film is when action sequences become more prominent, when it gets more violent and gory, and when there are many deaths.
Most of the film takes place inside the dome or pyramid located on the moon. It is where most of the story takes place. At first, it seems like an ordinary network of corridors with nothing interesting but as we get more into the film, we discover some horrifying stuff here and the movie starts to get more interesting from there on. The horror scenes are reminiscent of those present in the original "Alien". We discover multiple vases filled with disgusting but deadly black liquid, a massive statue of a humanoid head, and corpses of giant aliens (believed to be those of the Engineers').
Even though most of the film takes place in dark and gloomy spots, the visual effects of the film is still one of the strongest highlights of the film. The murals on the ceilings of the dome are very detailed and beautiful. The carvings on the walls of the pyramid are intricate and very meticulous in detail. One of the scenes where David discovers a room and finds a star map highlighting Earth has amazing visual effects. It's one of the bright scenes in the film and is the best scene in terms of visual effects. The holograms and everything incorporated in that scene is a job well done. The 3D is also excellent and it does not disappoint.
Let's talk about the characters now. Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley is now replaced by Noomi Rapace's archaeological character Elizabeth Shaw. She is a strong believer in God and throughout the movie, she still believes that God is the ultimate source of life and creator of everything. However, she's less bad-ass compared to Sigourney Weaver's Ripley but a scene in the movie depicts her sense of feminine strength. Accompanying Shaw is her love interest Charlie Holloway portrayed by Logan Marhsall-Green. Unlike Shaw, Holloway is not a strong believer in God and skeptic. Onboard the ship is the android David portrayed excellently by Michael Fassbender. He is an android who doesn't show feelings and is envious of mankind's feelings. There also others on board the ship: Meredith Vickers, Captain Janek, Millburn, Fifield.
The characters were portrayed excellently from their respective performers. Noomi Rapace didn't give an Oscar-worthy performance but she still delivered a powerful performance. Logan Marshall-Green's portrayal of Charlie Holloway was also strong. Charlize Theron gave one of the more powerful performances in the film as Meredith Vickers. The minor characters were given excellent performances too. However, Michael Fassbender's portrayal of the android David grabs the spotlight. His performance as the android is intriguing and very powerful that for a second, I thought he was portrayed by a real android.
The characters in "Prometheus" are driven by intrigue and curiosity. They are so interested in discovering their origins that they would pay any cost to uncover the truth and reach the answer. Their sense of curiosity is what caused the disaster. "Prometheus" is later on fueled by extremely intricate sets and amazing visual effects and accompanied by solid performances (a special note to Michael Fassbender's portrayal of David). Whether it's a prequel, sequel, standalone film, "Prometheus" is a magnificent film. It's not perfect and it has some flaws but "Prometheus" is a must-see film of the summer movie season - and in 3D.
Rating: 9/10
Final Verdict: It may not be perfect but the fantastic sets and visual effects accompanied with extremely powerful performances, especially Michael Fassbender as David, assure that "Prometheus" is a must-see movie of the summer.