Dpn't Miss The Point. Look at the whole picture.

Rating: 10/10 (8 June 2012)

Scott continues to make quality films and defy a direct association with a particular genre. He has tackled just about everything and proved himself one of the best film directors of this and the previous century. This film will be another of the jewels in his crown, a film that will most likely earn its share of detractors because they, either don't agree with the questions it raises or with the fact that it does require a bit of thinking. To be fair, it would be impossible to explore the theme subject matter in two or three hours. Most importantly, this is not just a science fiction/fantasy film. It, like most important science fiction landmarks, looks ahead and introduces ideas that will most likely be the genesis of important ideas and/or exposure to many to new concepts.
Before going on, it bothers me to see how people jump to embrace films that give us a "concept" and is never fleshed out, or a preposterous idea of something that is downright ludicrous but that is hidden behind excellent production values; yet it is clear that there no "soul" or real substance underneath. "Prometheus", on the other hand dares to pose the big question about our origins. It is not an original idea, but the screenwriters and Scott have revisited something that sits in the hearts of scientists and theologians who want to know the "truth".
In the film, the prologue can baffle a few people in the audience. Who is the "humanoid" and what happened to him and after his disappearance? Later on, as the crew finds its way into the other planet system, we are teased by the hieroglyphics which resemble writing we have seen before. Furthermore, the supposed DNA connection will rattle a few cages. This is fascinating material, and it looks like fiction now, but as science evolves and continues to explore the wonders in Nature, we must realize that the ideas are not so far-fetched. Still, the film is not a dissertation, but an entertaining exploration of themes that have been introduced before. At least, we are not dealing with a puzzling and frustrating monolith, a drug-induced trip into existential connections between the past and the present, or a trip into the dreams of a dreamer...
What we have is a tragedy of sorts, which originates from humans and androids interacting with a universe that is too dangerous and complex to understand. There is the spirit of rebellion against injustice, very well developed and played by Fasbender's David. We add our spirituality and its undeniable link to science, and as if this is not enough, the realization that to humans, just about anything else outside our bodies, is really "alien", and our bodies' immediate reaction involves prompt defense. It either vanquishes the invader and ensures our survival, or as the film depicts, it leads to our doom.
"Alien" had the ultimate predator, an organism that needed a place to incubate its young ones. There were times when it resembled an insect in the early films portrayal of its society. Eventually, we began to realize that it was effectively ensuring its survival by mutating into something that resembled its host, as it shows in "Alien 3". This film might clear some of those early appearances, or it could confuse you even more, but the final scenes' revelation if you are paying attention will make perfect sense, considering our own history.
I really liked the way Scott connected the first Alien's images with what he gives us in the final third of the movie. Now we see what the destroyed spaceship means, how we might never be able to conquer such creature, and most importantly, and this is a personal wish, we get to explore, investigate, and find out what these artists are saving for a more extended explanation of who the "engineers" are, and what is the origin of their present attitude toward humanity.
The film is exciting, gripping, and very entertaining, giving us a great blend of the best cinema can offer you in ways of production values, acting, and some thoughtful screen writing. It also benefits from a director who can make you feel the darkness inside our fears, our souls and wrap it all up in a repelling but beautiful package. Giger lives on, as we get to see, and I wonder more sets, either inspired or designed by him. There are a few surprises, a whole new number of set pieces that will be remembered as classic cinema, and even better, an important film that is not afraid to ask questions and challenges us to be a more reactive audience. We had enough of empty style, here we are like David in the film, witnessing a document that might awaken that "fire", that "soul" that is in us, but we have chosen to ignore as we sit placidly, encouraging more empty, beautiful, huge, silly productions. This is a beautiful film, a nice compliment to a universe that is not as impossible as we thought before.
An instant classic.