A Sci-Fi Masterpiece and return to form for Ridley Scott

Rating: 10/10 (13 June 2012)

Well, there are two or three clunky lines of dialog in the first half. Shame. That's about the only bad thing to be said about what is otherwise an immaculate science fiction film. From one of the most memorable opening sequences in recent memory to the cliffhanger at the end, Prometheus is a masterwork. After his disappointing revisionist take on Robin Hood, Ridley Scott is back in top form delivering his most beautiful film in years. Not since Christopher Nolan's Inception have audiences been treated to a science fiction this captivating and intelligent. I know it's become a cliché' to say this, but this really is a film where the special effects and CGI are built to compliment a story, characters, and theme. It's the same brand of visual storytelling found in Ridley Scott's best work.
I'll skip a synopsis as a courtesy to those attempting to go into this as fresh as possible, but know this: it's not the film some are expecting. This movie's goal isn't to fill in all the blanks in the Alien universe. It's a film about discussing ideas and raising questions, not all of which it chooses to answer. Yes, there's certainly room for a sequel if one is greenlit, but that's not the point. Prometheus explores a number of themes: the nature of discovery, the origin of life, the act of creation, the value of human existence, and the bleak universe in which we live. Of course some threads don't lead to anything conclusive. How can you expect one movie to provide solutions when the greatest minds in history have struggled with these very same notions?
I leave that for you to decide. Whatever you want to say about this movie, you can't deny the beauty and grandeur on display here. Ridley Scott and his artistic team paint a visual landscape on par with anything in Avatar. It may not be as lush and alive as the environments in Avatar, but the same level of attention and care went into the design and execution of Prometheus. One of thing that worried me prior to seeing this was the the possibility that the CGI creations would pale in comparison to the purely physical effects of Alien, but they take care to blend the two seamlessly. What shocked me the most was how immersive the 3D was. I'm usually quite sniffy about 3D, but the film makes such good use of it that part of me doesn't want to see it any other way. There is a scene about 30 minutes into the movie in which the research team first enters the cave containing the enormous head sculpture, the one we've all seen from the poster. There is a real sense of wonder and awe in scenes like this that completely floor me. I felt as if I was making profound discoveries right along side these giddy scientists. I was reminded of Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams, a fantastic documentary on cave paintings and dissecting the art and culture of our long-dead ancestors.
Plenty of people were greatly disappointed by this film, with accusations of bad scriptwriting, confusing narrative, poor character development, and unanswered questions. Question: are you insane? Have you been deprived of quality cinema for so long that you can't recognize it anymore? I genuinely can't understand the moaning and whinging that has been going on about this film, so I'm not going to address it further. For my money, Prometheus is the best movie 2012 has thus far given us. It's the quality of sci-fi that audiences want and deserve but rarely get anymore, with soul and pathos to support the eye-candy. And you know what? It was beaten at the weekend box office by Madagascar 3. Now I haven't seen Madagascar 3 – it could be wonderful – but unless it's an existential parable or a poetic dissection of the human spirit, I highly doubt it trumps Prometheus. If you haven't taken the time to watch this yet, do it. There is no reason for a widely released film of this caliber to go unseen. It is our obligation as cinema-goers to push this to its rightful place at the top of the box office charts. Think about it: how fantastic would it be to see a film this smart and artfully constructed at #1 next week? Even if you are one of the naysayers, admit it: you would rather see this at #1 than Rock of Ages, wouldn't you?