Who or What is Out There?

Rating: 7/10 (19 June 2012)

"Prometheus", Rated "R" for Adult Situations, Adult Language, Adult Scenes, Some Sexual Content & Graphic Violence. Running Time: 2hr&04mns.
My Take *** (out of ****) -or- 7/10 on the IMDb Scale
Shortly after a I completed Navy basic training, I went on a camping trip in the Wisconsin north woods with my friend John. After we watched a lunar eclipse, John told me about "the greys" and several other alien races that watch planet Earth. He explained that alien hybrids walk among us (apparently one was really good friends with his mom). John was also very big on the notion the human race had been "planted" on Earth by the alien race of "the greys" who watch us from the dark side of the moon. Not that I bought into this theory, but I let him speak his piece.
That night, I learned about panspermia, the hypothesis that life exists throughout the universe and it is deposited on planets by celestial objects and/or other beings. I thought of John while I watched "Prometheus," the latest Ridley Scott ("Blade Runner," "Gladiator") film. This film uses the premise of panspermia as the springboard for its story.
This film is loosely (though not necessarily) set in the "Alien" film continuity originated by Scott in 1979's "Alien." The "Alien" films run the gamut of sci-fi horror flicks. The first was a "bump-in-the-night" kind of movie. The other offerings were creepy action pictures. "Prometheus" is the first time the series questions mankind's origins.
This film opens in the side of a cliff high in Scotland where a group of researchers discover a cave with primitive paintings on its walls. The paintings are similar to other paintings found throughout time around the world. All of the paintings pre-date recorded history and each contain an identical star chart. Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce, "Lockdown") the elderly CEO of the Weyland Corporation (a forerunner of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation as seen in the "Alien" pictures) finances the interstellar craft "Prometheus" to journey with a research team to the location depicted in the ancient graphs.
In Greek mythology, the titan Prometheus created man from clay. Similiarly, the science vessel Prometheus is seeking a potential alien race which may be responsible for planting mankind in primordial DNA form at the dawn of time on Earth. The scientific aspect of the mission is overseen by the Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace, "Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows"). Though she considers herself a Christian with strong faith, she is in search of answers to assert her faith. What will she think if she learns an alien race really did plant mankind? What will become of her faith? Asking these kinds of "what if" questions is what "Prometheus" does best.
There are several characters on the expedition with different agendas. Some are looking for the answers to life while others are only on board Prometheus to "drive the bus" and collect a paycheck.
The mission director Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron, "Snow White and the Huntsman") is a bitter ice-queen who has no interest in the mission. Being a consummate professional, she will ensure the mission is carried out to the fullest to give it the benefit of the doubt.
Prometheus sets down on the foreboding world believed to be the location of "the engineers" who may have made the human race. Shaw leads the investigation team into a pyramid structure to discover humanoid remains and biological residue. Is it alive? That's when we learn the explorers are not alone in there. Something lurks in the shadows and in the puddles. But what?
Creepy android David (Michael Fassbender, "X-Men: First Class") is also asking questions about existence. When he asks a crew member why man created androids, David is disappointed with the answer of "Because we could." David asks the crewman what he would think if the engineers would give mankind a similar answer. What then? The level of disappointment man would experience might be too much to bear.
"Prometheus" is grand in concept, scope and vision. Director Ridley Scott approaches the film in a thought provoking manner. This film challenges people to discuss creation, intelligent design and panspermia. All this and it's a primarily a horror film. The scares are freaky. The sequence of a woman performing a self-abortion is both unsettling and claustrophobic. It echoes the original "Alien" dining scene with the alien's first emergence. This new scene is expertly done and might be as memorable.
Though "Prometheus" deserves praise for its craft, I found the picture a little underwhelming as a whole. Sure, the vistas and scares are good, but I wonder if that's going to be enough satisfy audiences. Questions are left unanswered and new ones are asked. Though I realize the characters live in a dark world, I found the movie a little too grim, sterile and devoid of emotion for my tastes. This is to the picture's detriment. At least James Cameron's "Aliens" (1986) provided top-notch scares with some comic relief in the form of Private Hudson ("Game over, man! Game over!"). "Prometheus" lays the dread on pretty thick and heavy without ever looking back.
I marginally recommend "Prometheus" for its sharp writing, grand visuals, scares and overall creepiness. What the crew ultimately encounters ends anti-climatically, though hints at a possible sequel. There are traces of the feel of "Alien" thrown in for good measure, but it feels like homages to a much better picture. "Prometheus" may disturb and entertain audiences, as it is designed to, but I doubt many people will ever care to see it again. That's too bad. This movie has all the makings to be one of the great ones. Instead, you get a film where you settle. Though a decent offering, there's nothing about it that sticks. Maybe it doesn't have to, but I was really hoping for something a little more.