PROMETHEUS

Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A-
Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender and Guy Pearce
Written by Jon Spaihts & Damon Lindelof
Directed by Ridley Scott

It may be true that in space, no one can hear you scream, but many people heard the name Ridley Scott after the 1979 classic Alien, which launched a distinguished career not only for Scott, but eventually one for James Cameron as well. Despite the involvement of talents such as David Fincher, Jean-Pierre Juent, and Joss Whedon, the series fizzled so badly after the attempts to follow up Cameron's Aliens that most fans prefer to pretend there are only two Alien films.

But that is about to change.

Prometheus begins in 2089, as two archaeologists, Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) discover a star map among several unconnected ancient cultures. They interpret this as an invitation from the an alien race to come to them. What's more, they believe that the secret to life on this planet of “engineers” holds the answer to the beginning of life on Earth.

Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce), the elderly founder of the Weyland Corporation, funds the creation of the scientific vessel Prometheus to follow the map to the distant moon LV-223. The ship's crew travels in stasis while the android David (Michael Fassbender) monitors their voyage. In 2093, the ship arrives, and its crew are informed of their mission to find the Engineers. Mission director Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) orders them to avoid direct contact if the Engineers are found. The Prometheus lands near a structure and a team is sent to explore within.

To give away any beyond that would be to spoil one of the summer's most anticipated, and as it turns out, one of it's best films. Scott hasn't made a film this good in quite a while, and nobody has made a big budget science fiction epic this intelligent and layered in more years than I care to count. Prometheus is saddled with the daunting task of being both a 2001: A Space Odyssey style ponderous piece of intellectual science fiction while at the same time staying true to Scott's original classic that inspired it, which is no easy task. Anyone who saw Danny Boyle promising but ultimately disastrous film Sunshine has to really question whether you can possibly combine cerebral commentary on science and the nature of the universe with thrills, scares and gore. But Prometheus succeeds on every level that Sunshine failed, and may be the most overall satisfying film in the Alien series.

The cast is quite good, with Charlize Theron giving a delightfully enigmatic performance that ranges from tightly stoic to irresistibly sexy, without ever being over played, and Noomi Rapace (the original Lizbeth Salander) proves that she can anchor an American film just as well as Swedish one, if not better. It's almost as if someone asked the question “What if Ellen Ripley had been played by Audrey Hepburn” and the elegant and charming Rapace simply repeated the immortal words of John Hammond: “I'll show you.” Rapace and Scott work together gloriously, particularly in a wonderful cringe inducing sequence that very cleverly references the famous “alien pops out of the stomach” sequence in the original film in a way that will make you terrified of any machine you see in a doctor's office for the rest of your life.
But by far the most entertaining performances come from Idris Elba as Janek, the Captain of Prometheus, an amiable fellow who doesn't waste a lot of time talking just to hear himself talk, but leaves you with the strong impression that he's every bit as smart in his own way as the brilliant scientists he ferries aboard his ship, and Michael Fassbender as David, the android created by Weyland. David is still working on developing his personality, and has taken to mimicking Peter O'Toole is his favorite film, Lawrence of Arabia (apparently Weyland programmed this machine with excellent cinematic taste), to the point of copying his speech patterns and mannerisms, and even giving himself bright blond hair. Fassbender is deliciously entertaining as by far the most complex and interesting of the androids we've seen in these films, and deserves consideration for Best Supporting Actor.

Unfortunately, on the other end of the spectrum is Guy Pearce as Weyland. Why Scott chose to use the extremely talented but occasionally hammy star of L.A. Confidential and Memento in cheesy old age make-up that brings to mind The Simpson's Monty Burns, when he could have simply used a distinguished older actor like Christopher Plummer or even O'Toole himself is beyond puzzling. Every critic in the screening I attending commented that they were waiting for some big “Fountain of Youth” style plot twist that, while it would have had no place in the story, would have justified or at least explained this baffling choice.

But otherwise, the director and his crew take Prometheus safely and successfully to it's intended destination in style and grace, giving us a thrilling ride. Unfortunately, it may simply by too thoughtful to connect with mass audiences.

Prometheus is rated R for violence and gore, as well as some sensuality and profanity.