'Prometheus' sees director Ridley Scott returning behind the camera of the 'Alien' franchise and for the most part, his return is a strong and very welcome one but not without its faults. First off, the movie is gorgeous to look at, as is all of Scott's filmography. This is by far the best looking film in the 'Alien' series with long wide shots of the various landscapes of Earth and the Engineer planet. Visuals are always a strong suit of Ridley Scott and even those who really despise this film usually will admit it's very pretty to look at. And I suppose we should discuss the hate behind the film, and why I once was among them.
The original screenplay to the film was to be a more direct and straightforward prequel to 1979's 'Alien' entitled 'Alien: Engineers'. While 'Prometheus' does contain many elements of this screenplay, the original draft was to feel much more connected to the main franchise, with the usual xenomorph appearance and all. This is all documented on the excellent 3 hour plus documentary included on the Blu-Ray for the film, which I highly recommend viewing. Interestingly, it seems as if many elements from this original screenplay are now in the upcoming 'Alien: Covenant' which seems to have a very strong vibe of a filmmaking apology for this one.
And yes, there is a lot to apologize for but I don't think it's Ridley who should be the one doing so. The script and film was sabotaged and hijacked by writer Damon Lindhoff of 'Lost' fame who wanted his own film franchise to feed off of and gaining the hatred of every 'Alien' fan ever. However, there is a lot here to find enjoyable and some really interesting theories about the vast universe in which these films take place. The many discussions about life, faith, and what is our purpose in the world comes off as pretentious at times, but for the most part I find it genuinely engaging and something to discuss with your friends later on. When the film doesn't have its visuals or its philosophical discussions what does it offer? Well, mostly the usual 'Alien' tropes of people doing incredibly stupid things just so they'll be alone or so they'll be killed off. With the exception of Michael Fassbender as the android David and Naomi Rapace's Elizabeth the cast is rather expendable and forgettable and this also includes Charlize Theron and Idris Elba.
The story also has obvious issues with its pacing and ultimate climax. Whether this is due to the script revisions or just poor writing from the get go is hard to know, but it really drags the film down a bit. The movie is well worth seeing however and please don't make my overcritical analysis of it make it sound like an awful film because it's far from it. It's just an overall disappointment as an 'Alien' fan and a big fan of Ridley Scott's films. It's one of those projects that should have been one of his most memorable and unforgettable, but instead it's one that is likely to only become a product of its time and won't go down in history the same way as the '79 original. I really urge you to see it for yourself if you haven't had the chance and judge for yourself. 'Prometheus' is one of those films with a lot of negativity surrounding it but for the most part, it's fanboy nitpicking.
(B-)
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