Prometheus (2012)

When it comes to science fiction movies I’ve got the feeling that there are way too little good ones out each year, so when I heard that Ridley Scott, who’s known for great movies like Bladerunner and Alien would be releasing a new sci fi movie I couldn’t wait to see it. I managed to dodge all news and trailers about the movie, so I went in blank and without expectations. Did Prometheus manage to quench my thirst for good sci fi?

Prometheus will most likely be compared a lot to Alien as the setup for this movie is roughly the same. A crew aboard the Prometheus awake from hibernation near an unknown planet to discover if there is anything to be found. Of course they do run into something and have to survive. I really didn’t mind the similarities. A big part of this story is the question humanity has about its existence. How were we created or where do we come from? Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green, although I thought it was Tom Hardy) are a couple who have been doing research for years and lead the mission. At least that’s the idea, but more seems to be going on. Just like in Alien there is an android named David (Michael Fassbender) who seems to have his own agenda.

What Prometheus offers is the type of space adventure I really enjoy. It has a lot of mystery, but also offers some answers to those mysteries. If you like your scares then Prometheus definitely delivers with a couple of very memorable scenes. I also like the fact that Elizabeth Shaw is searching for answers about our existence even though she is religious.
Fassbender again shows what a great actor he is, impressing in every scen he is in, but Rapace is excellent as well. There were some actors who had too little to do (Charlize Theron) or were strangely cast (Guy Pearce), but that’s nitcpicking.

So is Prometheus another sci fi classic? I don’t think it is. The plot could have been a bit tighter and when the end credits roll some questions are left unanswered. I am looking forward to the sequel to get the answers though. The world created looks stunning and the characters are very interesting.

29 thoughts on “Prometheus (2012)

    • As I’m listening to podcasts and reading other reviews it’s one of the most discussed movies out this year and heard a lot of various theories.

  1. It’s strange. Whenever I read a post that tears this into pieces I nod and agree about everything. And yet: my experience of the movie is different. For all the flaws and inconsistencies I loved it!

  2. What Jessica said. It is a hugely flawed film in some respects, but in others, it’s a brilliant sci-fi flick. Looking forward to a rewatch when it’s out on blu-ray.

  3. There are a few implausible moments by the โ€œbrilliantโ€ scientists, but it sure was a great ride, and brainy also in a tacit kind of way. I gave it 7.6 in my monthly recap. I think it was an advantage I had not watched Alien movies for some years…my rating may have been lower if I had done recently.
    Good observation about “searching for answers about our existence even though she is religious”, you can do both ( :
    The extended version Ridley is hinting out for the dvd may answer a few questions, if not, the sequel, maybe ( :

    • Yeah, there are some implausible moments like taking off the helmet or wanting to be friendly with something you don’t know what it is. Yeah, heard that Ridley Scott mention that one of the ideas originally was that it would also be about religion and Jesus being one of the architects.

  4. I did actually think Prometheus failed to deliver the scares beyond one stand out sequence. There were the odd moments of tension but it was never sustained. That, and some lazy plotting, were the main flaws of a film that ultimately I did enjoy.

    • It has to do with expectations though. I wasn’t expecting a movie full of scares, so the few moments it did have were powerful. It has its flaws, but I don’t mind.

  5. Wow… after reading your review I definitely didn’t expect you to score Prometheus at a 9. I’m not a huge fan of Ridley Scott in the first place and I am yet to see Alien but I was looking forward to seeing Prometheus as I am a fan of the sci-fi genre in general. I was disappointed largely by what I was confronted with; little character development, poor motivations, questions left unanswered. I couldn’t help but feel like I had been let down and missed something while I was watching.

    • Well, I always score immeidately after seeing something. That score stays, no matter what I write about it. It really stand for how much I enjoyed it.

      You have not seen Alien? Go see it, I’m pretty sure you will like it!

  6. Certain parts of Prometheus were excellent, such as those involving the enigmatic Engineers. The story telling should have been tighter, though.

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  8. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who thought that Holloway was Tom Hardy! Even though I knew Tom Hardy wasn’t in it, I had a hard time convincing myself! Not as bad as my wife though, she thought Rapace looked like Cher!

  9. Glad to see someone else who really liked this film. After posting my review, I felt that I was going to see a lot of other positive reviews. There’s been a pretty mixed opinion but I really liked it.

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