Prometheus - Ridley Scott back to his best? (contains Spoilers)

Prometheus, 20^th Century Fox’s hotly anticipated summer blockbuster, exploded onto the big screen last weekend, amid a fanfare of publicity and following months of online speculation. There were many questions to be answered: Was this really the prequel to the original 1979 Alien movie and if so, would it be as good as that groundbreaking, low-budget chiller; the film that changed our understanding of science fiction forever? Would Prometheus be Ridley Scott at his glorious best or just a crashing disappointment?

A mouth-watering prospect for the Sci-fi faithful, Prometheus takes Scott back to his favourite stomping ground; directing a stellar cast, led by Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, and Michael Fassbender. This latest chapter in the Alien phenomena, is as much an event as a movie; and even those who generally prefer their cinema a little less techy, might be convinced by the hype.

So it was that I bought my ticket for the Manchester IMAX, and waited with bated breath to take my place before the largest cinema screen in the UK, with a barrel of popcorn in one hand and a pair of 3D specs in the other.  

  

The film opens on Earth in the ancient past. A spaceship of an advanced alien race is leaving the planet. One of the aliens is left behind and promptly sacrifices his body to become the first elements of DNA for human life.

Next, we are whisked forward to the late 21st century. Ancient cave drawings are discovered by archeologists Elizabeth Shaw(Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway(Logan Marshall-Green) in a underground chamber somewhere on the Isle of Skye. The images seem to contain a star map reminiscent of several other paintings from unconnected cultures. This discovery leads to the crew of the vessel Prometheus embarking on a scientific expedition, sponsored by the Weyland Corporation, to follow the map on a quest to discover the origins of mankind.

The Prometheus finally arrives at its destination, a moon many light years away from Earth. The mission is to explore the world of the ancient aliens who left the message on Earth. Shaw expresses a hope that a dialogue might be established with these extraordinary creatures, enabling the ultimate questions about their purpose in creating mankind to be answered.

Of course, in these type of situations, things rarely go to plan.

The expedition members venture out of the ship (notably this is the first Alien movie with genuine outdoor sequences- all the others were shot on a sound stage) and finding a massive temple-like structure, proceed to explore its interior. Here they discover among other things, the corpses of giant humanoid aliens.

This is when things get really interesting: If you’ve seen the original Alien, you may recall in the very early sequences the presence in the abandoned spaceship of a strange humanoid-corpse with a hole blasted open in his stomach. He has obviously been there for millennia. The corpses found in the Prometheus temple are clearly the same species, and so the link is forged to the first Alien film. (This is not a little ironic; apparently many years ago, in a desperate bid to slash the original Alien budget, studio execs demanded that Ridley Scott cut that fossilised creature from the script. After all, he bore no great function. The story goes that Scott fought to keep the ossified chap— the creature suggesting so much, and adding that tantalizing touch of mysticism. It is interesting that now in Prometheus, the studio are pinning all their hopes on the resurrection of this strange, elephantine creature.)

Needless to say, after this, things start to go wrong, and as with all the Alien movies, it gets very messy, very fast. I could give a blow-by-blow account, but then you won’t need to see the film at all, so let’s instead consider if the film lives up to all the expectation.

Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated return to science fiction does contain many of the director’s trademark stylings: the ethereal look, the visceral effects, his own intriguing blend of sci-fi and mysticism. No director immerses you in an environment quite like he does, and with a massive budget at his disposal, he has really gone to town with this one. The cinematography is breathtaking; glorious vistas sweep below you- awesome, snow-capped mountain ranges disappear into mist in the far distance, and yet, for some, this might be the film’s biggest disappointment. The original Alien film is a dark, raw experience; which starts slowly and builds to an excruciating climax. There is a steady accumulation of dread as softly it creeps up on you; a quiet, haunting film of twisting black corridors, concealing horrors, that are only hinted at in fleeting glimpses. The darkness is punctuated by a primordial soundtrack; Jerry Goldsmith’s inimitable score blending perfectly with the thrum of the ship’s engine, which throbs throughout the movie like a massive, beating heart. It is a stripped back, claustrophobic nightmare, which seamlessly crosses the genres of Sci-fi and horror; as an isolated, unprepared crew are systematically disposed of by the universe’s ultimate killing machine. Prometheus on the other hand is quite different. Without the financial constraints of the original, it is vast, light and majestic. There are no constricting corridors down which we will follow the crew into darkness and terror. Even within the labyrinthine “temple’ you never quite feel that oppressive moment of having nowhere to run and nobody to hear you scream. In Prometheus, in place of terror, we have awe: whereas in Alien you can’t wait for the torment to end, in Prometheus, the experience is so mind-blowing- both in the sumptuous visual detail and in it’s engrossing exploration of mankind’s ultimate philosophical questions; you don’t want it to end. The film is over two hours long and yet at no point did I feel bored or lose interest in the story.

There are some good performances in the film too. Noomi Rapace is totally convincing as the leading lady- an archeologist, struggling with her faith. She evolves, of course,  into a woman with an iron-will and the ultimate instinct for survival. Audiences are bound to compare her with Sigourney Weaver, and in doing so, might find her performance lacking.  Perhaps she doesn’t quite portray the innate determination to live as completely as Weaver did- but she makes up for it with impressive athleticism and raw physicality. Noomi Rapace is NOT Sigourney Weaver, but perhaps we shouldn’t expect her to be.

 Charlize Theron is also first-rate as the Weyland Corp’ executive, travelling with the crew to ensure everything goes smoothly. She’s a cold-hearted bitch who clearly has a hidden (and, of course, sinister) agenda.

But the most memorable performance is without doubt given by Michael Fassbender, who plays David; the softly spoken android whose unassuming, gentle manner belies a sinister cunning and a pitiless fervour to see through the less savoury objectives  programmed into him by the corporation. His performance is mesmerizing throughout and will surely be the final step on Fassbender’s path to becoming one of the hottest properties in Hollywood

There’s one more point worth mentioning: The original Alien movie might arguably be the most female-empowering movie of real significance there has ever been. Following Alien, Sigourney Weaver became an iconic representation of female strength over unbelievable adversity. Her desire to survive, and her ability to make the life-saving choices, whilst staring death in the face- were a recurrent theme in all the Alien films and again in Prometheus, Scott continues to promote the concept of the strong woman through the character of Elizabeth Shaw. Whilst Noomi Rapace is undeniably sexy and gorgeous, her role in the story is not simply as an object of desire or beauty. She’s a thinking, powerful woman, whose ability to act quickly and at times endure the unthinkable, might just be her salvation and perhaps even the salvation of mankind.

So for me, here is the thing- the mistake with Prometheus would be to compare it with the other Alien films, because if you do, you are sure to be disappointed. Of course, there are some points of similarity, but essentially the films are so different, you might as well compare darkness with light. Instead, regard Prometheus as something entirely unique- because as a stand-alone film it really works. It’s an epic, visually stunning movie, with an intriguing storyline and some great central performances. In Prometheus, Scott has again found some of the sterling form that earned him his rightful place among the great directors of the last century. Prometheus ends with many questions unanswered and for some that might be a disappointment. For me however, that can mean only one thing; a sequel and if the film to follow is even half as good as this one, I can’t wait to watch it.