Prometheus

Most of what I would say has already been said. I especially agree with the fact that a crew trained in intergalactic travel probably couldn't tie their own shoes. They do so many stupid thing that could have terminated the voyage in a heartbeat. There is no caution, no restraint. I'm not sure we are ever very clear on the mission itself. And what's in it for some of these guys? By the way, did it seem odd that a guy is wearing glasses when this voyage was made?

'Alien' is still to this day a tense, shocking suspenseful and frightening masterpiece, one of my favourites of the genre. The bigger and bolder 'Aliens' is one of those rare sequels that is every bit as good as its predecessor. Both are two of my favourite films and the character of Ripley is one of the most iconic female characters in film.

To be honest, there were initial doubts about 'Prometheus'. Ridley Scott, as especially proved with 'Alien', 'Blade Runner' and 'Thelma and Louise' has shown that he has a lot of talent as a director, though his filmography is hit and miss. So that he was back on board as director and that there is a great cast promised much. There were worries however as well, due to some negative reception amongst audiences who criticised the script, story and notorious "plot holes".

Watching 'Prometheus' finally, it was a better film than expected though nowhere near in the same league as 'Alien' and 'Aliens'. That said, it was heavily flawed and there are criticised personally agreed with, though it doesn't deserve the 1/2/10 ratings which indicate that the film had no redeeming qualities at all which is not the case.

'Prometheus' best asset is the visuals. The settings look tremendous, of sheer beauty and with a real eeriness, the cinematography complements it perfectly and often powerfully arresting and the special effects are a feast for the eye. Scott's direction has moments where it is superb, if more in the visuals and spectacle than the narrative.

More than up to the level of the quality of the visuals is the cast. Noomi Rapace is an authoritative lead, and Michael Fassbender is even better in one of his best performances to date. Charlize Theron and Idris Elba also prove how talented they are as performers. Most of the rest are more than up to their level.

While the story is very problematic, it does have its moments. There is some tension, especially in the last act, parts are thought-provoking and there are some thrills. The music is suitably haunting.

However, there is a good deal that doesn't work. The script is often very weak, often rambling, clichéd and not very logical with some stupid decision making. The story does suffer from too many concepts not explored enough, some leaden pacing and at times a lack of cohesiveness.

Characters are also not particularly well-written, they seemed underdeveloped and there are too many of them, the decision making of some are a cause for extreme frustration. Not to mention lapses in logic, ridiculous science and parts that don't make as much sense as ought.

In conclusion, better than expected but heavily flawed and one may question the point of it. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Don't get me wrong. It's gorgeous to look at, and I'm definitely going to go and see it again. It's really impressive.

But... It's stuffed with scenes without any payoff. Again and again it sets stuff up and then just... walks away from it.

In at least one unforgivably stupid scene, someone *literally* just walks away from an antagonist and leaves it there. And then doesn't tell anyone about it. Some of it's really effective. There are some scenes that are absolutely gripping. But so much of it doesn't make any sense...

Having said all that I think it's very clear that what I just saw was Prometheus part 1. It's very definitely supposed to have a sequel and I will certainly go to see the sequel. I think both movies taken together might score a 10.

But this movie by itself doesn't.

I think this serves as a pretty decent stand alone sci fi. I like quite a lot about this movie. The cast is good. Noomi Rapace in particular is very good.

I like the idea of the engineers, I like the idea of the black goo, I mostly like the idea that this all spawns the xenomorphs we know and love but I don't really understand why.

Not everything needs an origin story and I preferred Alien when we just thought they were out there somewhere. I don't think we needed an origin/backstory/genesis story.

Take out the final scenes which, if I'm honest, felt a little forced, and Prometheus would still have been a fairly decent sci fi.

And most notably, Prometheus does teach us not to run in a straight line.

Prometheus is an eminently rewatchable film that provides new layers of meaning with each repeat visit. How often does a master filmmaker get to revisit their original oeuvre and recreate an even bigger world around and about it? The myth of the engineers and their world changing experimentation is absolutely romantic, compelling and terrifying at the same time. It hurts even more to see how badly utilized this new mythos was in the follow up Covenant. The true mark of success that Ridley Scott achieved was igniting years of debate around the origin and nature of the engineers and their creations. Deep connections to established historical finds on earth make this origin story even more personal - the myth of alien astronauts, benevolent or cruel giants from the stars with incredible, magical technology - creators and destroyers of worlds. Getting back to the film itself - such gorgeous cinematography and production values. I recently rewatched in 4k format and developed a greater appreciation for small clues hitherto unseen - for example navigation hologram destinations in a reactivated ship of mass destruction. David is himself a conundrum and a polarizing figure. Was his programming to blame, or the algorithmic output of his treatment at the hand of cruel masters. The android is a central theme in the alien mythos, an expression of creation and self awareness. The only criticism I have of Prometheus and the sequel Covenant is the proliferation of human stupidity. Predecessor films did not showcase human hubris and blundering to such a great extent - protagonists always took calculated risks. If anything the buffoonery of crews almost seems to justify their fate and reduces sympathy accordingly. Ridley Scott may still have time to catapult his mythos to legendarium, if his subsequent sequels after Covenant retain purity of spirit with his expanded universe. I for one look forward to seeing more of this wondrous unravelling and exposition.