Prometheus 3D – review

Prometheus: an exciting existential picture

Over 30 years since the ahead-of-its-time blockbuster Alien, Ridley Scott finally realised his long-planned dream of bringing expectant fans the prequel to the sci-fi/horror fusion, which spawned a quadrilogy and additional spin-offs.

Directorial heavyweights, including James Cameron and David Fincher, took the helm on the Alien sequels to varying success and now it has come full circle with Scott revisiting the franchise, in a time when moviemakers are continually breaking new ground with visual effects and a rejuvenated 3D format, so a perfect time for the stylistic master to launch Prometheus.

At the start of Prometheus, we enter the action on the Isle of Skye, Scotland in 2089, where a couple of young scientists are exploring a site which has ancient cave drawings that suggest a great discovery that could help humankind understand creation of life. We are then fast-forwarded to 2093, with a ship is en-route to a far-distant planet, where it is believed (by some) there could be proof of the origin of humankind and answers to life’s big questions, including who our makers were – referred to as “Engineers”.

The journey is funded by a trillion-dollar corporation called Weyland and the ship is populated by an elite group of scientists, technological geniuses and astrological experts. Also on board is an android named David (Michael Fassbender), which has been developed to be indistinguishable from humans in terms of how it looks and acts, but does not have human emotions. David is an aide to the crew and an asset to the mission, programmed to study languages and anthropology to decipher potential codes or markings on the planet.

We soon discover that there is a conflict of agendas between what the crew are aware of as the mission’s goal and that of the corporation and its founder, Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce). There is more than meets the eye too when it comes to the child-like, but calculatedly intelligent David, as he seems to begin to assimilate human traits and even emotions.

The most significant changing of the goalposts is after the crew arrive on the planet and step out to explore, when it quickly becomes clear that there is a scary threat awaiting them and it is not their Engineers. What is even scarier is how underprepared they are for a confrontation. Their journey was billed as a scientific discovery mission and not one that required weaponry, so the crew – controlled by mission director Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) – are at risk in a mission quite different from the one they signed up for.

The tempo and tension of Prometheus is cranked up several notches as things spiral out of control, conflict erupts within the crew and towards Weyland’s employees and with every new momentous discovery and question answered by their findings, more questions are posed. In equal measure, suspense for the audience is generated by the threat of this alien species that has reared its head and the complex questions about the meaning of existence that crew members theorise over, particularly the young, determined couple Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green).

Those critical of the film – especially gore and gunge-hungry Alien fanatics – seem underwhelmed by the lack of full-throttle, human v aliens showdowns and only a fleeting glimpse of the iconic creature from the much-loved Alien saga, but as a prequel it was always going to be more about exploring the genesis of this terrifying species than another instalment of all-action blood and guts. Not that there is none of that in Prometheus, because there are several jaw-dropping moments of action, mostly involving Shaw, as she goes to immense lengths in her survival attempts in the face of pure horror.

The visuals are stunning, as you would expect from Ridley Scott, and I no one can deny the sheer aesthetic brilliance of this film. However, Prometheus has psychological and philosophical depth and ambition, an inventive vision of the late 21st Century and a masterful ascension in plotline. There are memorable performances from the cast too. Idris Elba impresses as the ship’s captain (Janek), as does Rapace as the tortured Shaw, while Fassbender is brilliant playing the creepily-serene David, echoing Rutger Hauer’s replicant Roy in Blade Runner.

It has been confirmed that Scott is putting together the plans for a sequel to the legendary Blade Runner and judging by his end product here, we are in for something special.

Prometheus 3D (15)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Sean Harris and Guy Pearce.
Running time: 124 minutes

Prometheus 3D is showing at the Hackney Picturehouse throughout June.