"Cut it off! Cut it off!"
-Millburn
Hard-core fans of Ridley Scott (director of Blade Runner and Alien) will love this indirect-but-not-exactly Alien prequel. I am a mere light-weight fan and found Prometheus slow-moving and incapable of suspending disbelief.
When explorers find evidence in European caves of humankind's origins, a scientific expedition travels light years from earth to explore the hierglyphs left behind by ancient engineers. What they find upon arrival on this alien planet has bearing not only on earth's creation—but its potential destruction.
For an expedition that cost "trillions" and traveled two light-years to execute research on the very existence of humanity, wouldn't you expect it to boast highly trained and disciplined stalwarts of science? Wrong, grasshoppah. Hormonal teen-agers at band camp would be appalled by the chaotic behavior of this supposed crack team of specialists. And small matters like Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) asking for a carbon dating—which only works on earth—are laughable. I don't expect spot-on accuracy for any work of fiction, but enough to make me believe the story would be helpful.
Strong pacing could have helped overcome some of the film's shortcomings, but it's more glacial than the Icelandic vistas in the opening scenes. To give credit where it's due: the visual effects are resplendent, and the Oscar nomination is deserved. But it isn't enough to make me glad I saw this movie.
I'm a huge fan of "Alien" and "Blade Runner" but this movie seemed less a prequel than a rough draft for "Alien." I didn't really care for it at all. I saw it with friends who don't have a great TV so I can't comment on the visual effects--maybe seeing it in a theater might have helped. Noomi was tough like Ripley but she's just no Sigourney Weaver.
ReplyDeleteI loved Rapace in the Swedish version of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and thought she was okay in the second Sherlock with Robt Downey. But in this role I thought she was weak. Well... other than doing major athletic feats immediately after a rough-cut caesarean... IMO the psychological, mental, & emotional image she presented didn't sync with even close to Ripley.
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