Does it live up to the hype? Most certainly.
**** ½ out of 5
124 minutes
Rated R for sci-fi violence including some intense images,
and brief language
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Just when we thought Hollywood was beginning to look more bankrupt of ideas
than ever, leave it to the man who launched the “
Alien” franchise to return and make the world safe for not only
that franchise, but for the world of prequels as well. Ridley Scott returns to
the realm of science-fiction to show us that yes, movie lovers, there really is
a Santa Claus. Having help from my own personal doppelganger, Damon Lindelof (“
Lost”), certainly doesn’t hurt things
either. Clearly, the man knows the world of “
Alien” inside and out. Together, Scott and Lindelof have
delivered a film that last year’s
“The
Thing” only dreamed of being. And if your chest is ready to burst
from anticipation, the release of “
Prometheus”
is finally here.
On December 21, 2093, we meet the 17 crewmembers of the “
Prometheus.” David (Michael
Fassbender) is an android with a love for Peter O’Toole in “
Lawrence of Arabia,” designed to look
after the crew. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan
Marshall-Green) are archeologists searching for the answers to where we may
have come from. Cave pictograms (some dated 35,000 years old) from ancient
civilizations across the world have provided clues, which all seem to point to
one location in distant space. Shaw and Holloway have convinced Weyland
Industries to fund their mission to seek the possible answers to our creation.
Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) keeps a steady hand on the proceedings and
works for the deceased Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce). Hoping to meet our makers,
the crew of the “
Prometheus,”
including the ship’s captain, Janek (Idris Elba), find more than they bargained
for when they discover that our “engineers” they were so hopeful to find, may
have been seeking an escape of their own.
Steering clear of spoilers is obviously for the best. The closest I came was
watching the original “
Alien”
and “
Aliens” the night before
the screening. But there’s plenty in the trailers, TV spots, and viral videos
to clue you in on some of what Scott, Lindelof, and fellow writer Jon Spaihts
are up to. But there are some amazing and huge surprises up their sleeves and I
can’t wait to see where things evolve. Shooting for the first time in the third
dimension, Scott and cinematographer Dariusz Wolski, bring a truly organic
approach to the gimmick and don’t just rely on the typical horror/sci-fi tropes
with lots of stuff lunging for the screen. I didn’t see it in IMAX 3D but would
love to as this version has a more open aspect ratio. There are some beautiful,
jaw-dropping moments where you don’t even realize how effective it truly is.
Having Ridley Scott return to the genre after 30 years, he manages to live up
to the hype as “
Prometheus”
stands as one of the best sci-fi/horror films of the year.
Photo courtesy Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Brooks, I was prepared to be disappointed since I really loved Alien when it was first released. But I have to say, Mr. Scott nailed this. I love the very final scene. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteI've love to see it in 3D, but my usual movie partner (my daughter) has vision issues and can't see the 3D! :P I may have to sneak out without her.
Just got done watching it and I can’t say I was all that impressed with what I saw. Yeah, it had its moments that were tense and a little freaky but it never fully got off the ground for me. However, it’s a beautiful film the whole way through and one that should definitely be seen in 3D no matter wherever you may be. Good review.
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