For the
sake of not having to write the same intro a million
different ways throughout the rest of time, just know that
this column avoids the overly long and sometimes dull
process of full film reviews and instead opts to break
things down based on what I thought going in, what happened
while I was there and what I learned at the end of it all.
Thanks for reading!
The
Breakdown - Prometheus
The Impression:
At one point in his now prolific career, Ridley Scott made
genre-defining sci-fi. Cerebral blasts of grime and grit
that showcased that sci-fi didn’t have to be just martians
and other various creatures from outer space. Alien and
Blade Runner trailblazed the sci-fi forest like none
other before. The idea that, for better or worse, Ridley
Scott is returning to a genre that he thrived in so long ago
makes this a must see.
The Reality:
Prometheus is a film that narratively needs at least
another hour of film to make it as good as it could be. The
film, most certainly a prequel to the other Alien
films, is near perfect as a visual spectacle. Ridley Scott
somehow manages to make the film it’s own unique beast while
incorporating the future visual aesthetics of his own
Alien. If anything Ridley Scott is a master of suspense
and the first forty five minutes of the film creep along,
slowly unwinding each character’s motives and the extremely
shitty situation they are all about to land in. It’s not so
different a story than any of the other Alien films:
a group of scientists, marines, and business type people
(this time lead by a wooden Noomi Rapace) venture to a
distant planet to search for answers to some great unknown,
uncovering a horrible world in the process. And if Scott
could’ve kept the slow burn of the initial bits of the film
on pace, Prometheus might’ve been an amazing film.
But the dictates of modern Hollywood and the seeming steady
deterioration of Scott as a filmmaker, force the narrative
in to blockbuster territory with the characters suddenly
motivated by nothing more than the needs of the script and
the well built suspense sacrificed for the sort of cheap
money shots so popular these days. There are great scenes -
a terrifying bit of body horror involving Rapace’s Elizabeth
Shaw that's more than gut-wrenching - and great characters -
Michael Fassbender’s David, though confused in motivation,
is terrifying in his emotionless decision making - but in
the end, nothing really adds up. No questions are answered,
no deep concepts brought to light, instead the film ends
with the requisite out for a sequel and the sort of
pre-credit cliff-hanger better expected in a super hero
movie. Did I enjoy the film? Very much. Could I of enjoyed
it more? Undoubtedly.
The Lesson:
Our film system is fucked and if Ridley Scott can’t manage
to make a good sci-fi pic, we should all just crawl in to
our bomb shelters and call it a lifetime.
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