Prometheus (2012)

Where did humanity come from? A film that explores this ancient question in the language of science fiction. Ridley Scott made Alien in 1979, and Prometheus — made thirty-three years later by that same director — tells the story of the origins of that universe. Rather than a direct prequel, however, it is closer to a film that asks more fundamental questions within the same universe. Rating: ★4.5. For those who love films that expand questions rather than providing answers, there is little richer science fiction to find than this.

What it’s about — An expedition in search of the creators

In 2089, archaeologists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway discover the same star map repeated across cave paintings separated by thousands of years. Convinced that the beings who created humanity live on that star, they secure corporate backing from the Weyland Corporation to mount a planetary expedition. The crew of the exploration ship Prometheus includes android David (Michael Fassbender) and mission director Vickers (Charlize Theron). What they encounter at their destination is not their creators but something far more terrifying than they had imagined.

Direction — Visual spectacle at its peak

Ridley Scott’s visual abilities reach their peak in this film. The alien planet landscape, enormous internal structures lined with sculptures, biotechnologically grotesque life forms — the images filling the screen are overwhelming in themselves. The visual effects using 3D photography represented the frontier of film technology in 2012. The music by Marc Streitenfeld evokes grandeur and unease simultaneously.

Performance — Fassbender’s android David

Michael Fassbender’s android David is the film’s most memorable element. Within the double structure of a machine created by humans accompanying humans in search of their creators, David is the character who provokes the most thought. His smile — seemingly without emotions yet behaving as though he harbors desires — is the strangest and most interesting thing in the entire film. Noomi Rapace handles the extreme scenes she must carry alone in the film’s second half with conviction.

What the film says — The relationship between creator and created

The core question Prometheus poses is the relationship between creator and created. As God made humans, humans made androids. So how does the way God treats humans differ from the way humans treat androids? The film doesn’t answer this directly — instead it keeps pushing the narrative in increasingly darker directions. It is a paradoxical journey in which the travelers go to meet their creators and come away knowing even less about why they exist.

Ratings & reception

TMDB score is 6.6. IMDb score is 7.0, and Rotten Tomatoes freshness is 73% — a mixed reception. The visual achievement and the depth of the questions received praise, but there was significant criticism of certain logical inconsistencies in the story and irrational character behavior. The film was a commercial success, grossing over $400 million worldwide, and continued into the sequel Alien: Covenant.

What doesn’t quite work

Some character behavior in the film is difficult to accept by the film’s own internal logic. Scenes of trained scientists approaching unfamiliar life forms too aggressively seem like premises designed to raise tension at the expense of realism. The approach of asking many questions while deferring answers to a sequel may also feel unsatisfying. David’s motivations are not sufficiently explained as the story progresses. Some of these answers continue in Alien: Covenant in 2017, but even that film doesn’t achieve full resolution.

Verdict

Prometheus is not a perfect film. But it is clearly one of the most ambitious attempts in the genre to pair a spectacle with the oldest and largest questions that science fiction can pose. The character of David as played by Michael Fassbender alone is reason enough to watch the film.

Recommended for

• People interested in the Alien franchise’s universe
• Viewers who enjoy sci-fi films carrying philosophical questions
• Those who want Ridley Scott’s visual achievement and Michael Fassbender’s performance