by Tim Gordon
Over three decades after releasing his landmark classic film, Alien, director Ridley Scott makes a triumphant return to the sci-fi genre with the beautiful and ambitious space thriller, Prometheus.
While his earlier classic examined true terror in space, his latest ponders man’s existence and place in the universe. Set in 2093, two scientists Noomi Rapace and Logan Marshall-Green and a team of fellow explorers including Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, and Michael Fassbender, follow a set of historical breadcrumbs that leads them to a distant planet in search of the creators of mankind. Once they arrive, slowly they discover that the mission may be more complicated and complex than they initially thought. In addition to those challenges, several characters also harbor hidden agendas that could also sabotage the vessel’s primary mission.
Disguised as a sci-fi thriller, at its core Prometheus is a deeply spiritual journey that ponders man’s existences, his mortality and seeks answers to questions that have eluded man since the beginning of time.
Scott’s universe is vast and he imagines a pristine galaxy full of beauty and wonder. Adding to the film’s claustrophobic atmosphere, tone and overall tension is the haunting but menacing score by Marc Streitenfeld which almost operates as its own character. But before you think that this thriller is a feel good film, think again. There are the obligatory aliens bursting from chests, mysterious creatures wreaking havoc and overeager humans needlessly placing themselves in harm’s way.
While the film slows slightly in its final act, the first two acts are brilliantly executed showing why Scott has a feel for the sci-fi genre that few of his peers possess. Despite advanced cinema technology, Scott doesn’t sacrifice the story in exchange for substance. While Prometheus is credited with and sometimes blamed for playing a pivotal role in the early history of mankind in Greek mythology, Great Scott – his myth continues to grow as a sci-fi genius!
Grade: A