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patentdragonThis Saturday past, I went and saw Prometheus, what some were calling the big movie of the summer until AVENGERS came along. Still, Sir Ridley Scott is calling this "intelligent sci-fi" - did he succeed?
Yes. Which isn't necessarily a good thing...
Pity they're saying that this has thrown a big spanner in the works of Guillermo del Toro ever getting At The Mountains Of Madness on the big screen, 'cause that's pretty much what this story is. Sci-fi with a hefty dose of Lovecraftian "this is how small we are in the great scheme of cosmic things". Hopefully, studios will see reason - probably after Pacific Rim next year... (hopefully).
The story pretty much tells itself - archeologists find evidence of alien involvement with humanity, and follow the "invitation" to the world where this all appears to have originated - filling some gaps in the back-story of "a tale already told" - hey, Sir R, this is an Alien prequel! There's simply no denying it - just not any Aliens as we know them. How we get to something more familiar is what the bulk of the story is about, and it's told well. It doesn't have the claustrophobic surroundings of Alien, but then a) this has about ten times the budget, and b) there's a far greater scope to events, demanding a broader vista, and thats just what we get!
The crew of the titular exploration ship are your usual mixed bunch - eager scientists, self-motivated company-types, guys just in it for the money - but the real star is then one who's least human of all. A big shout out to Michael Fassbender as the android David. He's slightly unnerving from the very start, and it becomes evident pretty quickly that he's in on something the rest of the crew aren't. He maintains an unsettling somewhat emotionless air all the way through - like Data but far, far nastier. Big respect to an actor who's now got another major fantasy role under his belt, after last year's excellent... ...First Class Magneto.
Anyone who knows the original designs that were never used in the first (now technically second) movie will be familiar with some of the settings and images - the "pyramid", the looming skull-like crag and more that appeared in H.R. Giger's ominous visions for the original film. The artist is credited at the end, and I hope he is satisfied with what has been done with that work, as H.R. somewhat notoriously "fell out" with the franchise after the first movie. 3D is rarely employed, and only marginally affects the feeling of the film, particularly in the "projected dream" sequence, which becomes quite unnerving - and rightly so.
So, let's see our checklist: iconic franchise? Check. Acclaimed director revisiting an earlier triumph? Check. Visually highly impressive? Check and double check. Solid cast? Check. Solid story? Check - with a niggle at the end. Final "oooh shiiiit" moment? Oh, definitely - but then we know where all that is leading, don't we...?
This could have been a disaster, but if you revisit a past work with the best of intentions, and the money and vision to back it up, it will work - see the new Star Trek for the best example to date. Prometheus ranks with that. Honestly.
Very much a "must see", particularly if AVENGERS doesn't quite "float your boat".
The Verdict... Alien prequel... Alien not-prequel... whatever you want to call it, it's still a fine piece of work, and very "intelligent"! 8.5/10
Yes. Which isn't necessarily a good thing...
Pity they're saying that this has thrown a big spanner in the works of Guillermo del Toro ever getting At The Mountains Of Madness on the big screen, 'cause that's pretty much what this story is. Sci-fi with a hefty dose of Lovecraftian "this is how small we are in the great scheme of cosmic things". Hopefully, studios will see reason - probably after Pacific Rim next year... (hopefully).
The story pretty much tells itself - archeologists find evidence of alien involvement with humanity, and follow the "invitation" to the world where this all appears to have originated - filling some gaps in the back-story of "a tale already told" - hey, Sir R, this is an Alien prequel! There's simply no denying it - just not any Aliens as we know them. How we get to something more familiar is what the bulk of the story is about, and it's told well. It doesn't have the claustrophobic surroundings of Alien, but then a) this has about ten times the budget, and b) there's a far greater scope to events, demanding a broader vista, and thats just what we get!
The crew of the titular exploration ship are your usual mixed bunch - eager scientists, self-motivated company-types, guys just in it for the money - but the real star is then one who's least human of all. A big shout out to Michael Fassbender as the android David. He's slightly unnerving from the very start, and it becomes evident pretty quickly that he's in on something the rest of the crew aren't. He maintains an unsettling somewhat emotionless air all the way through - like Data but far, far nastier. Big respect to an actor who's now got another major fantasy role under his belt, after last year's excellent... ...First Class Magneto.
Anyone who knows the original designs that were never used in the first (now technically second) movie will be familiar with some of the settings and images - the "pyramid", the looming skull-like crag and more that appeared in H.R. Giger's ominous visions for the original film. The artist is credited at the end, and I hope he is satisfied with what has been done with that work, as H.R. somewhat notoriously "fell out" with the franchise after the first movie. 3D is rarely employed, and only marginally affects the feeling of the film, particularly in the "projected dream" sequence, which becomes quite unnerving - and rightly so.
So, let's see our checklist: iconic franchise? Check. Acclaimed director revisiting an earlier triumph? Check. Visually highly impressive? Check and double check. Solid cast? Check. Solid story? Check - with a niggle at the end. Final "oooh shiiiit" moment? Oh, definitely - but then we know where all that is leading, don't we...?
This could have been a disaster, but if you revisit a past work with the best of intentions, and the money and vision to back it up, it will work - see the new Star Trek for the best example to date. Prometheus ranks with that. Honestly.
Very much a "must see", particularly if AVENGERS doesn't quite "float your boat".
The Verdict... Alien prequel... Alien not-prequel... whatever you want to call it, it's still a fine piece of work, and very "intelligent"! 8.5/10
