In kicking off the new year in proper dimension, we choose the path of the science fiction stylings of Ridley Scott. June marks the 10-year anniversary of the first prequel movie to Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979). Today we look into another adventure mystery named Prometheus (2012).
The movie Prometheus begins with a notion of a humanoid alien drinking an iridescent liquid. The humanoid seemingly dies, dissolves, and cascades into a waterfall that later recombines. Archaeologists Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway, as portrayed by Noomi Rapace and Logan Marshall-Green, discover an ancient star chart in Scotland in the year 2089. This map matches star charts from other ancient civilizations in geographically dispersed, suggesting that the opening scene was part of an engineered DNA planting of humanity on Earth in the distant past by a pre-existing alien race.
Shaw and Holloway consider the star maps to be evidence of an invitation from humanity’s forerunners to visit the point in space where the maps align. Peter Weyland, the elderly CEO of Weyland Corporation, funds an expedition to follow the map to the distant moon LV-223. The trip to the distant moon takes four years, with the humans aboard traveling in stasis with the android named David monitoring the well-being of the journey. Michael Fassbender portrays David. Guy Pearce portrays Peter Wayland.
The vessel that Elizabeth Shaw, Charlie Holloway, Peter Wayland and David travel on includes Weyland Corporation employee Meredith Vickers to monitor the expedition. Janek serves as the captain of the vessel flying the crew, which carries the name Prometheus. A geologist named Fifield and a geologist named Millburn add depth to the crew. Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Sean Harris and Rafe Spall portray Vickers, Janek, Fifield and Millburn, respectively.
Kate Dickie as Ford, the ship’s medic joins Emun Elliott and Benedict Wong as ship pilots Chance and Ravel, respectively. Ian Whyte and Daniel James portray members of the origin race of so-called “Engineers” that sparks the religious curiosity of Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway, in addition to some wonderful questions of adventure and mystery when landing on the surface of the LV-223 moon. Patrick Wilson portrayed Elizabeth Shaw’s father.
The storytelling of Prometheus does wonders for planting many curiosities for the origin of the alien creatures that simply were in the movies Alien, Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992) and Alien: Resurrection (1997). The choice of questions addressed with Prometheus were really interesting, as was the strength of the role within the narrative offered with the character portraits of Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace. Given the creative direction taken by Ridley Scott with the film, I grant the movie Prometheus 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
Matt – Saturday, January 1, 2022
Matt Lynn Digital 