Prometheus

Warning: contains Prometheus plot spoilers.

Prometheus, then: director Ridley Scott's indirect prequel to his film Alien, which was the first in the long-running Alien series that progressively declined under different directors. There were big hopes that Scott's return to the series would produce something spectacular. And it does. In a way…

 

The plot itself is intriguing but drip-fed to the viewer. It seems to boil down to this: Gradually we learn of the Engineers – humanoid aliens, whose own origins are not explained but seem to have been around for several millennia – who appear to have made it their job to populate the universe with life, using their own DNA to seed planets capable of sustaining life. As the film later establishes (when a DNA match is made), Earth is one of these planets. Two thousand years ago, however, the Engineers appear to have decided that humans were not doing a terribly good job. (The reason for this is never made clear; Scott has mentioned that the idea of Jesus' crucifixion was considered but discarded, with the more likely explanation being the fall of the Roman Empire, which exemplified humanity's predilection for self-destruction and cruelty). The Engineers therefore set up a kind of biological weapons factory on the planet LV-223 which would then be used to eradicate life on Earth. The film does not determine whether this is the purpose of the Xenomorphs (the terrifying chest-popping, acid-blooded "aliens" from the Alien series) but it seems more than likely. Unfortunately, it seems that the Engineers were attacked by their own creations and forced to flee, where one surviving Engineer remained in hibernation until the arrival of the ship Prometheus and its crew, who were led to the planet by star maps found throughout ancient Earth civilisations. Predictably, everything then goes horribly wrong for the crew – key players being scientist Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and android David (Michael Fassbender), the former approaching the trip as a search for answers and the latter more as an experiment – whose mixed motivations range from attempting to uncover the truth of humanity’s origins to simply being there to pick up a fat pay cheque.

 

If you aren't intrigued by this premise then arguably Prometheus is not for you, especially as there are a lot of questions raised and a few left hanging with the ending. What exactly was the reason for the Engineers’ decision to attack Earth? Were the star maps meant to be invitations or warnings? And where exactly do the Xenomorphs feature in all this? Yes, at the end of Prometheus we see the birth of a Xenomorph, but this is likely not the first such creature: the murals within the Engineers’ colony detail the Xenomorph's life cycle, and something attacked the Engineers. There is much to ponder after the credits role.

 

So while Prometheus both is an Alien film and it isn't, I would argue nevertheless that on its own merits it is a fantastic example of a science-fiction film. The opening images are simply beautiful, and much of the film is actually explained in the first scene of self-sacrifice, setting the tone for a film that is never once boring. The best films in the science-fiction genre focus on grand ideas and concepts rather than gimmickry: Prometheus has the guts to ponder the origins of life, its subsequent dissemination throughout the universe, and the use of weapons of mass destruction to destroy it. The film ends with Shaw departing to track down the Engineers in the search for answers, leaving the door wide open for sequels. Scott has mentioned in a BBC Radio interview that there would be at least a further two films before the series linked up with the original Alien - perhaps the greatest concern therefore is that, given Prometheus' mixed reception, these sequels may never be made. But even if they aren't, I believe the film stands on its own two feet as a shining example of what great science-fiction should be. There are odd moments that stick out uncomfortably: the script could have been sharper in places, one or two of the actors could have been a little more convincing, and it's never explained why Guy Pearce spends his entire screen-time in old-man make-up (apparently make-up free scenes of him as the younger Weyland were excised from the final cut).

Why has Prometheus received such mixed reviews? Its flaws are not so damaging to its overall impact. But perhaps everyone expected something perfect from Ridley Scott, and Prometheus is not perfect (but then again, no film is). No doubt some expected more answers, and more Aliens (with a capital A). But it seems that the film's flaws have been the focus of most reviews, whereas we should in fact be concentrating on what the film does brilliantly: creating a fascinating new legend separate from the previous Alien films.

Even taking into account its flaws, I have no doubt that Prometheus will be re-evaluated and considered to be a classic, much as Scott's Blade Runner was maligned on its release but is now widely considered to be one of the finest science-fiction films ever made. Sometimes it just takes a little time for people to truly appreciate what they have.