Prometheus (2012)

        The summer movie-going season has officially kicked off with Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. Written by John Spaihts and LOST co-creator Damon Lindelof, Prometheus takes place in the year 2093 and follows small crew of scientists headed by Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and her partner and long-term love interest Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green). The team embarks on a mission to prove the existence of beings depicted in hieroglyphics they have uncovered across the globe. Shaw refers to them as the “engineers,” believing they were once responsible for the creation of the human race, although Weyland Corporation executive Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) has little faith. Shaw and her team find what they are looking for, but things hardly go according to plan. The crew soon finds itself fighting for survival in an unfamiliar environment where they are clearly not welcome.
        Prometheus is, for all intents and purposes, a prequel to Scott’s 1979 Alien, and explores the creation and discovery of the iconic creatures. The film starts out slow, but builds nicely into a second half of almost nonstop action. Michael Fassbender plays David, an eerily humanesque android (think Replicants). One of the first characters we meet, David continues to steal the show throughout, and Fassbender portrays him in a way that is simultaneously endearing and menacing. Guy Pearce is completely unrecognizable in his role as the aged financier Peter Weyland. He blends into the prosthetics and computer imagery so well that I had completely forgotten he was even in the film until the end credits. Rapace is quite probably one of the toughest female leads since Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley; Shaw is inarguably and unabashedly badass, as evidenced by her remarkable ability to keep fighting in spite of extreme physical and emotional impediments.
        One of the film’s biggest strengths is deep character exploration. Background details that are not necessarily critical to the plot are provided, juxtaposing the characters’ lives onboard the Prometheus against the lives they left on Earth. Each player has their own emotional baggage: Shaw’s inability to have children and loss of her own parents at an early age; Vickers’ complicated relationship with Weyland and her thirst for control; David’s repressed desire to be human; even the home life of pilot Janek (Idris Elba) is subtly hinted at.
        While Prometheus has its moments of levity, the tone is generally very dark. It is a gritty take on the science fiction genre, much in keeping with the original Alien film, which has been missing from mainstream cinema as of late. (In fact, the only recently similar film I can think of would be Danny Boyle’s 2007 Sunshine, discounting the highly stylized Star Trek reboot and TRON sequel.) A particular sequence involving a medical pod had me feeling nauseated while at the same time suppressing laughter – not at the execution of the scene, but because it was so distinctly reminiscent of Alien; a perfect homage.
        In true Lindelof fashion, the film neglects to answer many of the key questions it poses, prompting further thought, discussions, and second viewings. The story is complex, the characters are well-rounded, and the visuals are stunning. If you’re searching for a place to escape the heat on a summer afternoon, look no further than the eerie, frigid world of Prometheus.