Prometheus (2012)
Last Watch Date - March 25, 2023
Total Times Watched - Twice
Comments
It has been a while since I last watched this movie - close to ten years. So while I kind of knew what was going to happen, I also forgot a lot of the details. The first time I saw this, I had no idea it had a connection to the Alien franchise. I wouldn't say I am a franchise fan, but I do like Alien and Aliens. I've only seen each once or twice, though. There are a lot of references that blew right by me because of my lack of familiarity.
Starting with the cast on this one, you have quite a strong showing. Idris Elba, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Michael Fassbender. Though Pearce is almost unrecognizable, he delivers a good performance. Theron's character is a bit thin and she's not on screen that much. Fassbender and Elba are the best actors in this movie by far. They give it some color in an otherwise relatively grey shaded set of performances.
Maybe part of that is because the script and story aren't that strong. There are some weird lines and asides that I will refrain from putting in here for fear of SPOILERS, but you'll definitely know it when you hear it. From a totally non-Alien point of view, this story is a bit confusing. The premise is that a crew from Earth is trying to find the origins of humanity out in space. When it gets into it a bit more, it makes even less sense. It really doesn't help that it's set a mere 70 years in the future (as of writing this). Characters make bizarre choices and there is a turn from one of them that feels forced to propel the plot in a particular direction rather than what the character seems it would've done otherwise. From an Alien point of view... I'm not actually sure it matters if you've seen Alien before.
There isn't much in terms of action. This is more of a mystery or thriller sort of story set in space. I'm a sucker for these "alone in space with no safety net" movies. It's tense, it's dark, and it's gritty. Some of the final choices are less than satisfying, but you can't always get what you want.
Recommended?
Yeah! I know my overall review sounds a bit negative, but this movie is actually quite good. I enjoyed it both times I watched it and never felt bored or too confused.
