Scene City #14: Prometheus (Scott, 2012)

Few films have garnered such hype as “Prometheus”, Ridley Scott’s first foray into the sci-fi genre after 30 years. Early teases indicated a movie in the same Alien universe albeit not precisely a prequel or sequel to the series. Expectations were even higher after the first teaser trailer echoed Scott’s original “Alien” and showed amazing sights among its freak show of horror type imagery.

Now that I’ve seen “Prometheus” I am fascinated by its implications, both as a result of the Alien link and the philosophical questions on the origin of life. Audiences expect answers but Scott answers questions with even deeper questions and, on retrospective, the movie is chockfull of apparent narrative plot holes, shaky motivations and bizarre notions that will frustrate casual viewers. And yet, “Prometheus” is such a masterful exercise in suspense and atmosphere that, for long stretches, it hardly matters that it doesn’t make a lick of sense. We hardly see movies on this scale both in concept and execution (and even less frequently during the summertime of dumb and crass blockbusters).

It is impossible to review “Prometheus” without digging deeply into spoiler territory. The film starts with a curious sequence showing a white tall humanoid getting exposed to a strange substance that alters his DNA. It isn’t clear whether he’s on Earth or another planer (many things remain unclear in this movie). We then join the Prometheus, an expedition ship that lands on a moon and carries a team that includes a couple of scientists, an android and the usual assortments of ready-to-die fodder. They are led by an executive of the Weyland Corporation (another link to Alien).

What they find on the moon and how it manages to get onboard will provide even more debate and frustration but the creep factor turns to eleven once we reach the cesarean section scene that offers one of the most memorable moments of the year. There’s yet another link to Alien at the end but how that particular creature developed out of the space jockey and the incubation of the other tentacle monster remains vague (a repeated motif that might or not be revealed in potential sequels).

Visually, “Prometheus” is an astonishing experience and the cast fills each role nicely (the obvious standout is Michael Fassbender as the android David, who may or not have a secret agenda of his own). Whether repeated viewings will be rewarding remains a mystery but as a spectacular tent-pole picture it remains colossally exciting. This is one of the most interesting movies of 2012.