3 (out of 4)
Aliens would sooner burst out of my stomach than I reveal the secrets of Ridley Scott’s first foray in sci-fi since “Blade Runner.” What I will say is Scott is back on the top of his game, starting right from the opening scene where a character literally falls apart in an almost barren wasteland, complete with rocky terrain, deep caves and steamy waterfalls.
It will be the place where most of the action takes place (other than on a space-ship) where Elle (Noomi Rapace, anchoring the film nicely), her partner (Logan Marshall-Green), and crew follow a map found during an archaeological dig that will lead them to a planet that contains the first beings, the creators of mankind.
The rest of the crew contains Charlize Theron (as its wary commander), Idris Elba (the captain), and Michael Fassbender, in the film’s best performance, as David the helper-robot.
Scott has created a dark, foreboding world here. The effects are awe-inspiring and first-rate, from the impressive space-ship, creatures and technological advances (of both alien and domesticorigin) to the downright thrilling way they are used to create action sequences (outrunning a rocky hailstorm) and gruesome encounters (death from a snake-like creature, Elle’s C-section). And the suspense just continues to ratchet itself up as the characters find a severed head, mysterious urns, ghostly hollograms, and more.
What's also nice about "Prometheus" is that it also has something on it's mind. The nature of creation and our existence is something that the script does a nice job of ruminating on early on. But just like his work on “Lost”, screenwriter Damon Lindelof, along with co-writer John Spaihts, offer a dissapointing third act that doesn’t offer the bold statements on humanity or lead the characters to any great discoveries about themselves that the film’s earlier segments foreshadow, opting instead for creature-feature action sequences. But Scott has still put together one heck of a blockbuster; atmospheric, terrifying, and outstanding to look at.
Yeah, the fact that things get very convoluted toward the end is part of it, but more so the characters are set up in a way that makes you think they are going to find some profound discoveries about themselves during this journey but that never happens.