Prometheus

It is hard to say too much about Prometheus without spoiling it. First of all, those expecting to see the original Aliens are not seeing this movie for all the right reasons. Yes, it is part of the Alien universe and set before the first movie, but it doesn't feature those Aliens and instead tells a brand new story of merging the two worlds together.

With Ridley Scott back to directing, Prometheus used the similar setup of making researchers explore an alien world, only this time there is a longer setup and more suspense driven to events unfolding. The ship in this movie is very reminiscent of the one in Alien, although it is different in design and has some new interesting gadgets and pieces of technology we haven't seen before. There's no denying that there are things people will pick up relating to Alien, and I'm really glad they didn't tone down the violence for 12/PG-13 rated audiences. Either way, you can watch Prometheus first before the other Alien movies.

On the acting side of things, I found Michael Fassbender's Android character David to be the standout for the movie. I also liked the protagonist Noomi Rapace and the supporting cast of Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron, and Idris Elba. All strong performances, but perhaps if there's only one small complaint I could think of, is that maybe the supporting characters didn't get enough development time. Thankfully, Scott and the team keep the movie going at a very good pace with emotional depth at the right moments.

Overall, Prometheus on first viewing was what I expected, a movie using it's original base movie Alien as a structure to produce a new story with new characters/lifeforms to lead up to other Alien story lines. It is highly likely the references will become more obvious in sequels to this, but Prometheus manages to bring a story that works as a standalone but also a prequel at the same time, which is good for all viewing audiences, and I think Scott was trying to bring the grisly/dark atmosphere movies of Alien without being too in your face, which I thought was the right direction for this movie.

'Alien' is still to this day a tense, shocking suspenseful and frightening masterpiece, one of my favourites of the genre. The bigger and bolder 'Aliens' is one of those rare sequels that is every bit as good as its predecessor. Both are two of my favourite films and the character of Ripley is one of the most iconic female characters in film.

To be honest, there were initial doubts about 'Prometheus'. Ridley Scott, as especially proved with 'Alien', 'Blade Runner' and 'Thelma and Louise' has shown that he has a lot of talent as a director, though his filmography is hit and miss. So that he was back on board as director and that there is a great cast promised much. There were worries however as well, due to some negative reception amongst audiences who criticised the script, story and notorious "plot holes".

Watching 'Prometheus' finally, it was a better film than expected though nowhere near in the same league as 'Alien' and 'Aliens'. That said, it was heavily flawed and there are criticised personally agreed with, though it doesn't deserve the 1/2/10 ratings which indicate that the film had no redeeming qualities at all which is not the case.

'Prometheus' best asset is the visuals. The settings look tremendous, of sheer beauty and with a real eeriness, the cinematography complements it perfectly and often powerfully arresting and the special effects are a feast for the eye. Scott's direction has moments where it is superb, if more in the visuals and spectacle than the narrative.

More than up to the level of the quality of the visuals is the cast. Noomi Rapace is an authoritative lead, and Michael Fassbender is even better in one of his best performances to date. Charlize Theron and Idris Elba also prove how talented they are as performers. Most of the rest are more than up to their level.

While the story is very problematic, it does have its moments. There is some tension, especially in the last act, parts are thought-provoking and there are some thrills. The music is suitably haunting.

However, there is a good deal that doesn't work. The script is often very weak, often rambling, clichéd and not very logical with some stupid decision making. The story does suffer from too many concepts not explored enough, some leaden pacing and at times a lack of cohesiveness.

Characters are also not particularly well-written, they seemed underdeveloped and there are too many of them, the decision making of some are a cause for extreme frustration. Not to mention lapses in logic, ridiculous science and parts that don't make as much sense as ought.

In conclusion, better than expected but heavily flawed and one may question the point of it. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Prometheus seems to have disappointed many viewers. Luckily for me I had no expectations, despite being a Scott film set in the same universe as the Alien franchise. The ship Prometheus goes looking for the beginning of mankind and what created us. It's a rather ambitious idea and the film should be given credit for trying to have some kind of theological and scientific debate. Unfortunately, the script also feels as though it has to give us the scares and frights that we associate with the Alien films. The majority of the film is intriguing but for every positive there is a negative. We get fascinating characters such as David, Vickers, and Janek. But they are mostly pushed aside to focus on the stupid scientist characters. Did the writers not realise how bad their work was? Rapace refuses to let one character take weapons on an expedition because it is a "scientific" mission. I call BS on that. No scientist would be so stupid as to explore a new planet, with no information on said planet, without a bit of protection. Characters decide to do stupid stuff, such as approach viscous looking new species etc. and it is here where the film annoyed me. The set design was beautiful, and I enjoyed the quieter moments the film had to offer, such as David's trying to understand emotions etc. The most interesting ideas the film has are delivered in single lines of dialogue, but are never explored. It's head and shoulders above many science fiction films of late, but it also needs a few sequels to clear things up. Unfortunately, that means it wasn't so great as a stand alone film.

This needed a second viewing, just to see if not being awestruck was my fault. Sir Ridley Scott's unintended (but obviously linked) prequel to his 1979 classic, 'Alien' is a hugely ambitious film; but is, in a word, meretricious.

The story is profoundly compelling, and is an example of why sci-fi can be the most noble of all genres. It's not afraid to ask the big questions – Where do we come from? What is our purpose? What happens when we die? – but cowers into the nearest black hole when it comes to answering them (or at least the last two of those). No film I have seen has handled analogous material better than Kubrick's '2001', and 'Prometheus' could have ensured similar stardom if it chose epiphany over escapist entertainment.

The year is 2093. Discovery of a recurring ancient cave painting has prompted a space expedition. A vessel called Prometheus carries a crew of 17 to a destination where it is believed the answers to human origin lie. Interweaving an alien story with the central plot is a major strength, a double-whammy concept. But the delivery is all devilry; pure Hollywood compromise.

Despite the voluptuous visuals, stunning production design and preference of manual over computer effects (including a memorable alien abortion sequence), what ruined it for me was the handling of this precious material. Perhaps it was inevitable. Between them, the two writers (Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof) have a limited repertoire which has space for the execrable 'Cowboys and Aliens' and equally distasteful 'The Darkest Hour'.

Discoveries are anti-climactic. When the crew discover something of importance, i.e. everything, they are remarkably insouciant. The effect on me was a mutual disinterest. All the elements for suspense are here: dark passages, inexplicable noises, prolonged moments of inactivity; yet there is a lack of the kind of suspense which gave Scott's 1979 film its reputation.

One saving grace is Michael Fassbender's David, the onboard android. He gives everyone an acting lesson; one that ship captain, Janek (Idris Elba) doesn't heed, choosing instead to remain impassive throughout. Guy Pearce (in heavy make-up) cameos as the CEO of the company funding the venture. He has only a few days of life left and presumes they will find a merciful rather than noxious God, and further presumes that he will be able to barter for an extension.

Other principal players are Doctors Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green), and expedition manager, Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), who raises her voice to remind everyone who's boss (an interesting discussion point, evoking Scott's 'Blade Runner', is whether she's another android).

Once Darwinism has been negated, the crew, particularly Shaw, desperately seek other answers. This is where I felt cheated. Yes, speculation is often more enticing than revelation, but this film is fuelled by its revelations. We're not given the answers, ostensibly to add mystery. But I feel that the script writers had no more to offer. David asks Shaw why she so badly wants to know more. Her response is risible: 'Maybe it's because I'm human and you're a robot'.

The conclusion is impetuous and insipid. It is not too distant in tone and style than – I'm serious – 'Armageddon'. The best bit of the film probably won't even be talked about. It's established that Prometheus has actually landed on an installation, where aliens were being manufactured by our 'Engineers' (Gods) to create WMD. Their intention was to use these weapons to destroy Earth, but the aliens escaped captivity and massacred them. What a concept! If you were going to compromise, which this film does, why not show that story? Maybe they will in another prequel.

www.moseleyb13.com

It's good to see that Ridley Scott still has the same vision for stylistic sets and atmospheric lighting.Lots of dripping water and eery shadows as one might expect from the old master. The special effects are impressive, the CGI is great, the technology is plausible for the turn of the next century. But - and I'm afraid it's a big but - the plot is disjointed, the characters two dimensional and the script is, well, not the best. Far too many things happen which simply make no sense at all, or just don't tally with "what we know already" about the Alien universe. Far too many plot mechanisms, bits of tech and even shots and scenes are borrowed from other films - Serenity, independence day, The Mummy, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, Pitch Black, X- Files. I won't go into detail because I can't do that without using spoilers, but try it yourself. Watch the film and see how many ripped off bits you can spot. Spectacular, yes. A great film? No. sadly not.