PROMETHEUS (R)
When: Now showing
Where: On general release
RIDLEY Scott’s much-ballyhooed return to sci-fi, Prometheus, is no masterpiece, but there’s a great deal of awe and wonder as we dive headfirst into his stunning vision, aided by the instantly identifiable alien architecture of H.R. Giger.
After the discovery of the star system marked on countless ancient cave walls on Earth, the starship Prometheus sets out on a deep space voyage in search of the origins of mankind.
A loose prequel, gone is the perfectly crafted, claustrophobic horror of Scott’s original Alien, with its barely glimpsed monster that so perfectly captured the stuff of nightmares.
The economic characterisation that gave us reason to care about the Nostromo’s crew is also missing. Instead we have sketchily drawn, expendable cyphers, making it hard to care as they cark it one by one. Michael Fassbender’s archly creepy robot is the undoubted exception. The biblically named David fashions his stiff upper lip Britishness from watching Lawrence of Arabia while the crew sleeps in suspended animation, and keeps the audience guessing as to his motives.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’s original leading lady, Noomi Rapace, acts the hell out of her bizarrely god-bothering scientist, Elizabeth Shaw, but Ripley she ain’t. However, she does ace the film’s one truly terrifying moment of nerve-racking horror that will leave most women reconsidering motherhood.
Idris Elba is fun as the swaggering, self-serving captain of the ship, and Charlize Theron makes the most of her role as the heartless Weyland Corporation overseer, Meredith Vickers, while Guy Pearce’s brief cameo features dreadful old man prosthetics. The rest of the cast barely feature, though Logan Marshall-Green is meanly pretty.
There are plenty of rewarding moments for the fan boys, particularly the unveiling of the Space Jockey, but the film flubs it when man finally meets his maker.
Hamstrung by the highfalutin concept, Prometheus doesn’t offer enough godliness to satisfy its lofty crusade. Plot holes abound, and it’s these head-scratching moments that leave you pondering.
If you’re after a fun, but oddly unscary, blockbuster, this delivers in spades. If you wanted something deeper from Scott, watch his infinitely superior Blade Runner.
