Prometheus: Not As Original As Intended.

Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus' is a disappointment. That does not necessarily make it a bad film, it is just nothing compared to the Alien franchise he had so meticulously crafted. The Alien anthology (despite getting progessively worse as the numbers increased) was outerspace's answer to Predator. It focused on man's primal instincts and was a reflection on humanity. Alien was observant and made commentary where Prometheus does not. Prometheus was originally pegged as a prequel to the Alien series, which might have actually worked better. On it's own, it appeared that the film was purely designed to shock. Whether it be the idea that man was created or to Noomi Rapace's DIY surgery.

Ridley Scott seems to have purposefully made the 'other life' so close in resemblance to humans in a bid to frighten society and potentially take a stab at religion and any God-theories. It does not come off as terrifying, but rather cheap and easy. It almost made it difficult to care knowing that we (as humans) were the byproduct of an alien society and had a used-by date. This is where the film falls short, essentially comparing humanity to the shelf life of milk.

Apart from the films basis and blatant killing off of characters when the story lags, there are some standout performances which, with further exploration of their characters could have made the film that much better and more human. Noomi Rapace as Dr. Elizabeth Shaw is wonderful, despite the fact you keep wondering why there isn't a dragon tattooed to her back. The character seems inquisitive and vulnerable but clearly strong as she doesn't let a premature fiery boyfriend (potential spoiler) break her stride. I understand Mr. Scott tried to focus some of Sigourney Weaver's Ripley into Dr. Shaw, but the character would have stood alone without the freudian sexual connotations about rebirth. Michael Fassbender as the android David is perfect, especially his innocent curiousity. I found it particularly interesting that he at some stage though, developed human inquisition and there was certainly an eerie vibe to him that you could not trust and it was not his perfectly quiffed hair.

Finally, the last acting Musketeer award goes to Charlize Theron as the heartless Meredith Vickers. She is cold, cruel and perfectly executed. Ms. Vickers would be the standout for me as she seems o have no attachment to the crew, nor to the task at hand. I found her cut-off personality and stalker-ish qualities quite endearing in the film, plus she sets someone on fire. One step ahead of Adele and her rain. Overall, the film has its positive moments, but there are lapses in plot and if only they cut out half of it and then re-added necessary segments, it could have been brilliant. As someone who detests Ridley Scott purely for Blade Runner (that film was a crime against the universe), I fear some of his veteran film arrogance has seeped into this film and ruined some of the potential charm and fright.

Prometheus gets 3.5 planets!