Movie Review: Prometheus (2012)

I don't like the phrase "spiritual prequel," one of the more flippantly used terms to describe Prometheus. Evidently, Prometheus is a "spiritual prequel" to the Alien films, according to fans, and, least important of all, director Ridley Scott himself. But what does the spirit of the thing matter? So much of Prometheus directly evokes Alien (not necessarily in plot, for that would be too literal, but in cinematic style and context) that any critical notion of "spirit" is worthless. Prometheus is a prequel, no two ways about it, and it's a fine film in its own right.

When scientists discover ancient cave drawings depicting extra-terrestrial visitors imploring them to to trek across the galaxy for a visit, a corporation sponsors the trip and off they go. Several of the scientists believe that these mysterious beings know, or are directly responsible for, the origins of humanity. The rest of the ship's crew, made up of pilots, geologists, robots, mercenaries, and other contracted employees, remain more sceptical. The plot unfolds in a slow-burning, but never outrightly boring, fashion. There's plenty of darkness to explore on the remote planet, as well as on the ship, and the sense of breathless terror in the last half of the film is so much more rewarding for having been built up and delayed. Of course, all this reminds one of Alien, from the characters to the camera movements, from its narrative structure to the themes explored, and even the opening credits, and that's a very good film to be reminded of. Prometheus is just as tensely plotted, and just as beautifully shot, as Alien.