Review of Prometheus (2012) by Cordarro M — 04 Feb 2015

To be clear, this is not an Alien prequel. Yes it does take place in the same universe and many years earlier and yes there are connections to the alien story-line BUT since xenomorphs do not make an appearance in this film it isn't an Alien film.

With that said, there are problems with the movie I will admit. The story doesn't come together quite as nicely as it should for a single movie (even though it is a planned franchise) and some of its ideas are not entirely original.

But the story is still compelling enough to see it to the end, with enough questions to keep you guessing, and there is enough wonder in the film to really spark your sense of exploration. In fact, scenes where the story just takes a pause to allow the characters to truly appreciate their surroundings are actually more interesting at times than the story itself.

Also it's take on religion (as it does have a prominent place in the film) is surprisingly respectful in an industry that takes so heavy pot-shots at it as to become a lazy writers cliché. That is not to say that it is a religious film, it takes a very (much as the Director's personal beliefs) agnostic point of view about the origins of man, stating will discovery of alien life defeat religious beliefs in God.

Unfortunately (or inevitably) all questions raised in the film are immediately dropped once the monsters come in and the body count rises (yes this is a monster flick). Problem is there is no definite, memorable monster like the ones in the Alien films.

But they do scratch up a good scare. Final note, beautiful cinematography and a wonderful musical score. This is a film of potential possibilities and I look forward for the follow-up in 2016.