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#21 - Prometheus
Ridley Scott, 2012


In the year 2093, a scientific expedition follows clues left behind by a race of aliens to a distant planet in an attempt to find out the truth about human existence.

Original review found here.

The first time I saw Prometheus in theatres, I vaguely recall being ambivalent about it. The second time I saw it was on TV, where I was considerably harsher towards it. This third time, which happened on DVD well after I watched its sequel Alien: Covenant a couple of times to boot, may be the most I've actually liked it. At the end of my old review from 2015, I remarked that Prometheus was the kind of movie that probably needed a sequel to be considered any good - I had forgotten about that until now, but now that I've seen its sequel I think I was right to call it like that. Of course, a film should always be measured on its own particular strengths rather than rely on a sequel's retroactively-applied substance and Prometheus, while spurring a more positive reaction this time around, still tends to be wanting in this regard. Admittedly, seeing Ridley Scott return to the Alien universe suggests a degree of personal passion that's not so easily seen in his somewhat indistinguishable period epics, especially considering how his own advancing age is reflected in how much of the film is driven by a search for answers to the meaning of human existence (especially when refracted through the concept of God or a God-like creator) that would only become more urgent as one came ever closer to the inevitable. This much is obviously depicted through geriatric tycoon Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) who funds the Prometheus expedition in the hopes of finding such answers, though one can also pick up similar Scott surrogates in the form of archaeologist protagonist Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and android David (Michael Fassbender) who have their own motives for wanting to find these very same answers.

Though Prometheus suffers a bit during a second act where its attempt to switch gears from heady space exploration to Alien-esque horror-show can get more than a little clunky (look no further than the infamous "snake" scene), more often than not it manages to make good on its promise to deliver senses of both wonder and terror at what can happen when humankind tries to meet its maker (and also fail to recognise how it may project that obsession onto its own creations, which is obviously articulated through how various human characters treat the human-created David). Alien: Covenant refines this inherently conflicted approach and delivers something bolder in the process, but it couldn't have managed that without Prometheus laying the rough but necessary groundwork. As such, the horror side of things is reflected less in random aliens showing up and killing people than in how trying to make sense of the world our creators leave behind for us is what really causes trouble (especially when it comes to the mysterious black goo that constantly conjures all-new horrors to face, often in the form of all-pervading body horror). Such appropriately cosmic horror is realised relatively well, but only up to a point. While I'll adjust my assessment of Prometheus to grant further credit to how it's somewhat successful at expanding upon the likes of Alien or even Blade Runner, I can't say that it becomes an especially great film in the process. I recognise elements that I was originally willing to overlook in favour of smugly deriding the characters' poor choices and motivations (most of which don't actually seem to have deserved that much scorn in the first place), but I also recognise that their appeal is limited and how much it plays like a rough draft for Covenant. If Covenant was good enough to retroactively highlight what Prometheus was trying (and sort of managing) to do right, then I can only hope a third entry not only gets made but brings this prequel trilogy to a conclusion that both it and its director deserve.