Must-See May Day #23: Prometheus (2012)

I... I... I genuinely don't know about this one. This is actually the hardest review I've ever had to write, since it's been half an hour since the movie finished and I still don't know what I think of it. Do I like it? Do I hate it? Is it a strange combination of the two? I mean, I was entertained, but I also got a little angry, so... I don't know. Prometheus (2012) is just such a bizarre movie, you could rate this anywhere from 0 to 10 and on some level I'd agree with you. But what do I think of it? ... I don't know. Starring Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw, Michael Fassbender as David, Guy Pearce as Peter Weyland, Idris Elba as Janek, Logan Marshall-Green as Charlie Holloway and Charlize Theron as Meredith Vickers.

Prometheus (2012)

Okay, let's tackle the obvious stuff first. The aspects of the film that don't confuse me so much. The look of the movie is fantastic. The visuals are stunning, and it's a really good feeling to finally watch a movie like this that has legitimately beautiful CGI effects. Other movies this month have had them, sure, but this is the most consistent with their use. There are a few practical effects as well, and they work just as well, but it's the blend between the two that impressed me the most. The film also has really great moments of tension and scares. The surgery scene in particular might even be one of the best sequences I've seen all month. I say 'moments of tension and scares' because, looking back, there weren't an awful lot of action scenes. There were a couple, and they were great as well, but this plays more like a horror film than it does an action movie, and in that sense, it succeeds wonderfully.

Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw

But, let's get this out of the way: the cast is truly the best thing in this movie. Practically every main actor here shines. Noomi Rapace is fantastic in this leading role, and the movie does a great job of showing off her character throughout the film. Idris Elba is also great, as usual, and Logan Marshall-Green is great in his role as well. Both of them have a great balance of drama and humour, and they really help the film not seem so dreary. But, let me just say what everyone else has already said: Michael Fassbender is the best actor in this movie. I am in love with this man. He was fantastic as Magneto, but this might just be his best performance I've seen, and David is easily the best android character of the month so far. He's layered, he's mysterious, he's charming, he's got a sense of childlike wonder, he's just got everything. I could gush about this performance forever, but everyone else already has, so we're moving on.

Michael Fassbender as David

But now we get to the stuff that makes this such a difficult review to write, for there are an awful lot of things not to like about this film. First of all, terrible old-man make-up. I'll just leave it at that. Secondly, at times the plot can get too convoluted for its own good. There are so many plot threads weaving throughout the film and they try to rope a philosophical debate in as well, and it just doesn't work. These films have always benefitted from a simpler story, and over-complicating things just means no one can keep up. I think the writers could also have benefitted from a simpler story, as at times the plot is either contradictory, open-ended or makes no f***ing sense whatsoever. Also, bit of a tip if you're going to make a prequel years and years in the future: make sure that the technology also looks like it's from before the previous films, not years and years later. Sure, it all looked nice, but they shouldn't have the technology since it's set before the older movies. Am I... am I overexplaining this? Sounds pretty simple to me.

Charlize Theron as Meredith Vickers and Idris Elba as Janek

Oh, yeah, and this is a prequel. Yeah, you might have been wondering why this film is in my Franchises month, but it is in fact an Alien prequel. Which is perhaps the most confusing and the most infuriating thing about the film. If this was a disconnected sci-fi horror everything would have been fine, but the creatures in this movie have almost no connection to the Xenomorphs we see in the Alien movies. That is, except for the final scene where we see, presumably, the first proper Xenomorph get made. So... that would suggest they were saving the reveal as a surprise. Except that the title card references Alien, the creatures have acidic blood like in Alien and they gestate in peoples' stomachs like in Alien. And, yet, everything else is so intrinsically not Alien. I don't even get it. Does this film imply the Xenomorphs are a product of a bio-weapon? So, they're artificial? Or did they always exist? But what was that guy drinking at the beginning... argh! I never wanted to know the origins of the Xenomorphs! I was happy with them just having evolved as nature's perfect killer, I didn't need all this convoluted bulls***. I'm willing to look past it somewhat in this film, but if the future Alien movies keep going down this route, I will not be happy.

Logan Marshall-Green as Charlie Holloway

So, what do I think of Prometheus (2012)? Well, while it was entertaining, and I probably would watch it again, that would be a situation in which I'd just turn my brain off, not think about anything and just be entertained. It's not a good film overall. It's not a bad film overall. It's both. Everyone is right about this movie. 5/10.

Tomorrow: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1.