Monday, June 18, 2012

Prometheus (2012)

I don't get too excited about many movies coming out these days.  My pulse might go up a notch or two at the suggestion of a Chris Hemsworth sighting, and I might give pause for a book-to-movie production.  But THIS.  I was jittery about this.


I was probably a victim of the marketing blitz that accompanied the movie.  But hey, I was a child of the Alien culture, an impressionable 13 year-old when Sigourney Weaver kicked it's slimy, drooling, scaly butt.  That movie electrified me!  So the promise of a prequel coming along from the same director put me on high alert.


Let's just address the question of whether this is indeed a prequel.  Ridley Scott, the director, claims this is NOT a prequel, but just that it "has the same genes" as Alien.  I say baloney.  We just re-watched Alien right before we saw this movie, paying very close attention to ship design, corporation names, alien behavior, etc. and this is a damned prequel.  I'm putting it on record, and I'm not changing my mind. 


Anyway, in the year 2089, a team of scientists discover clues in a Scottish cave that indicate intelligent life out in the stars.  These creatures may not only be intelligent, however, but may be the creators of mankind on Earth.  A few years later, a crew embarks on a journey to find the home base of the human "engineers".  When they arrive at their destination, they find that perhaps this monumental discovery could trigger an event that will destroy us all.


The primary casting was excellent.  Charlize Theron plays the ice queen supervisor on board, a representative of the Weyland Corporation who funds the expedition.  She shows very little emotion in the movie, but she exudes bitch - a role for which she already had plenty of practice from Snow White and the Huntsman.  Noomi Repace (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Swedish version) plays the strong female badass ala Sigourney Weaver who is smart and full of intensity and capable of performing surgery upon herself.  (I'll talk about that in a minute.)   
  
The most memorable, and maybe the most despicably intriguing character, is the on-board android, played by Michael Fassbender.  He studies old movies and quotes his favorite lines, he can speak ancient alien languages, he spies on sleeping crew member's dreams, and only exists to serve Weyland Corporation.  He stole the show in my opinion, and is a much cooler android that the one in Alien.


Some people hated this movie, but from my perspective, it captivated me from beginning to end.  We get to witness the seeds of mankind, an insane galactic storm, and a couple of seriously cringe-worthy scenes of, uh, alien/human interaction, shall we say.  These two scenes (which inspired noises of gleeful revulsion from me) are primarily why the movie is rated R.  One of these scenes was the on-the-go surgery Miss Repace performs on herself.  There is blood and sinew.  There were a few bad words, no boobs, and only an off-screen implication of romantic interludes.  A number of kids in the teenage range, including my own, saw the movie and LOVED it, and have gone back for a repeat screening.  



The movie was shot with 3D technology, similar to Hugo.  Therefore, the 3D experience wasn't a handful of hokey fingers and guns and an alien head threatening to poke (or eat) you, but full immersion.  The planetary landscapes and the storm was awesome.  In this case, the extra cash was worth it.


I can't say enough about this movie - my entire family was blown away.  It won't win an Oscar, but I'm willing to bet I'll go see it again in the theaters before it is all over.  It is just that kind of viewing experience.


5 out of 5 stars
  

16 comments:

rhapsodyinbooks said...

I heard an interesting critique of the science of this movie on NPR - that I'll tell u about when I am back on a regular computer!

Unknown said...

Glad to hear you liked it. My brother's reaction was 'meh.' But I seem to recall Alien and Bladerunner both got better reactions over time.

annieb said...

This is my kind of movie! I loved all four of the Alien franchise, but Aliens was my favorite. Just based on your recommendation I will see it in 3-D. Thanks for the review.

bermudaonion said...

My guys said this movie used 3D better than any other movie has. I think Vance liked the movie better than Carl did, but they both enjoyed it.

Unknown said...

I'm glad you liked this movie so much. I was hoping it looked like an Alien prequel because I really like the Alien movies!

Great review, Sandy!

Julie P. said...

I need to live closer to me and make me more adventurous. This wasn't even on my radar.

Peppermint Ph.D. said...

I was never really into the alien stuff so I'll probably skip this one. And, I'm actually exhausted with all the 3D...Titanic in 3D, really??? Give me some vampires and some blood, and I'm happy ;)

Ti said...

I think some movies lend themselves well to 3D imagery and this would be one of them. I SO want to go! No one wants to see it with me though. My son wants to see it, but he said he wants to see it with his friends. Well, it's R rated buddy, you need me.

Heidenkind said...

There was a lot of buzz around this. I've never seen Alien, so I'm not sure it's quite my thing.

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

Yowza, you've convinced me. I'm going to see it!

Alyce said...

Totally not something I'd watch, but my husband has been debating seeing it since he liked the original.

Carrie K. said...

I can't wait to see this one!

Melody said...

I enjoyed this movie a lot, though I won't want to see this in 3D version because of that surgery scene!

Literary Feline said...

I really want to see this one but it probably won't be until it's out on DVD or via Netflix streaming. I can't get my husband interested. :-(

Anna said...

This really isn't my kind of movie, but I have a bit of a crush on Michael Fassbender so...

Jenners said...

OK … I will go but I will be prepared to cover my eyes during the icky parts. I think Charlize Theron can play a bitch like nobody else!