Prometheus

Cast: Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce and Logan Marshall-Green.

Director: Ridley Scott

Release Date: 2012

Running Time: 2hrs 3 minutes

Genre: Sci Fi

Rating: 15

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

Set in 2093 and in the same universe as "Alien", Ridley Scott brings us the prequel to the up and coming movie "Alien: Covenant", a group of explorers are on an undisclosed mission when they find themselves on a moon trillions of miles away from Earth. The explorers soon spot what they believe is the signs of civilizations when they spot something out of the ordinary! It's never clear why filmmakers choose to release sequels before prequels. Just when you think you've sussed out the story, it all changes when the audience are introduced to the backstory. In this case it's the backstory to Ridley Scott's famous Sci Fi movie "Alien", starring Sigourney Weaver.

Personally, this isn't quite up to the same standards as "Alien", it's still incredibly entertaining, but there isn't quite as much suspense. There are some pretty scary moments though, more so in the second chapter of the film. Prequels can come as quite a blessing, of all the years I've seen "Alien" and asked so many questions as to how the creature got there in the first place, it's nice to finally have some answers when it comes to this movie. Personally for me Michael Fassbender is the actor that stands out the most, an incredible character actor, he makes a very convincing android. If your familiar with the "Alien" movies you'll know that the androids don't always function properly.

Although the storyline is good and explains a very good backstory, sadly it's nowhere near as exciting as the other films. There isn't a vast amount of stuff going on, there are plenty of scenes where you'll see scientists examining things they have found, but not much of anything else. It's hard to say whether this was intentional or whether it's the case of a poorly written screenplay. There are rather a lot of boring scenes. Understandably this movie is hit and miss with hardcore "Alien" fans. Charlize Theron's performance is good, but nothing spectacular, some of the characters aren't explained very well, some moments are just ridiculous and didn't need to be added to the movie. It just drags the film down. In all honesty the acting isn't that great.

Ridley Scott has certainly made better movies. There isn't that wonderful feeling of being on the edge of your seat that you get with "Alien" and "Aliens", it's a shame because it has the potential, Ridley Scott chose to focus on too many things that essentially has nothing to do with the original storyline. Don't get me wrong sometimes not seeing a lot can create some serious suspense, however at the same time, seeing practically nothing can create a pretty boring movie. I can't quite place my finger on it, but I don't really like how Ridley Scott chose to film the movie, the cinematography is okay, but it could have been better. The production design however is quite impressive. Michael Fassbender really is the best thing about this movie.

Personally you could go without watching this movie and still understand "Alien", however if you want a bit more of a backstory it's a good route to go down. Just don't go in expecting to see a lot. There are some pretty awesome scenes, just not a great deal of them and sadly not until near the end of the movie. In my humble opinion I didn't find this anywhere near as exciting as the original movies, the acting could have been better and the storyline could have been more interesting. There's a nice soundtrack that works well with the storyline and the production team have done a fantastic job in recreating an authentic looking ship and moon. Not for the faint hearted if you find gory scenes a bit difficult.

3/5 stars