Ridley Scott’s Prometheus ~ Just not good enough

Ridley Scott’s Prometheus ~ Just not good enough

Prometheus ~ Ridley Scott FilmPrometheus ~ I’ve been anticipating Ridley Scott’s “prequel” to Alien for many months now.  After seeing Prometheus in 3-D, I have to admit I was disappointed.

While the film contained visually striking special effects, they just weren’t enough to compensate for the under-developed characters and mostly predictable story.

That said, the acting was not bad at all. Noomi Rapace (who was fabulous in the Swedish version of the The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy) does a really good job playing the female heroine, and Michael Fassbender’s performance was pitch perfect and mesmerizing. Charlize Theron was as compelling and beautiful as ever–but even with all the good performances going for it, the film was missing something…

It was NOT scary–nothing like the original Alien film. I remember being terrified when I watched Alien for the first time in a theater. I practically crushed my poor girlfriend’s fingers in fear and terror during the alien reveal scene in the kitchen, and the tension never let up–what a roller-coaster ride! Prometheus simply didn’t contain many of those scary moments, nor did it sustain any finger-crunching tension.

The major theme of the film involved the origins of humanity–Where did we come from?–and that theme is carried throughout the film, but it just didn’t go far enough. The ending paved the way for the sequel but not for a satisfying conclusion to Prometheus itself.

The film wasn’t bad or boring…just not good enough.

Other Reviews

  • Prometheus :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews – “Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus” is a magnificent science-fiction film, all the more intriguing because it raises questions about the origin of human life and doesn’t have the answers. It’s in the classic tradition of golden age sci-fi, echoing Scott’s “Alien” (1979), but creating a world of its own. I’m a pushover for material like this; it’s a seamless blend of story, special effects and pitch-perfect casting, filmed in sane, effective 3-D that doesn’t distract.”
  • Review – ‘Prometheus,’ by Ridley Scott, With Noomi Rapace – NYTimes.com –  “Geeks and dreamers will hold onto scraps of splendor and wish for more. There are no revelations, only what are called, in the cynical jargon of commercial storytelling, “reveals,” bits of momentarily surprising information bereft of meaning or resonance. For example: A sequel is coming.”
  • Review: ‘Prometheus’ is a Visually Stunning Epic Failure – Forbes – “Prometheus has no Ellen Ripley, no humanity, and as a result, says absolutely nothing about us worth hearing.”
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