Prometheus

Well, here's another big movie of the epic 2012 summer movie season. So did it deliver? 


That depends entirely on who you are I think. If you are a diehard Ridley Scott and Alien fan, then I think you may be disappointed seeing as how Scott has done much better work before. 


However, if you are like me and are just excited for an intense movie about discovering alien life with fantastic visuals, then I dont think you can go wrong with Prometheus. 


The movie's plot has been kept very tightly under wraps and honestly, it wasn't that big of a deal. To give a spoiler-free synopsis of the plot would go something like this: scientists discover a planet that has the potential to support life like earth does. This discovery comes from a set of a dozen or so pictographs found all over earth that indicate these separate races praying to the same star constellation. And so begins the journey to the planet that could potentially be home to our creators, or engineers, as they are referred to in the film. As you may have guessed, things start off nice enough and then eventually go to hell. Other than that, I cannot tell you much or even confirm that this is or isn't an Alien prequel, I'd rather you find out for yourself. I will just say that the story is really nothing special. 

The film is full of iconic images, something Ridley Scott is a pro at.

I'll start with the biggest problem that Prometheus has and that is that it is just very random. Once the scientists start exploring the planet, just one thing happens after another. This makes for a absolute breakneck pace which kept the movie always exciting, but at the same time I often found myself asking, "What the hell is going on?" or "Why is he/she doing that?". The scenes themselves are fantastic but a lot of them seem like they are just happening for happening's sake. I dont know how to explain it really other than that it feels disjointed; one scene to the next without much of a transition or explanation as to why. Other than the...randomness...of the film, the only other big problem is the ending. And by ending I dont mean the immediate "last scene" ending because that is absolutely awesome. I mean the last 10 minutes or so of the film. It just doesnt live up to the heights of the rest of the film and seems to just be there to extend the running time. And I should warn all of you cliffhanger-hater-whiners that yes, Prometheus does end on a cliffhanger because they are planning a sequel. So there ya go, you have been warned. 

Phenomenal visuals. I HIGHLY recommend that if you go
to see it, do so in IMAX 3D. 

"Oooooo pretty lights..." Dies seconds later.
(Kidding)...(or am I?)

Prometheus supports a pretty impressive cast including Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Charlize Theron. Everyone does a fantastic job with the standout being Fassbender's cyborg, David. He is likable, but has a very underlying creepy aspect to him and feels like a fake human being, which is exactly what he is. And in case you havent been able to tell from the previews or inserted pictures, the visual effects are pretty much perfect, and so are the sound effects for that matter. I really believe we are in the stage in Hollywood where if the movie has enough funding, it looks 100% realistic. Between this movie and The Avengers, I could not find a single effect that looked fake. It truly fascinates me. And the fact that this was filmed in IMAX 3D makes it that much cooler and immersive. 

One of the most memorable scenes I have seen
in a long time. 

What Prometheus is the champion of however is being memorable. There are just so many scenes throughout the film that I will have in my head for a while. From the opening waterfall sequence (that I still dont understand its purpose), to the landing of the Prometheus, to the first drive from the Prometheus to the cavern, to the release of the "pups" that map the terrain, and to the sandstorm that the team has to beat back to the ship, the movie spits out memorable scene after memorable scene. And all of those scenes listed above are all within the first 30-45 minutes. In particular, there is a scene where Shaw (Rapace) must receive a surgery to remove...something...from her body. It is so damn intense and gross and well-shot that I dont see me forgetting it for probably the rest of my movie-watching life. But it's just a prime example of how well the film is shot. Nearly every scene has the perfect angle and includes everything that it aims to show. If I were to give out a "best cinematography" award today, Prometheus would win it hands down. 


Had Prometheus been any other movie, I probably would have taken off significant points for its general lack of direction and poor scene-stitching. But it is just so damn memorable from scene to scene that I have to admit that I was completely enticed from the very beginning to the very end with only a few points that I felt there was a lull. It is certainly not on par with the Ridley Scott classics like Alien or Blade Runner, but that doesnt make it any less entertaining of a movie. I just wish it was put together a little less randomly.


Pros:

• Visuals and sound are both the cream of the crop. When the ship lands on the planet, the bass was so heavy that it was shaking the IMAX theater leading me to believe that I was actually in a landing ship
• Cinematography is perfect. Action scenes are captured with professionalism (and no shaky cam!! yay!!) and we as the audience always know what is happening on screen
• All actors turn in great performances and display distinct personalities
• Memorable scenes galore. The "surgery scene" is visceral and phenomenal. I wont be forgetting 75% of this movie for probably the remainder of the summer 
• Not a classic soundtrack, but it gets the job done
• Cool deaths and really cool looking creatures/aliens
• Charlize Theron's butt in a skin tight black jumpsuit for pretty much the whole movie...just sayin

Cons:

• Just very random from one scene to the next. Makes the pace super fast, but also leaves the audience guessing several times
• The Weyland Corp subplot was stupid in my opinion. I know it relates to the whole universe, but I found it useless with all the other stuff going on
• I still dont know what happened in the beginning scene...
• The ending is lackluster with respect to everything else

Take it Or Leave it:

• The underlying theme that we as humans were engineered by another, similar race. It plays a large role, and is a very interesting prospect, but with regards to the movie it really didnt do much for me. 

Rath's Review Score: 9/10

And now I would like to take the time to thank all of the people who read my blog. I started writing it in November because I enjoyed doing movie reviews when I was abroad. And since then, it has gotten significantly more popular and that is due to everyone that reads it. I recently crossed the 5000-hits mark so I thought I would share some interesting statistics with all of you!

- Rath's Reviews has been viewed in over 14 different countries including Australia, Canada, Spain, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, the UK, Croatia, Norway, India, Romania, Peru, Serbia, and Turkey.

-63% of visitors use Google Chrome

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-The largest month to month view increase was from January to February with a 235.6% increase.

-This month is on track to be the most successful one yet and a 180.5% increase over last month which was Rath's Reviews highest visited month with over 1,000 hits.

Thanks again everyone!