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“Prometheus” is a movie that’s all about links, be them humanity’s links to its own interstellar origins or links between the thriller’s narrative and that of the “Alien” saga, for which this new film serves as an offbeat prequel.
To that end, one wonders if a franchise fan’s experience of watching “Prometheus” is closely linked to Ridley Scott’s experience of making it. Was the 74-year-old director also scrambling to connect certain plot points? Was he reveling in nostalgia while breathlessly charting the unknown? Did he occasionally let his love of subject blind him to slime-slicked potholes?
As a piece of, shall we say, spacecraft, “Prometheus” is tough to nitpick. Its set pieces and overall design are first-rate, merging the hunk-o’-junk aesthetic of the films it predates with the colorful, computer-screen gleam of contempo eye-poppers like “Avatar.” It’s populated by faces that beautifully fit their roles, from Nordic sensation Noomi Rapace as a Ripley-esque explorer to Irish-German gem Michael Fassbender as a calculating android (rounding out the cast is Charlize Theron, and there’s not a weak performance in the bunch).
Scampering along like a freshly-hatched face-hugger, “Prometheus” is swiftly paced, its 124 minutes passing in a snap. That’s terrific for whiz-bang technique and watchability, but there’s a hastiness that undermines philosophical overtones, which already feel simplified and under-explored. Concerning a super-race that started life on Earth (and also, apparently, birthed the nasties that would terrify Sigourney Weaver), Scott’s latest opus is a double-edged existential odyssey, as fascinating as it is unsatisfying. It raises questions whose answers it’s not so much uninterested in giving, but, as implied by other shortcomings like limp dialogue, may not be equipped to give.
Well worth a second look, “Prometheus” teems with juicy pieces that maintain interest, but its favoring of quickness over richness yields some cold and nullifying results. Beyond the half-hearted themes, its characters are often robbed of viewer investment, their deaths just more fuel for plot propulsion. It must be said that, for a film that pursues the meaning of human life, “Prometheus” doesn’t seem to put too high a value on it.
Prometheus
R
Two-and-a-half reels out of four
Now playing in area theaters
Recommended Rental
The FP
R
Available Tuesday
A hit at the South by Southwest Festival, and bound to be a cult favorite, “The FP” is one dystopian tale you haven’t seen before, presenting a war between rival dancer-gamers, who brutally battle while tackling their version of “Dance Dance Revolution.” Sound ridiculous? Tell that to fans who made it a viral hit, and brought much attention to filmmaking brothers Brandon and Jason Trost.
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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