A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.

Directed: Ridley Scott

Stars:  Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green and Michael Fassbender

What we think: The anticipation and excitement I felt during the opening credits to Ridley Scott’s first venture back into Sci-fi in three decades was unparalleled to any film I have been to see at the cinema before.

A massive fan of the Alien franchise, yes even the fourth instalment just a little bit, the pressure for this one to deliver was going to be immense.

While Scott himself saw this more of a stand alone film as opposed to a prequel it was still going to answer a few questions that would have been in the thoughts of many.

Now, I’d already given 3D a go once before and to be honest I wasn’t that impressed, but the temptation to visit the world that Scott had created was too much and so I donned the glasses once more, this time I wasn’t disappointed.

The opening to the film is a beautiful sweeping shot over rocky and desolate volcanic terrain, revealing a humanoid like alien who perched on the edge of a waterfall, drinks a cup of dark liquid before disintegrating into the water below.

We’re then introduced to archaeologist couple Elizabeth Shaw (Rapace) and boyfriend Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) who have discovered a star map and etchings from other cultures which all seem to lead to the same planet.

Setting foot onto the Prometheus itself, a gargantuan ship heading for LV-223 a distant moon some light years away its a mission funded by Peter Weyland (a prosthetically made up Guy Pearce) with an agenda to uncover the ancient alien race known as ‘the engineers’, and to discover where we as humans came from, but at all costs not to make contact.

Once the ship touches down on the planet all hell breaks loose the minute the team lead by Shaw enter the temple, and part of the crew are of course going to be expendable, so don’t get too attached to them (before something else does).

The question about just who the space jockey was is answered in double quick time as if Scott couldn’t wait any longer. There is also the discovery of a lot of ampoules, all laid out in similar fashion to those eggs in Alien and containing some sinister liquid.

Fassbender’s synthetic android David is one of the clear stand-outs of this film, first seen moving about the ship while the others sleep in he spins a basketball on his finger, dyes his hair and models his eloquent vocabulary on actor Peter O’Toole. He has the all the friendly and endearing qualities of Bishop with the sinister lack of empathy of Ash.

Charlize Theron who struts about in a very sleek cat suit, is fierce as mission director Meredith Vickers, another corporate figure with her own agenda. She reminded me a lot of Carter Burke, on board as part of the crew but with no real care for the truth or anyone else she is out for her own gains.

Rapace has been cast perfectly for this role, comparisons of course drawn to Ripley she fits that mould very well. She’s a fighter and like Ripley she doen’t suffer fools lightly taking charge where she needs to.

The 3D cinematography of Scott’s created world is sublime, from the crisp and concise inner workings of the Prometheus to the dark and dank Alien catacombs it’s nothing short of a triumph.

You can decide for yourself then if Prometheus is a direct link to the next films or, if in itself its a well disguised reboot. Scott however was back doing what he has clearly missed for thirty years, and with a vast budget at his disposal he hasn’t let anyone down.

View the trailer

Rating: (4/5)

Visit the IMDb page for Prometheus

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