The Flickering Myth writing team debate Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. Beware of spoilers within…
The dust has finally settled on Ridley Scott’s (Blade Runner, Gladiator) not-just-a-prequel-to-Alien, Prometheus. Billed as one of the movie events of the 21st century in some quarters, let alone just 2012, Prometheus had an awful lot of hype to live up to. The film’s marketing machine was gargantuan and did a masterful job of fascinating film fans. Some critics, notably anti-3D crusader Mark Kermode, honourably shunned any trailer or behind the scenes video prior to seeing Prometheus in cinemas. The majority of us, however, could not hold out for such a pure viewing experience. The star studded cast, and their space suits, were plastered all over the internet and the front covers of movie magazines such as Empire.
At Flickering Myth we followed every trailer and viral video. So unsurprisingly when the film itself was released our writers were queuing up to have their say in a review. First up was Co-Editor Oli Davis with a well balanced review, then there was a scathing Luke Owen, followed by Adam Hollingworth’s conclusion that Prometheus was a film of two halves. Kirsty Capes then chipped in with the most positive review of the lot, before Rohan Morbey countered the positivity by labelling Prometheus “disappointing” and “instantly disposable”. So what is the Flickering Myth verdict on Prometheus? I gave our writers yet another chance to debate its merits and flaws…
Martin Deer: Frankly, it’s a disappointment. Unfortunately it’s classic Damon Lindelof (Lost): question after question, mystery after mystery, never a pay-off.
Luke Graham: While it has been praised for looking great and having good production design, the colour palette ranges from grey, to dark grey and gun metal grey, and the design has not actually moved on from its 1979 predecessor. While it’s great to see that Prometheus is intelligent, complex, idea-focused science fiction (the kind of film we are seeing shockingly fewer of in cinemas) it was spoiled by the constant sequel bait, distracting references to Alien, and a convoluted plot that has a dull second act and too many characters. Michael Fassbender (Shame, X-Men: First Class) is very good though.
Rohan Morbey: The most underwhelming film since… The Avengers. Ultimately it’s yet another first entry into a proposed trilogy that no one wants.
Gary Collinson: Prometheus is a strange one. It’s clear why Scott and company have downplayed the connection to the Alien franchise, having crafted something ‘different’ in terms of story (which in itself is probably enough to disappoint fans of the series), but it offers no answers to any of the questions it raises and there’s such an air of familiarity about the execution that at times, it comes across more like a remake than a prequel. Scott has stuck so closely to the template he laid out in 1979 that the narrative starts to feel tired and predictable, and the film doesn’t really offer anything that hasn’t been done before, and done better. Given the talent involved, not to mention the superb marketing campaign these past few months, I think Prometheus has to go down as a huge disappointment. Maybe it’s time to rethink that Blade Runner sequel.
Tom Jolliffe: The film for me was a mess. After the first hour it just didn’t know where to go and left a gaping mess of plot holes. Not only that, I just found the whole thing really stupid and it ended up like a B-movie rip off of Alien(s). I half expected to see Eric Roberts pop up. Much of it just doesn’t make sense. It’s more down to bad plotting than to interpretation. I don’t even think the film is striving for high brow either, despite obvious homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
That said, the cast were good and the film looked great. Sadly though this just didn’t deliver what it could have. It’s head scratching in a bad way.
Luke Owen: As Tom said, the film is an utter mess after the first hour which was actually quite good. The more I think about it the more I think 20th Century Fox had more involvement in this than we realise. Who knows, this could be the Blade Runner of our generation and we’ll end up getting a 5 disc Prometheus Blu-Ray 10 years down the line with 2 director’s cuts (each one better than the last) and a 3 hour documentary on how the film was a flop at the cinema due to studio involvement.
Scott Davis: Visually, it is stunning, and crafted with the utmost class from Scott. Acting is good across the board, but Fassbender is the obvious stand-out, with Charlize Theron (Young Adult, Snow White and the Huntsman) and Idris Elba (Thor, Pacific Rim) ably supporting. But Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) was weak, and the rest of them just seemed like fodder, and were so thinly written, that you never care if they live or die. But the film itself in terms of story and script were poor. Sure the first half hour is good, but once they enter the temple it becomes flat and dull when it should have been quick and tense. Add to that the severe lack of actual scares, as well as the pretty poor ending. As a fan, I was kind of heartbroken by the disappointment of it, and while it’s great to look at, under the surface it’s painfully average.
Luke Owen: Does anyone care about the potential two sequels that may follow on from this film?
Luke Graham: I think a director’s cut of this will be good, as you can tell there are scenes that seem to be cut short or strands that go nowhere. But sequels? I doubt there will be. With Ridley Scott’s other projects, it wouldn’t get made for quite a few years, unless he hands over the director’s seat to someone else.
Luke Owen: On Kermode and Mayo he said that this is meant to be the first part of three that would then lead into Alien. So he may have something worked out but I think he’s working on the Blade Runner sequel next.
Simon Columb: FANTASTIC- I thought this is the direction the [Alien] series should’ve gone in. Jim Cameron (Titanic, Avatar) made it all guns-and-gore, “get-away-from-her-you-bitch”. This is not what Ridley Scott intended. Prometheus is what Ridley Scott intended. Thought provoking, profound and mysterious. Fantastico.
Jake Wardle: Went in with VASTLY lowered expectations, which were happily completely exceeded. I thought it was brilliant. Intelligent, tight and very much its own movie. In fact it’s every bit the equal of Alien (which seems to have garnered a hallowed status it doesn’t totally deserve, and that’s speaking as a fan). I felt like the vast majority of references to the original were clever enough to excite but subtle enough not to be distracting. (the use of the Alien theme was a particularly nice touch). And as everybody’s already said, it looks astonishing, especially in IMAX. It’d be nice to see Fassbender get a supporting actor nom come Oscar season too. I’d agree with Kirsty, this is a ****/*****.
Matt Smith: I avoided all marketing for this, beyond the first trailer, so I went in with nothing but a vague recollection of the first Alien and my anger at plot holes/factual errors in the second film (seriously, space is a vacuum. You don’t hold on like you’re hanging out a window). So I saw it as Ridley Scott (apparently) wanted it to be seen, which was as a stand alone film. Loved the tension, even if the script was a bit LOST (HA), also thought the performances were good especially considering the lack of third dimensions to some of the characters. No offence to the others, but I suspect Fassbender could out-act them all in his sleep (they’re not bad, he’s just really good. And the next Bond, probably). Only problem I had was where I blinked and it suddenly seemed I missed a scene (Idris Elba walks in, taking a spacesuit-type thing off, but I swear I never saw him leave the ship. Was he getting milk down the shop?).
Oliver Davis: I don’t know what I wanted Prometheus to be, and it’s not like it’s underwhelming or anything. But it’s not overwhelming either. I guess it’s just ‘whelming’. I was completely whelmed. Whelmed away.
…Clearly, Prometheus is a divisive film. Some seem utterly seduced by the grand ideas, the talented cast, the scale of the spectacle and the harsh aesthetic. Others feel cruelly denied of the film they craved. Despite the differences of opinion there are common criticisms in almost every review: too many unanswered questions, a confused plot, underdeveloped and useless minor characters. There has also been much talk of a conspiracy which denied Scott total control over his own film. Were the money men constantly tapping him on the shoulder to ask for more nods to Alien, as Luke Owen suggests? The film certainly seems to disintegrate after an independent start into a sanitised, less effective version of Scott’s original creation. Another problem is that the marketing campaign not only raised expectations to enormous heights, but it demonstrated greater creativity than the film itself. It also promised a pay-off with its various teases, but for many of us the entirety of Prometheus felt like a trailer for a new series of films, with many plot strands introduced and then left unexplored.
Having said this, there are also elements of Prometheus that reviewers have unanimously praised. The most prominent of these is the performance of Michael Fassbender. As Jake said above, his performance really is Oscar worthy. He injects almost every quality that the story lacks on its own through his interpretation of the android David. We may not be able to agree on how good or bad Prometheus is, but few would argue with the fact that this is yet another sign of Fassbender’s blossoming career.
Prometheus is in cinemas now.
