Prometheus (2012)

Ridley Scott's latest film is being touted as a prequel to his masterpiece Alien, a movie that has spawned no less than five sequels and spin-offs, all of which range from average to downright horrible. Prometheus seems to be here to rescue a franchise, something it doesn't really do. This is a movie that doesn't have to rely on any other to be a success. In fact, there is almost nothing in this movie that actually qualifies it as an Alien movie. It is its own creature, and it is wonderful. Taking place in the same movie universe as the original, sixty-odd years into the future, a group that includes Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, and Charlize Theron search for a planet that supposedly houses the superior beings that created us. When they find it, they also inadvertently awaken something quite terrible.

I want to stress the individuality of this movie. It doesn't deserve to be compared to anything, although I feel I must mention that this is a return to form for Scott, who has had a sensationalist streak as of late. This film harnesses the same carefully constructed energy and fear that accompanied the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey and the original Alien. It gave me the same feeling of excited discovery that I can only assume the original viewers of those films experienced. There are few places movies can go today that are truly new, but Prometheus comes as close as possible. It is a great adventure movie because it shows us things that have been copied somewhere down the line in a way that is exciting and new. The levels of curiosity and terror are weighed expertly and some moments are truly intense. This is not an action movie, though, it's too contemplative for that label. It does not exist simply to provide brief thrills and show off a bunch of artificial effects. There are effects and thrills, but they serve a greater whole rather than being the sole purpose of the film. The cast is thankfully well-placed as well, with Rapace further convincing us that she means business and Fassbender in particular leaving an impression as a robot who thinks of himself as a human, almost as memorable as another famous movie machine that got into trouble by thinking for itself.

Watching Prometheus is proof alone that movies like The Avengers are no good. Here is a big summer movie that is about something bigger than some shiny razzle-dazzle. It asks questions that it knows it can't answer and doesn't make any attempt to do so. It also has the good taste to treat its audience intelligently, assuming that we are actually paying attention to the journey, not just taking a ride. The fact that I spent most of the movie surprised at where it had gone and in anticipation of where it would go shows how riveting an experience it really is. This is not something to miss.

9/10