I was originally not going to have Prometheus on my list because of the language, some very disturbing scenes, and quite a few unanswered questions. Yet Prometheus is the kind of film that keeps one thinking, and, after much consideration, I think I at least have some good theories to satisfy that last point.
I think the black liquid is a powerful mutagen, which is much more severe when ingested. That seems to answer questions like “Where did that snake thing come from?” (from the worms that were exposed to the fluid), “What happened to Holloway and Fifield?” (Holloway was experiencing a slower version of what happened to the alien at the beginning, and Fifield, who did not ingest it, was simply going berserk), and “What happened to the Engineers?” (I tend to think there was a leak, and they killed themselves in the same way Holloway preferred to die. The fact that the head, when reactivated, started breaking down seems to back up this theory.) The fact that the Engineer did not end up in the chair where one was found in Alien tells me that the crew of the Nostromo must have landed on a different planet, perhaps to be visited and set up appropriately in Prometheus 2. Someone else might have very well figured all this out already, but my coming to my own conclusions allowed me to better appreciate the film, though there are still a few unanswered questions about David’s motivations and such. The film left my VC a bit confused at first, but, upon a second viewing, she better understood and liked the film.
The outstanding special effects are light-years ahead of the original Alien, and, though Prometheus takes some cues from its predecessor/sequel, such as ending with a countdown and killing off nearly everyone, it also is able to stand alone, as director Ridley Scott wanted all along.
As a Christian, I don’t believe for a second that aliens created mankind, but this assertion in the film is tempered by Shaw’s unconvincing but sincere faith and her pointing out that someone must have made the Engineers. I find the gruesome, abortion-like surgery scene to be messed up on way too many levels, and Peter Weyland’s death scene seemed very abrupt considering everything before it, but the rest of the film mostly makes up for its faults.
Best line: The aforementioned quote questioning, “Okay, who made the Engineers then?”
Artistry: 7 Characters/Actors: 6 Entertainment: 5 Visual Effects: 10 Originality: 6 Watchability: 5 Other (violence, especially surgery scene): -7 Other (confusing elements): -4 TOTAL: 28 out of 60Tomorrow: #347: Despicable Me
© 2014 S. G. Liput