Prometheus - Less than Great Scott

*** 1/2

Running time: 124 minutes

Director Ridley Scott's Prometheus, the long-awaited prequel to his original 1979 film, Alien, is at last upon us. And while it is filled with astonishing images of our own world and other planets, superbly detailed visuals of futuristic machines, spaceships, weapons, space suits and the detritus of civilizations past, plus a gaggle of finely-tuned screen performances by a cast which includes Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charleze Theron and Idris Elba, I regret to say that it falls flat.

Such a pity. Despite all of its technical majesty - the film is gorgeously mounted, as only Ridley Scott can do it - the story is pedestrian, the character motivations unclear, the plot unnecessarily convoluted and the resolution just plain silly. What's worse, despite years of development and two screenwriters, the skeleton of the story is so illogical that there are several times in the film when the actors must soliloquize expository dialogue just to explain what's happening.

Prmetheuos is not unwatchable. Far from it. For most of the film's duration it's another absorbing trip from Scott, who kept us on the edge of our seats in the original Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down.

It's just that this time we're not on the edge of our seats. We're entertained. We're interested in the revelations of time and space and the origins of the Alien myth and even of life itself. We're pleased by the performances, especially Noomi Rapace (Lizbeth Salander in the original Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo film trilogy) and Michael Fassbender. But enough already. How many kick-ass heroines can save the world from how many global psycho corporate blunderers?

Ultimately, one leaves the theater disappointed. There's action, there's acting, there are thrills. But the film just doesn't come together into a cohesive, finished adventure. Prometheus is best-suited to fans who want to untangle the Alien myth, not to general audiences who want to be amazed.

MPAA rating: R for sci-fi violence including some intense images, and brief language

Prometheus Extras!!!
Here are some entertaining web sites you can visit BEFORE you see the movie:

Prometheus teaser - actor Guy Pearce, as Peter Weyland, owner of Weyland Industries, makes a speech about the future in 2023 (Prometheus takes place in 2089)

http://www.nextmovie.com/blog/guy-pearce-prometheus-teaser/

Weyland Industries - this is the company which underwrites/supports/exploits the explorations and visitations of Prometheus and Alien I, II, III and IV

https://www.weylandindustries.com/security

Prometheus viral promo ad, starring Michael Fassbender as David, the android

http://www.nextmovie.com/blog/michael-fassbender-android-prometheus-teaser/

SPOLIER ALERT!

This is strictly to be visited AFTER you see the movie. An interesting analysis of whether Prometheus is a prequel to Alien:

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/06/07/prometheus-alien-prequel/