Movieholic: Prometheus review

So I saw Prometheus tonight, and I will try to keep it short and spoiler free- but no promises.

I watched the credits roll a little under an hour ago, and I'm still piecing together bits of the puzzle left.  Don't be confused, that is a very good thing.  If I pay ten bucks for a movie ticket I expect to be leaving with the movie still swirling around my head.

First off, it's visually amazing, but who wouldn't expect Ridley Scott to not make a feast for your eyes?  The alien planet and the ship contrast each other well, and even though we start on Earth-Scotland, specifically- we're quickly sent into space to the expedition's target.  A planet thought to be the source of distinct cave paintings conjured in Earth civilizations centuries apart.

So Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) lead a team of biologists, ship crew, and geologists to this distant planet to find our creators.  As they touch down they inspect a series of caves that feel like the rib cage of a snake and discover something they never expected.

While this is a prequel to Alien, it doesn't remind you of that fact every two minutes.  In fact, Prometheus does a great job of being its own movie.  It does mirror themes and characters, such as the android, the strong female lead, and, at times, faulty lighting, but it never feels like Ridley Scott is saying "Hey, it's just like Alien, right?"

Having watched Alien fairly recently I tried to suppress the urge to find precursors to the slimy monster we all know and fear, but anything else that popped up felt natural.  But this movie does stand on it's own merits, and even feels like a different movie from the alien universe for most of the film.  Part mystery, part horror, all science fiction.

Watching Prometheus and it's dwindling crew (not a spoiler: people die) would have more thrilling if we had gotten a little more time with all the characters.  We got plenty of Shaw, Holloway, David (Micheal Fassbender) and Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) and I was happy for that.  But it would have been nice to get a little more back story on the crew aside from the fifteen minute exposition scene explaining why they flew into space.

Since I refuse to use a numbered rating system I'll say this: If you enjoy science fiction, Ridley Scott, or any of the Alien movies (particularly the first one) then check out Prometheus.  If you hate slimy things, tense scenes, or prequels, then go see something else.




Oh, and anything post credits comes shortly after the movie ends, so don't fret about staying until the very end of the scrolling names.  You'll know it when you see it.